Early life

Petty, the oldest of three children, was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, the daughter of a Pentecostal minister. She graduated from North High School in Sioux City, Iowa, in 1981 and worked for several years in Omaha, Nebraska, as a graphic designer before pursuing acting.

Career

Petty first came to notice for playing the surfer who taught Keanu Reeves how to surf in the 1991 action thriller Point Break. Prior to that, she got her break starring with Richard Grieco in Fox's Booker.

In 1992, Petty was featured in what became her best-known role, A League of Their Own, opposite Tom Hanks, Geena Davis and Madonna. Petty played the title role in the film adaptation of the British cult comic book Tank Girl in 1995. Her other films include Free Willy, The Poker House and In the Army Now. She also co-starred in the television series Lush Life with her friend Karyn Parsons, but it was canceled after four episodes. She joined the cast of Brimstone as the owner of Stone's hotel.

Petty is also known for providing the voice of the supervillain Livewire on the Warner Bros. series Superman: The Animated Series, and The New Batman Adventures. Although she was originally cast as Lt. Lenina Huxley in Demolition Man, disagreements over the character's direction led producer Joel Silver to recast the role with Sandra Bullock. Petty played the role of "Daddy", an alpha female inmate in Prison Break: The Final Break.

Petty's directorial debut, The Poker House—a film dramatizing her own difficult childhood —won awards at the Los Angeles Film Festival.

Legal problems

On September 4, 2009, Petty pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge for drinking and driving. She was sentenced to five years probation.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1988	...They Haven't Seen This...	The Girl	Short film
1990	Cadillac Man	Lila
1991	Point Break	Tyler Endicott
1992	League of Their Own, AA League of Their Own	Kit Keller
1993	Free Willy	Rae Lindley
1993	Poetic Justice	Penelope
1994	Glass Shield, TheThe Glass Shield	Deputy Deborah Fields
1994	In the Army Now	Christine Jones
1995	Tank Girl	Rebecca Buck/Tank Girl
1996	Countdown	Sara Daniels
1998	Relax...It's Just Sex	Robin Moon
1999	Arrangement, TheThe Arrangement	Candy
1999	Clubland	India
2001	MacArthur Park	Kelly
2001	Firetrap	Lucy
2001	Route 666	Steph
2001	Horrible Accident	Six
2003	Prey for Rock & Roll	Faith
2006	Cryptid	Dr. Lean Carlin
2007	Broken Arrows	Erin
2008	The Poker House		Director
2009	Prison Break: The Final Break	Daddy	Video
2010	Chasing 3000	Deputy Fryman
2014	Happy Fists Claudia	Brenda	Pre-production

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1986	Twilight Zone, TheThe Twilight Zone	Lori Pendleton	Episode: "The Library"
1987	Stingray	Lisa Perlman	Episode: "Bring Me the Hand That Hit Me"
1987	Bates Motel	Willie	TV film
1987	Line, TheThe Line	Jo Lanier	TV film
1987	Head of the Class	Molly	Episodes: "Child of the 60's", "That'll Be the Day"
1988	Thorns, TheThe Thorns	Cricket	Regular role (12 episodes)
1988	Miami Vice	Carol	Episode: "Love at First Sight"
1988	Freddy's Nightmares	Chris Ketchum	Episode: "Killer Instinct"
1989	Perry Mason: The Case of the Musical Murder	Cassie	TV film
1989	Alien Nation	Sal	Episode: "Fifteen with Wanda"
1989-1990	Booker	Suzanne Dunne	Recurring role (10 episodes)
1990	Grand	Medea	Episode: "A Boy and His Dad"
1996	Lush Life	Georgia 'George' Sanders	(7 episodes)
1997	Profiler	Robin Poole / Marjorie Brand	Episodes: "Venom: Parts 1 & 2"
1997	Superman: The Animated Series	Livewire / Leslie Willis (voice)	Episodes: "Livewire", "Double Dose"
1998	New Batman Adventures, TheThe New Batman Adventures	Livewire / Leslie Willis (voice)	Episode: "Girls' Nite Out"
1998-1999	Brimstone	Maxine	Recurring role (7 episodes)
1999	Star Trek: Voyager	Noss	Episode: "Gravity"
2000	Hunger, TheThe Hunger	Lisette	Episode: "Double"
2001	Beast, TheThe Beast	Rita	Episode: "The Delivery"
2001	Parkers, TheThe Parkers	Show Host	Episode: "Family Ties and Lies"
2002	ER	Shane	Episode: "Orion in the Sky"
2002	Superman: Shadow of Apokolips	Livewire (voice)	Video game
2003	NYPD Blue	Joyce Bradovich	Episode: "I Kid You Not"
2004	Line of Fire	Laurie McBride	Episode: "Mother & Child Reunion"
2004	Karate Dog, TheThe Karate Dog	COLAR (voice)	TV film
2005	CSI: NY	Maddy	Episode: "Corporate Warriors"
2006	Masters of Horror	Judith	Episode: "Fair-Haired Child"
2008-2009	House	Janice Burke	Episodes: "Let Them Eat Cake," "Joy to the World," "Painless"
2009	Prison Break	Daddy	Episodes: "Free", "The Old Ball and Chain"
2009	Cleaner, TheThe Cleaner	Sunshine	Episodes: "Split Ends", "The Things We Didn't Plan"
2014-present	Orange Is the New Black	Lolly	Guest star (season 2) Recurring (season 3)
2016	Gotham	Jeri	Episode "Wrath of the Villains: This Ball of Mud and Meanness"

Charities

Lori Petty supports the following charitable cause: AIDS.

[ Source: Wikipedia ]