Early life

Lee was born in Augsburg, Bavaria, West Germany, the daughter of an artist mother and architect father. She grew up in Boulder, Colorado, United States, where she was a graduate of Fairview High School (class of 1985). After graduating, Lee moved to Pasadena, California where she studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, and later attended the North Carolina School of the Arts, the National Theatre Conservatory in Denver, and the University of Colorado. After several years of studying, Lee moved to Seattle, Washington where she acted in several stage plays.

Acting career

Lee is known for her appearance as the dead Laura Palmer in the television series Twin Peaks. Creator David Lynch asked Lee to audition for him after seeing a publicity photo of her in Seattle from one of the plays she was starring in at the time. When the series was picked up, Lee was also given the part of Laura's cousin Maddy Ferguson later in the series (a role which was reportedly written because Lynch, impressed with her abilities, wanted to give her a fuller role on the show). She also starred in the prequel Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me, which elaborated on events leading up to Laura Palmer's death.

Other roles have included playing the role of Astrid Kirchherr in the 1994 movie Backbeat, a bio-pic of the early career of The Beatles opposite Stephen Dorff, the part of Liza in Gary Walkow's 1995 adaptation of Fyodor Dostoyevsky's novella Notes from Underground opposite Henry Czerny, the role of Katrina in John Carpenter's 1998 film Vampires opposite James Woods and Daniel Baldwin, and the role of Marlene Cadena in the 2003 television series Kingpin opposite Yancey Arias and Bobby Cannavale. Sheryl Lee also starred alongside Craig Sheffer in Bliss (1997). Lee starred opposite Anthony Michael Hall as the sweet but vengeful housewife Eve Robbins in the 2001 USA Cable movie Hitched.

In 2004, Lee was the original choice for the role of Mary-Alice Young on Desperate Housewives. It would have been the second time she would have played a dead character on a series; however, the producers ultimately chose to replace her with Brenda Strong.

In 2005, she played the recurring role of Ellie Harp, the biological mother of Peyton Sawyer (played by Hilarie Burton), who battles breast cancer, on the third season of the WB Network series One Tree Hill.

In 2007 and 2008, Lee appeared on the ABC dramedy, Dirty Sexy Money as Andrea Smithson, the mother of Brian Darling's (Glenn Fitzgerald) illegitimate child.

In 2001, she presented the I Love 1990 segment of the BBC's popular I Love 1990s series.

On stage, Lee starred on Broadway in 1992 alongside Al Pacino in Oscar Wilde's Salome as the title role, in the Circle in the Square Theatre, under the direction of Robert Allan Ackerman. The play co-starred Suzanne Bertish, Esai Morales and Arnold Vosloo.

Lee, along with several other Twin Peaks cast members, guest starred in a special Twin Peaks-themed episode of Psych, titled "Dual Spires." Other cast members reunited with Lee included Sherilyn Fenn (Audrey Horne), Dana Ashbrook (Bobby Briggs), Ray Wise (Leland Palmer), Lenny Von Dohlen (Harold Smith), Robyn Lively (Lana Budding Milford), and Catherine E. Coulson (The Log Lady). This episode marked the first time several Twin Peaks cast members had been reunited on television in almost two decades.

In 2010 she appeared in a supporting role as April in Debra Granik's Winter's Bone (which won best picture at the Sundance Film Festival in 2010). The film is about a seventeen-year-old girl (Jennifer Lawrence) in the rural Ozarks, caring for her mentally-ill mother and her younger brother and sister, when she discovers that her father put their house and land up as a bond for a court appearance, at which he failed to appear. Lee won two Awards for Best Ensemble at Detroit Film Critics Society and Gotham Awards, shared with the cast.

In 2015 at the Twin Peaks UK Festival, Lee confirmed that she would be returning to Twin Peaks for the 2017 limited Showtime run; alongside Kyle MacLachlan and Dana Ashbrook.

In 2016 she had a small part as Karen in Café Society written and directed by Woody Allen. The film had its premiere at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival.

Personal life

Lee has dated David Duchovny, who was one of her Twin Peaks cast-mates. She was at one time married to Jesse Diamond, a photographer and son of singer and songwriter Neil Diamond. They have a son, Elijah.

In 2014, she revealed that she had been diagnosed with a rare blood disorder called neutropenia.

Charitable work and environmental activism

Sheryl Lee is an avid member of PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) and has assertively campaigned against fur and mistreatment of animals.

On November 15, 2000, she attended the premiere of the public awareness campaign Why Are We Here?, to raise awareness for biodiversity protection.

On December 3, 2003, Lee attended the UNICEF Goodwill Gala: 50 Years of Celebrity Advocacy, to raise money for the Audrey Hepburn All Children in School Fund. On November 7, 2004, she hosted the fundraiser Get Your Grape On! for UNICEF, a wine testing evening benefiting UNICEF.

In October 2008, she participated in the 3rd Munchkin's Project Pink annual breast cancer awareness campaign to raise money for breast cancer research.

On May 14, 2011, Lee attended the iMatter March in Denver, Colorado to raise awareness about climate change.

In 2011, Lee supported environmental activist Tom Weis' project Ride for Renewables to promote renewable energy.

In September 2011, Lee attended along with environmental activist Alec Loorz, the Sustainable Living Association's 3rd Annual Blue & Green Ball fundraiser and the 12th Sustainable Living Fair in Fort Collins, Colorado.

In December 2011, Lee advocated the protection of wolves and supported the environmental organization WildEarth Guardians' "Wolves in the American West" campaign.

In September 2012, Lee signed environmental activist Tom Weis' open letter calling on President Barack Obama and Governor Mitt Romney to withdraw their support for the construction of the southern leg of Keystone XL, a pipeline that would transport tar sands from Montana to Texas. Other signatories included climate scientist James Hansen and actors Daryl Hannah, Mariel Hemingway, and Ed Begley, Jr.

On December 8, 2012, Lee performed poems written by herself as part of a collaborative performance along with artist Marina DeBris, dancer Maya Gabay, and musician Marla Leigh, for the U.S. National Committee for UN Women's First Annual Special Assembly: Women, Climate Change, and Human Rights.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1990	Wild at Heart	The Good Witch
1992	Jersey Girl	Tara
1992	Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me	Laura Palmer	Nominated — Saturn Award for Best Actress Nominated — Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead
1994	Don't Do It	Michelle
1994	Backbeat	Astrid Kirchherr
1995	Fall Time	Patty / Carol
1995	Homage	Lucy Samuel
1995	Notes from Underground	Liza
1996	Mother Night	Helga Noth / Resi Noth
1997	Bliss	Maria
1997	This World, Then the Fireworks	Lois Archer
1997	The Blood Oranges	Fiona
1998	Vampires	Katrina	Nominated — Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress
1998	Dante's View	Sam Kingsley
1999	Kiss the Sky	Andy
1999	Angel's Dance	Angelica "Angel" Chaste
2002	Children on Their Birthdays	Elinore Murphy
2005	Paradise, Texas	Betsy Kinney
2010	Winter's Bone	April	Won — Detroit Film Critics Society for Best Performance by an Ensemble Won — Gotham Independent Film Awards for Best Performance by an Ensemble Nominated — San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Performance by an Ensemble
2011	Texas Killing Fields	Lucie Sliger
2014	White Bird in a Blizzard	May
2014	The Makings of You	Judy	Also producer
2014	Jackie & Ryan	Miriam
2016	Café Society	Karen Stern

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1990-1991	Twin Peaks	Laura Palmer / Maddy Ferguson	18 episodes Nominated — Soap Opera Digest Awards for Best Prime Time Death Scene
1991	Love, Lies and Murder	Patti Bailey	Television film
1992	Red Shoe Diaries	Kate Lyons	Episode: "Jake's Story"
1994	Guinevere	Guinevere	Television film
1994	Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman	Catherine	Episode: "Another Woman"
1994	Aaahh!!! Real Monsters	Actress (voice)	Episode: "Krumm Goes Hollywood"
1995	Follow the River	Mary Draper Ingles	Television film
1997	David	Bathsheba	3 episodes
1998-1999	L.A. Doctors	Dr. Sarah Church	22 episodes
2001	Hitched	Eve Robbins	Television film
2003	Kingpin	Marlene McDillon Cadena	6 episodes Nominated — Prism Award for Performance in a TV Movie or Miniseries
2003	Without a Trace	Tina Hodges	Episode: "Coming Home"
2004	Desperate Housewives	Mary Alice Young	Unaired pilot
2005-2006	One Tree Hill	Elizabeth "Ellie" Harp	9 episodes
2006	The Secrets of Comfort House	Wendy	Television film
2006	CSI: NY	Ellen Garner	Episode: "And Here's To You, Mrs Azrael"
2006	House M.D.	Stephanie Green	Episode: "Cane and Able"
2007	Manchild	Mary	Pilot
2007	State of Mind	Leslie Petrovsky	Episode: "Pilot"
2007-2009	Dirty Sexy Money	Andrea Smithson	12 episodes
2010	Lie to Me	Janet Brooks	Episode: "Bullet Bump"
2010	Psych	Dr. Donna Gooden	Episode: "Dual Spires"
2012	Perception	Lacey Pinderhall	Episode: "86'd"
2016	Rosewood	Brenda Downs	Episode: "Keratin & Kissyface"
2017	Twin Peaks	Laura Palmer

Video games

Year	Title	Voice role
1994	Murder Mystery 3: Who Killed Brett Penance?	Lucie Fairwell
1994	Murder Mystery 4: Who Killed Taylor French?	Lucie Fairwell
2010	BioShock 2	Gossiping Baby Jane Splicer

Stage credits

Year	Title	Role	Theatre	Notes
1986	Crimes of the Heart		National Theatre Conservatory
n/a	Electric River		Pioneer Square Theater
n/a	Emerald City		Empty Space Theatre
1991	Love Letters	Melissa Gardner	Canon Theater
1992	Salome	Salome	Circle in the Square Theatre

[ Source: Wikipedia ]