Lori Petty
Encyclopedia
Lori Petty is an American film and television actress best known for playing "Tyler Endicott" in Point Break
in 1991, "Kit Keller" in A League of Their Own
in 1992, and the title role in Tank Girl
in 1995.
, 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
as a graphic designer
before pursuing acting.
' surfer
girlfriend 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 Tank Girl
in 1995, which made her into a cult
icon. Her other films include Free Willy
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 won awards at the Los Angeles Film Festival
. The film is an autobiography which documents a painful day in the life of a teen raising her two younger sisters while living in their mother's whore/poker house. The mother's pimp contemplates turning her out and rapes her at age fourteen. Strong in all aspects, she perseveres by going on to win her high school championship basketball game immediately after the incident.
Point Break
Point Break is a 1991 action film directed by Kathryn Bigelow and starring Patrick Swayze, Keanu Reeves, Lori Petty and Gary Busey. The title refers to the surfing term point break, where a wave breaks as it hits a point of land jutting out from the coastline.The film was a box office success upon...
in 1991, "Kit Keller" in A League of Their Own
A League of Their Own
A League of Their Own is a 1992 American comedy-drama film that tells a fictionalized account of the real-life All-American Girls Professional Baseball League . Directed by Penny Marshall, the film stars Geena Davis, Lori Petty, Tom Hanks, Madonna, and Rosie O'Donnell...
in 1992, and the title role in Tank Girl
Tank Girl (film)
Tank Girl is a 1995 science fiction action film loosely based on the Tank Girl comic book created by Alan Martin and Jamie Hewlett. It was directed by Rachel Talalay and stars Lori Petty as Rebecca Buck, aka the eponymous Tank Girl, who had originally appeared in the UK comic magazine...
in 1995.
Early life
Petty, the oldest of three children, was born in Chattanooga, TennesseeChattanooga, Tennessee
Chattanooga is the fourth-largest city in the US state of Tennessee , with a population of 169,887. It is the seat of Hamilton County...
, the daughter of a Pentecostal minister. She graduated from North High School in Sioux City, Iowa
Sioux City, Iowa
Sioux City is a city in Plymouth and Woodbury counties in the western part of the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 82,684 in the 2010 census, a decline from 85,013 in the 2000 census, which makes it currently the fourth largest city in the state....
in 1981 and worked for several years in Omaha
Omaha
Omaha may refer to:*Omaha , a Native American tribe that currently resides in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Nebraska-Places:United States* Omaha, Nebraska* Omaha, Arkansas* Omaha, Georgia* Omaha, Illinois* Omaha, Texas...
as a graphic designer
Graphic designer
A graphic designer is a professional within the graphic design and graphic arts industry who assembles together images, typography or motion graphics to create a piece of design. A graphic designer creates the graphics primarily for published, printed or electronic media, such as brochures and...
before pursuing acting.
Career
Petty first came to notice for playing Keanu ReevesKeanu Reeves
Keanu Charles Reeves is a Canadian actor. Reeves is perhaps best known for his roles in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, Speed, Point Break and the science fiction-action trilogy The Matrix...
' surfer
Surfing
Surfing' is a surface water sport in which the surfer rides a surfboard on the crest and face of a wave which is carrying the surfer towards the shore...
girlfriend in the 1991 action thriller Point Break
Point Break
Point Break is a 1991 action film directed by Kathryn Bigelow and starring Patrick Swayze, Keanu Reeves, Lori Petty and Gary Busey. The title refers to the surfing term point break, where a wave breaks as it hits a point of land jutting out from the coastline.The film was a box office success upon...
. Prior to that, she got her break starring with Richard Grieco
Richard Grieco
Richard John Grieco, Jr. is an American actor and former fashion model.-Early life:Richard Grieco was born in Watertown, New York, the son of Carolyn and Richard Grieco. He is of Italian and Irish descent. Grieco played football for Central Connecticut State University.-Career:Grieco worked as a...
in Fox's Booker
Booker (TV series)
Booker is an American crime drama series starring Richard Grieco that aired on the Fox Network from September 24, 1989 to May 6, 1990. The series was a spin-off of 21 Jump Street...
.
In 1992, Petty was featured in what became her best known role, A League of Their Own
A League of Their Own
A League of Their Own is a 1992 American comedy-drama film that tells a fictionalized account of the real-life All-American Girls Professional Baseball League . Directed by Penny Marshall, the film stars Geena Davis, Lori Petty, Tom Hanks, Madonna, and Rosie O'Donnell...
, opposite Tom Hanks
Tom Hanks
Thomas Jeffrey "Tom" Hanks is an American actor, producer, writer, and director. Hanks worked in television and family-friendly comedies, gaining wide notice in 1988's Big, before achieving success as a dramatic actor in several notable roles, including Andrew Beckett in Philadelphia, the title...
, Geena Davis
Geena Davis
Virginia Elizabeth "Geena" Davis is an American actress, film producer, writer, former fashion model, and a women's Olympics archery team semi-finalist...
and Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
. Petty played the title role in Tank Girl
Tank Girl (film)
Tank Girl is a 1995 science fiction action film loosely based on the Tank Girl comic book created by Alan Martin and Jamie Hewlett. It was directed by Rachel Talalay and stars Lori Petty as Rebecca Buck, aka the eponymous Tank Girl, who had originally appeared in the UK comic magazine...
in 1995, which made her into a cult
Cult following
A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a specific area of pop culture. A film, book, band, or video game, among other things, will be said to have a cult following when it has a small but very passionate fan base...
icon. Her other films include Free Willy
Free Willy
Free Willy is a 1993 family film directed by Simon Wincer, and released by Warner Bros. under its Family Entertainment label. The film stars Jason James Richter as a young boy who befriends an orca whale, named "Willy."...
and In the Army Now
In The Army Now
In the Army Now is a 1994 war comedy, directed by Daniel Petrie, Jr. and starring Pauly Shore, Andy Dick, David Alan Grier, Esai Morales, and Lori Petty...
. She also co-starred in the television series Lush Life with her friend Karyn Parsons
Karyn Parsons
Karyn Parsons is an American television and film actress and model best known for the role of Hilary Banks on the NBC sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.-Early life:...
, but it was canceled after four episodes. She joined the cast of Brimstone
Brimstone (TV series)
Brimstone was a short-lived Fox television series, featuring a dead police detective whose mission is to return to Hell 113 spirits who have escaped to Earth. The series ran for only one partial season....
as the owner of Stone's hotel.
Petty is also known for providing the voice
Voice acting
Voice acting is the art of providing voices for animated characters and radio and audio dramas and comedy, as well as doing voice-overs in radio and television commercials, audio dramas, dubbed foreign language films, video games, puppet shows, and amusement rides.Performers are called...
of the supervillain
Supervillain
A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...
Livewire
Livewire (DC Comics)
Livewire is a fictional character and a supervillain in the . She first appeared in 1997 in Superman: The Animated Series and was voiced by Lori Petty. Her first appearance in the comic books was in the publication of Action Comics #835 .-Animated series:Leslie Willis was once Metropolis' most...
on the Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
series Superman: The Animated Series
Superman: The Animated Series
Superman: The Animated Series is an American animated television series starring DC Comics' flagship character, Superman. The series was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and aired on The WB from September 6, 1996 to February 12, 2000. Warner Bros...
, and The New Batman Adventures
The New Batman Adventures
The New Batman Adventures is the successor to Batman: The Animated Series produced by Warner Bros. Animation. Although bearing different character designs and animation styles, both shows take place in the same continuity, with TNBA set two years after BTAS. The series aired on The WB from...
. Although she was originally cast as Lt. Lenina Huxley in Demolition Man
Demolition Man (film)
Demolition Man is a 1993 American, science fiction action film directed by Marco Brambilla, and starring Sylvester Stallone and Wesley Snipes. Sandra Bullock, Nigel Hawthorne, and Denis Leary co-star....
, disagreements over the character's direction led producer Joel Silver
Joel Silver
Joel Silver is an American Hollywood film producer, co-creator of the sport of Ultimate, co-founder of Dark Castle Entertainment and owner of Silver Pictures.-Life and career:...
to recast the role with Sandra Bullock
Sandra Bullock
Sandra Annette Bullock is an Academy Award winning American actress and producer who rose to fame in the 1990s after roles in successful films such as Demolition Man, Speed, The Net, A Time to Kill, and While You Were Sleeping. She continued with films such as Miss Congeniality, The Lake House,...
. Petty played the role of "Daddy", an alpha-female inmate in Prison Break: The Final Break
Prison Break: The Final Break
Prison Break: The Final Break is a 2009 television movie of the Prison Break franchise. It serves as the series finale of Prison Break. The movie aired May 27 in the United Kingdom on Sky1. In the United States and Canada, the movie was first released on DVD and Blu-ray on July 21, 2009...
.
Petty's directorial debut, The Poker House won awards at the Los Angeles Film Festival
Los Angeles Film Festival
The Los Angeles Film Festival, presented by the Los Angeles Times is an event held annually in June in downtown Los Angeles, California. The Los Angeles Film Festival began as the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival in 1995. The first LAIFF took place over the course of five days in a single...
. The film is an autobiography which documents a painful day in the life of a teen raising her two younger sisters while living in their mother's whore/poker house. The mother's pimp contemplates turning her out and rapes her at age fourteen. Strong in all aspects, she perseveres by going on to win her high school championship basketball game immediately after the incident.
Filmography
- Cadillac ManCadillac ManCadillac Man is a 1990 comedy film starring Robin Williams and Tim Robbins.-Plot:Brooklyn car salesman Joey O'Brien must deal with the ever-increasing pressures in his life: he has an ex-wife demanding alimony, a daughter who's missing, a married mistress and a single mistress who are both...
(1990) as Lila - Point BreakPoint BreakPoint Break is a 1991 action film directed by Kathryn Bigelow and starring Patrick Swayze, Keanu Reeves, Lori Petty and Gary Busey. The title refers to the surfing term point break, where a wave breaks as it hits a point of land jutting out from the coastline.The film was a box office success upon...
(1991) as Tyler Ann Endicott - A League of Their OwnA League of Their OwnA League of Their Own is a 1992 American comedy-drama film that tells a fictionalized account of the real-life All-American Girls Professional Baseball League . Directed by Penny Marshall, the film stars Geena Davis, Lori Petty, Tom Hanks, Madonna, and Rosie O'Donnell...
(1992) as Kit Keller - Free WillyFree WillyFree Willy is a 1993 family film directed by Simon Wincer, and released by Warner Bros. under its Family Entertainment label. The film stars Jason James Richter as a young boy who befriends an orca whale, named "Willy."...
(1993) as Rae Lindley - Poetic Justice (1993) as Penelope
- In the Army NowIn The Army NowIn the Army Now is a 1994 war comedy, directed by Daniel Petrie, Jr. and starring Pauly Shore, Andy Dick, David Alan Grier, Esai Morales, and Lori Petty...
(1994) as Christine Jones - The Glass ShieldThe Glass ShieldThe Glass Shield is a 1995 crime drama film starring Ice Cube, Michael Boatman and Lori Petty, directed by Charles Burnett.-Plot:Deputy John Johnson is a rookie in the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department and the first black deputy at the station to which he is assigned...
(1994) as Dep. Deborah Fields - Tank GirlTank Girl (film)Tank Girl is a 1995 science fiction action film loosely based on the Tank Girl comic book created by Alan Martin and Jamie Hewlett. It was directed by Rachel Talalay and stars Lori Petty as Rebecca Buck, aka the eponymous Tank Girl, who had originally appeared in the UK comic magazine...
(1995) as Tank Girl - Countdown (1996) as Sara Daniels
- Relax...It's Just SexRelax...It's Just SexRelax...It’s Just Sex is a 1998 gay-oriented romantic comedy film....
(1998) as Robin Moon - The ArrangementThe ArrangementThe Arrangement can refer to:* The Arrangement: A Novel, a 1967 work by Elia Kazan* The Arrangement , a film directed by Elia Kazan, adapted from his novel...
(1999) as Candy - Clubland (1999) as India
- Horrible Accident (2001) as Six
- MacArthur Park (2001) as Kelly
- Firetrap (2001) as Lucy
- Route 666Route 666 (film)Route 666 is a 2001 action/horror film directed by William Wesley. It stars Lou Diamond Phillips, Lori Petty, Steven Williams, L.Q. Jones, Dale Midkiff, Alex McArthur, and Mercedes Colon.-Plot:...
(2001) as Steph, U.S. Marshal - Prey for Rock & RollPrey for Rock & RollPrey For Rock & Roll is a 2003 American drama film written by Cheri Lovedog and Robin Whitehouse. The film stars Gina Gershon, Drea de Matteo, Lori Petty, Shelly Cole, and Marc Blucas.-Plot:...
(2003) as Faith - The Karate DogThe Karate DogThe Karate Dog is a 2004 made for TV movie starring Chevy Chase, Simon Rex, Jon Voight, and Jaime Pressly...
(2004) as the voice of 'COLAR' - Masters of Horror: Fair-Haired ChildFair-Haired ChildFair Haired Child is the ninth episode of the first season of Masters of Horror. It originally aired in North America on January 6, 2006...
(2006) as Judith - Chasing 3000Chasing 3000Chasing 3000 is a 2008 American independent film chronicling the cross-country travel of two boys to see the 3,000th base hit of Major League Baseball legend Roberto Clemente. It stars Trevor Morgan, Rory Culkin, Ray Liotta, and Lauren Holly.-Cast:...
(2008) as Deputy Fryman - Last Call as Bartender
- The Poker House (2008) (Director)
- Richard III as First Murderer
- Broken ArrowsBroken Arrows-Synopsis:The plot revolves around love and the struggle over the virtues of free will versus destiny. It follows the journey of Reese, who becomes a hitman after he loses his wife and unborn child, as he confronts the forces of love, faith, and destiny...
(2009) as Erin - The Final Break as "Daddy"
Videography
- Freddys Nightmares: A Nightmare on Elm Street The Series (TV, Series 1987) As Chris Ketchum (Ep. 2 "Killer Instincts")
- Bates MotelBates MotelBates Motel is a 1987 television movie about Alex West, a mentally disturbed youth who was committed to an asylum after killing his abusive stepfather. There he befriends Norman Bates and ends up inheriting the infamous Bates Motel.-Plot:...
(TV series, 1987) as Willie - Miami ViceMiami ViceMiami Vice is an American television series produced by Michael Mann for NBC. The series starred Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas as two Metro-Dade Police Department detectives working undercover in Miami. It ran for five seasons on NBC from 1984–1989...
(TV series, 1988) (Season 4 Ep.10 "Love At First Sight") as Carol - The ThornsThe ThornsThe Thorns are an American acoustic rock band formed in 2002 as a project of Matthew Sweet, Pete Droge, and Shawn Mullins.The band toured the United States and Europe throughout 2003, in support of their eponymous debut album.-Discography:...
(TV series, 1988) as Cricket - Alien Nation (TV series, 1989) as Sal (Ep. 4 "Fifteen with Wanda")
- Police Story: Monster Manor (TV series, 1998)
- Perry Mason: The Case of the Musical Murder (TV series, 1988) as Cassie
- BookerBooker (TV series)Booker is an American crime drama series starring Richard Grieco that aired on the Fox Network from September 24, 1989 to May 6, 1990. The series was a spin-off of 21 Jump Street...
(TV series, 1989) as Diane - Lush Life (TV series, 1996) as Georgia "George" Sanders
- Superman: The Animated SeriesSuperman: The Animated SeriesSuperman: The Animated Series is an American animated television series starring DC Comics' flagship character, Superman. The series was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and aired on The WB from September 6, 1996 to February 12, 2000. Warner Bros...
(TV series, 1997) as LivewireLivewire (DC Comics)Livewire is a fictional character and a supervillain in the . She first appeared in 1997 in Superman: The Animated Series and was voiced by Lori Petty. Her first appearance in the comic books was in the publication of Action Comics #835 .-Animated series:Leslie Willis was once Metropolis' most... - The New Batman AdventuresThe New Batman AdventuresThe New Batman Adventures is the successor to Batman: The Animated Series produced by Warner Bros. Animation. Although bearing different character designs and animation styles, both shows take place in the same continuity, with TNBA set two years after BTAS. The series aired on The WB from...
(TV series, 1997) as Livewire - BrimstoneBrimstone (TV series)Brimstone was a short-lived Fox television series, featuring a dead police detective whose mission is to return to Hell 113 spirits who have escaped to Earth. The series ran for only one partial season....
(TV series, 1998) as Max - Star Trek Voyager (TV series, 1999) as Noss
- HouseHouse (TV series)House is an American television medical drama that debuted on the Fox network on November 16, 2004. The show's central character is Dr. Gregory House , an unconventional and misanthropic medical genius who heads a team of diagnosticians at the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in...
(TV series, 2008) as Janice (patient with Huntington's Disease) - CSI: NYCSI: NYCSI: NY is an American police procedural television series that premiered on September 22, 2004, on CBS. The show follows the investigations of a team of NYPD forensic scientists and police officers as they unveil the circumstances behind mysterious and unusual deaths as well as other crimes...
(2008) (TV series) as bartender - The CleanerThe Cleaner (TV series)The Cleaner was an A&E television series starring Benjamin Bratt. It debuted on Tuesday, July 15, 2008 at 10:00 pm EST and the last episode aired on September 15, 2009, when the show was officially cancelled....
(TV series, 2009) as Sunshine
Other
- Superman: Shadow of ApokolipsSuperman: Shadow of ApokolipsSuperman: Shadow of Apokolips is a video game that was released in 2002 by Atari for the PlayStation 2 and Nintendo GameCube consoles. It was developed by Infogrames and published by Atari in conjunction with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and DC Comics...
(video game, 2002) as Livewire (voice) - Higurashi When They Cry (anime, 2005) as Tamae Hojo (dub)
External links
- Tank-Girl.com (Official site for Tank Girl)