Daryl Hannah's career took off when she appeared as the painted android Pris in RIdley Scott's Blade Runner (1982, with Harrison Ford). She then showed she could play a romantic lead opposite Tom Hanks, in the hit mermaid movie Splash (1985). Though the tall, powerful blonde has also appeared in dramas like Wall Street (1987), she is best-known for romantic comedies like Roxanne (1987, based on the story of Cyrano de Bergerac) and My Favorite Martian (1999). Newer audiences are more familiar with Hannah as an environmental activist and as the villainous Elle Driver in Quentin Tarantino's two-part martial arts slugfest Kill Bill (2003-04).
In the past Hannah had much-publicized romances with John F. Kennedy Jr. and with singer Jackson Browne.
Career Highlights: Blade Runner, Splash, At Play in the Fields of the Lord
First Major Screen Credit: The Final Terror (1981)
Biography
The older sister of actress Page Hannah and niece of cinematographer Haskell Wexler, athletic, blonde leading lady Daryl Hannah trained for the ballet before switching to acting at the Goodman Theatre. Taking the stage would prove quite a daunting task for the girl who suffered from agoraphobia and was once such a wallflower that she was diagnosed as borderline autistic, and though it would take Hannah a few years to become truly comfortable in front of an audience, she eventually overcame her fear to stunning results. In addition to ballet Hannah also exuded a certain grace on the high school soccer field. Her interest in film was sparked by a severe case of insomnia early in life, and young Hannah would spend hours on end soaking in film into the wee hours of the night. Before completing her theatrical training under the guidance of Stella Adler, the young hopeful appeared in the Brian De Palma film The Fury (1978) at the age of 18 . After delivering a remarkable performance as a tough android in Blade Runner (1982), Hannah achieved full stardom with her winsome portrayal of a mermaid in Splash (1983). Not all of her subsequent films -- nor her performances -- have been as successful, though she was highly praised for her interpretation of a nerdish hairdresser in Steel Magnolias, and was treated kindly by the press and public for her characterization in the title role of the made-for-TV Attack of the 50 Ft. Woman (1992).
Her often turbulent private life achieved an even keel with her long-term relationship with lawyer/ publisher John F. Kennedy Jr. Sadly, their relationship was doomed from the start due to Jacqueline Kennedy-Onassis' disapproval of her son marrying an actor, the two eventually parted ways. In 1996 Kennedy wed Carolyn Besette, and the rest of their story is history. Despite public perception that Hannah withdrew from acting in the later 1990s, it was simply an unfortunate series of career missteps that kept the enigmatic actress out of the multiplexes and in such mediocre fare as The Last Days of Frankie the Fly and Gun (both 1997). Of course not all was lost during the 1990s, and audiences could indeed catch memorable performances by Hannah in Grumpy Old Men (1993) (as well as that film's 1995 sequel), the Emmy-nominated mini-series The Last Don and the Robert Altman thriller The Gingerbread Man.
As the millennium turned Hannah was still stuck in a sort of celluliod limbo, though such edgy efforts as Cord and Dancing at the Blue Iguana (both 2000) showed the actress had a fearless side that had been left virtually unexplored since her days in The Fury and Blade Runner. Of course Hannah still had a soft spot, and following a supporting performance in Mark and Michael Polish's quirky 2001 drama Jackpot she went family friendly with the mini-series Jack and the Beanstalk: The Real Story and the comparitively earnest and innocent teen drama A Walk to Remember (2002). Having formed a friendly working relationship with the Polish brothers with Jackpot, Hannah returned to the screen for the filmmakers in their acclaimed 2003 drama Northfork. The critical success of Northfork marked the beginning of a critical year for the veteran actress. A turn as a contract killer with a conscience followed with The Job, and after a trip to the middle of nowhere in The Big Empty Hannah aspired to adopt a Mexican orphan in John SaylesCasa de los Babys. Teamed with a powerhouse cast that included Lili Taylor, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Marcia Gay Harden, the critically acclaimed drama cemented the comeback that would continue with Kill Bill Vol. 1 just a few short months later. Cast as deadly assassin Elle Driver (Codename: California Mountain Snake), Hannah's eye-patch wearing killer was inspired by the exploitation roughie Thriller (also known as They Call Her One Eye). Though Hannah was still breathing at the end of Kill Bill Vol. 1, audiences held their breath to discover the ultimate fate of her viscous character until the release of Kill Bill Vol. 2 four months later. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Hannah was born in Chicago, Illinois, the daughter of Susan Wexler, a producer, and Don Hannah, a tugboat and barge company owner.[1] Her parents divorced shortly after her birth and her mother subsequently married Jerrold Wexler, a businessman and brother of Haskell Wexler, a cinematographer. She grew up with siblings Don and Page Hannah, as well as half-sister Tanya Wexler, in Long Grove, Illinois.
Hannah made her film debut in 1978 with a brief appearance in Brian De Palma's horror film The Fury. She turned down many roles early on in her career, including the role of Emmeline Lestrange for The Blue Lagoon (that ultimately went to Brooke Shields). Her first notable role came as the acrobatic and violent replicant Pris in Ridley Scott's 1982 sci-fi classic Blade Runner, in which she performed some of her own gymnastic stunts. That same year she appeared in the summer hit release Summer Lovers. She then was cast as a beautiful blonde mermaid in Ron Howard's 1984 fantasy Splash, which starred Tom Hanks and was a major financial success,[3] establishing Hannah as a high-profile film actress.
Hannah wrote, directed and produced a short film, "The Last Supper", which won an award at the Berlin Film Festival. She directed, produced and was cinematographer for the documentary Strip Notes. It aired on Channel 4 in the UK and on HBO and was about the research Hannah did for her role as a stripper in Dancing at the Blue Iguana. Hannah currently has several projects in post-production, including Shannon's Rainbow and A Closed Book.[6]
Recently she appeared in Robbie Williams' video for the song "Feel", portraying Williams' love interest.
Awards
Best Short - The Berlin Film Festival "The Last Supper", 1994
Hannah, a keen environmentalist, has her own weekly video blog called DHLoveLife[7] on sustainable solutions. She is often the sound recordist, camera person and on-screen host for the blog.[8] Her home runs on solar power and is built with green materials. She drives a car that runs on biodiesel.[9] In late 2006, she volunteered to act as a judge for Treehugger.com's[10] "Convenient Truths" contest.[11] On December 4, 2008, Hannah joined Sea Shepherd's crew aboard the MV Steve Irwin, as part of Operation Musashi.[12]
Hannah has never married. She had a long-term relationship with singer Jackson Browne who had his roadies bring her backstage after a concert during her senior year at Parker -- (she is the female voice on Browne's 1985 hit song with Clarence Clemons, "You're a Friend of Mine"). She was with Browne from 1982 through 1992. After Browne, she had a relationship with John F. Kennedy, Jr. and was romantically linked with actor Val Kilmer. She is the sister-in-law of music producer Lou Adler, who is married to Hannah's sister, Page (who met Adler while Daryl was seeing Browne).
On June 13, 2006, Hannah was arrested, along with Taran Noah Smith, for her involvement with over 350 farmers, their families and supporters, confronting authorities trying to bulldoze the nation's largest urban farm in South Central Los Angeles. She chained herself to a walnut tree at the South Central Farm for three weeks to protest the farmers' eviction by the property's new owner. The farm had been established in the wake of the 1992 LA riots to allow people in the city to grow food for themselves. However, the land's new owner, who had paid $5 million for it, sought to evict the farmers to build a warehouse. He had asked for $16 million to sell it but turned down the offer when the activists raised that amount. Hannah was interviewed via cell phone shortly before she was arrested, along with 44 other protesters, and said that she and the others are doing the "morally right thing".[13] She spent some time in jail.[14]
Hannah has also worked to help end sexual slavery and has been traveling around the world to make a documentary.
Daryl Hannah was among 31 people arrested on June 23, 2009 in a protest against mountaintop removal in southern West Virginia, part of a wider campaign to stop the practice in the region. The protesters, who also included NASA climate scientist James Hansen, were charged with obstructing officers and impeding traffic after they sat in the middle of State Route 3 outside Massey Energy's Goals Coal preparation plant on Tuesday, the The Charleston Gazette reported.[15] In a Democracy Now! phone interview on June 24, 2009, Ms. Hannah spoke briefly on why she went to West Virginia and risked arrest[16].
