Dummy's Claire Danes Biography

A native New Yorker, Claire Catherine Danes is the youngest of two children, brought up, as she says, in a "very creative household." Her mother, a painter and teacher, and her father, a computer consultant, met in art school and have always encouraged their daughter's interests in the arts. At the age of six Claire began studying modern dance, which she still continues to do. At nine, she took an acting class at the Lee Strasberg Studio. In sixth and seventh grades she attended the Professional Performing Arts School in New York, a public school run by the city, where Claire gravitated again towards acting. In addition, she credits her love of gymnastics, which she pursued for several years, for teaching her discipline.
Claire's acting career began with stage appearances off-off-Broadway, in productions of "Happiness," "Punk Ballet," and "Kids on Stage," in which she choreographed a solo dance piece. Among her television credits are "Law and Order," in which she plays a young model who kills her agent; "No Room For Opal," as Tyne Daly's daughter; and "The Coming Out of Heidi Leiter," as a gay woman's sister. Claire made her film debut at the age of 11 in the role of a molested child in "Dreams of Love," with Milos Forman as executive producer. She also appeared in a short film, "Thirty," created for fashion designer Geoffrey Beene; and in a film festival short, "The Pesky Suitor," with Sully Boyar and in the production playing the role of Beth in Columbia Pictures' "Little Women," with Winona Ryder and Susan Sarandon. Claire has just finished the film "Romeo and Juliet". By my opinion, just breataking.
When she is not working, Claire likes spending time on her school studies, especially the humanities and science. She tries to keep up her interest in dance, and wants to continue with her new enthusiasm for surfing while she's living in Los Angeles.
Claire and her family make their home in New York with a cat, Fifi-Champion.

Occupation: Actress
                       Born: April 12, 1979, New York, NY
                       Education: Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute; Professional Performing Arts School


This winsome, remarkably self-possessed young performer brought disarming authenticity as well as intelligence and emotional complexity to her starring role in the landmark high school/family drama My So-Called Life (ABC, 1994-95). Danes' often heartrending portrayal of a fifteen-year-old coping with the rigors of adolescence contributed to the cultish series' avalanche of kudos and won a Golden Globe Award and an Emmy nod for its rising star. The low-rated, short-lived program counted Steven Spielberg and Winona Ryder among its fiercely devoted fans.


A native New Yorker, Danes was encouraged to pursue her interest in acting by artistic parents. She began studying modern dance at age six. By age nine, Danes was taking weekend acting classes at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute. She started her performing career on the off-off-Broadway stage with supporting roles in Happiness, Punk Ballet, and Kids on Stage. (Danes choreographed a solo dance piece for the latter.) At age 11, Danes made her film acting debut portraying a molested child in Dreams of Love (released 1992), a student short from director Jeffrey Mueller and executive producer Milos Forman. The precocious actress arrived on the small screen in a memorable 1992 guest shot on the NBC crime drama series Law and Order. Danes played a volatile teen who, with her mother, is involved with a sleazy photographer. She also auditioned for My So-Called Life in 1992, at age 13, and filmed the pilot in early 1993. (It did not air until August 1994).
Danes won excellent notices for her feature debut as the doomed Beth in a well-received remake of Louisa May Alcott's classic novel Little Women (1994) with Susan Sarandon and Winona Ryder (the latter had lobbied for Danes to get the role). Indeed, Spielberg hailed her as "one of the most exciting actresses to debut in ten years." When My So-Called Life ended prematurely, Danes was quickly deluged with feature offers.

Danes next popped up in a flashback sequence playing a younger version of Anne Bancroft's character in the Ryder vehicle How to Make an American Quilt and followed up with a small role as the wise-beyond-her-years daughter of Holly Hunter (and granddaughter of Bancroft!) in Jodie Foster's Home for the Holidays (both 1995). Reportedly, Foster's endorsement helped Danes win the plum role of Juliet opposite Leonardo DiCaprio's Romeo in a modern feature version of Shakespeare's play. Prior to that, Danes had leads in two 1996 features: I Love You Not as the granddaughter of a Holocaust survivor (Jeanne Moreau) and To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday as the daughter helping her father (Peter Gallagher) cope with the death of her mother (Michelle Pfeiffer).

Now on 1997 Claire Danes starring with Leonardo di Caprio , Romeo and Juliet,one of the best films I've seen in my life.

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