Selma Blair

Selma Blair: biography

Selma Blair is an American actress known for the role of the main character’s opponent in Legally Blonde and the lover of Hellboy.

Selma Blair Beitner was born on June 23, 1972, in Southfield, Michigan. She was the youngest child in the family and had three elder sisters: Kate, Elizabeth, and Marie. At the age of 23, she gave up her father’s second name, Beitner, because of the parents’ divorce.

The future actress was brought up in the Jewish traditions; her Hebrew name is Bat-Sheva which can be translated as “the seventh daughter.” The girl went to Hillel Day School in Farmington Hills and, later, Cranbrook Kingswood in Bloomfield Hills. She continued her education at Kalamazoo College where she studied photography for a year. Initially, Selma did not consider acting as her career: she wanted to be either a ballet dancer or a horse trainer.

At 20, Blair moved to New York. The big city life turned out to be challenging: Selma had to save every cent and live in the Salvation Army shelters. However, she attended New York University and acting classes.

In a while, Selma Blair came back to Michigan to continue her studies. She graduated from the university cum laude in 1994 and became a Bachelor of Arts in photography and also psychology. After that, the young woman went to New York again to work on her career.

Movies

In 1995, the beginning actress gained her first role: it was the children’s comedy series The Adventures of Pete & Pete. The next year was marked with the movie debut in The Broccoli Theory. In 1997, Selma played the first lead role in Strong Island Boys telling the story of the real Long Island street band. After the premiere, Alec Baldwin emphasized the actress’s work: he believed she was “a cross between Debra Winger and Marlene Dietrich.”

In 2000, Selma appeared in an episode of the popular series Xena: Warrior Princess. She got the role of Joey Potter in Dawson's Creek, but, eventually, Katie Holmes replaced her. Another failure pertained to the series Buffy the Vampire Slayer where Sarah Michelle Gellar, not Selma Blair, took the lead role.

In several years, after numerous castings, independent movies, and episodic characters, Blair got a secondary, yet notable role in Cruel Intentions. Although critics’ opinions were ambiguous, the project was popular among people.

In 2001, Selma had her break-through role in Legally Blonde: she played the bitchy opponent of Reese Witherspoon’s character. The movie was not intended to tell a serious, sophisticated story; during the first weekend, it was the most popular title in movie theaters.

2004 was another significant year in Blair’s filmography: she appeared in Hellboy and personified Liz Sherman, the gloomy firestarter and the main character’s partner. The movie and Selma’s acting were appreciated by critics and the audience including fans of the original comics about the hornless demon.

2004 brought the much-spoken-about movie, A Dirty Shame, where the actress played an exhibitionist dancer. Because of these scenes, the movie got the highest rating: NC-17. Although it was the director John Waters’s failure, critics welcomed Selma’s work; the actress was included in FHM 100 Sexiest Women 2004.

New diverse projects followed: Blair appeared in thrillers, dramas, comedies, and independent movies.

In 2008, Selma came back to the image of Liz Sherman: Hellboy II: The Golden Army, the sequel of the first movie, was released. Blair’s role became more profound, and both critics and the audience liked the story. In the United States, the box office was $160 million.

In addition to movies, Blair often appeared on television. She took part in 53 episodes of Anger Management where she played the main character’s psychotherapist. In 2013, because of the disagreement with Charlie Sheen, she left the project.

In 2016, Blaire participated in the mini-series American Crime Story: The People vs. O. J. Simpson. It is the story of Nicole Brown Simpson’s murder. Selma played Kris Jenner, the former wife of Robert Kardashian, O. J.’s lawyer.

The same year, the actress played in the independent movie Mothers and Daughters; Susan Sarandon, Mira Sorvino, and Courteney Cox became her stage partners. Critics were not excited by the project: they believed the movie creators wanted to squeeze in 90 minutes too many storylines so that the actresses could not play to the fullest.

Personal life

The woman’s personal life began with a tragedy: in 1990, her first love died. Later, when Selma talked about it in her interviews, she emphasized that event showed her the value of life.

In 2003, Blair began to date Ahmet Zappa, the son of the musician Frank Zappa. The couple married on January 24, 2004. The marriage lasted for two years, and Selma announced she divorced in 2006. However, the ex-spouses remained friends.

In 2008-2010, the artist was seeing the actor Mikey Day; later, she had an affair with the fashion designer Jason Bleick.

In January 2011, the actress revealed she was pregnant. There were no doubts: fans could see her photos in a swimsuit soon. On July 25, 2011, the son Arthur was born. In 2012, Selma and Jason broke up.

Present days

In October 2018, Selma confessed she had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, a serious and incurable illness. The woman could not think her condition was severe and believed her symptoms were caused by tiredness and minor neurological disorders.

Now, the actress realizes what is going on and struggles against the disease; she is pretty optimistic. Selma often posts photos of her everyday life on her Instagram. Despite the ordeals, the woman keeps fit: her height is 163 cm., and her weight is 53 kg.

Blair continues to be actively engaged in movies. In 2018, two movies with the actress came out: Heathers and Lost in Space.

Filmography

• 1994 – The Adventures of Pete & Pete
• 1996 – The Broccoli Theory
• 1997 – Strong Island Boys
• 1998 – Brown's Requiem
• 2001 – Storytelling
• 2001 – Legally Blonde
• 2002 – The Sweetest Thing
• 2004 – Hellboy
• 2004 – A Dirty Shame
• 2007 – Feast of Love
• 2008 – Hellboy II: The Golden Army
• 2015 – Sex, Death, and Bowling
• 2016 – American Crime Story
• 2018 – Heathers

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