Chloe Sevigny Biography:

A petite blonde actress with good looks better described as striking than pretty, Chloe Sevigny was generating buzz in her adopted New York home even before the independent film world showcased her onscreen allure.

Sevigny emerged from her tiny Darien, Connecticut background with both the grace of privilege and the awkwardness of an outsider, a duality that shaped her beguiling persona and added dimension to her screen presence. Supported by her family but stifled in her community, she set out for New York City as a teenager and joined the throng of skater kids that congregated in Washington Square Park. It was here that she met Harmony Korine, who would go on pen the screenplay for Sevigny's acting debut "Kids" (1995), as well as write and direct the films "Gummo" (1997) and "julien donkey-boy" (1999), both also featuring the actress.

Cast initially in a small role in "Kids", Sevigny landed the role of Jennie just prior to filming. Marking her film debut in the controversial Larry Clark helmed feature proved advantageous for the ingenue, who made a lasting impression with her gentle portrayal of a young teenager who learns she is HIV positive. Sevigny emerged with a bright future and followed up the next year with a role as the precocious young assistant and brief love interest of Steve Buscemi's ice cream man in "Trees Lounge", the actor's feature directorial debut.

1997 saw her take on a small role as an albino girl in "Gummo", Korine's bleak look at small town ruin. Sevigny, who also designed the costumes for the non-narrative feature, emerged virtually unscathed by critiques of the film's harsh outlook and detached approach. "Palmetto" followed in 1998, and while she was excited to work with famed German director Volker Schlondorff in this modern noir, the uninspired finished product was disappointing for the actress and audiences alike. She fared better with a starring role in Whit Stillman's "The Last Days of Disco" (1998), utilizing the mores and manners of her posh upbringing in her portrayal of a new Hampshire College graduate making her way in New York City in the early 1980s. Sevigny stood apart from the rest of the cast in the film, her low-key portrayal lending an added dimension to her character's separation from the regular cast of Stillman acerbics. That same year, Sevigny took on her first stage role in the New York theater production "Hazelwood Jr. High", a real-life drama of a vicious teenage murder, eerily staged at middle school/downtown performance space IS 70. Sevigny gave a chilling performance as the unemotional sociopath who dabbles in devil worship and ups the preteen angst ante to tragic effect in Rob Urbinati's uneven play.

Just as likely to be seen on the pages of VOGUE as PREMIERE, Sevigny enchanted trend watchers with her unique sense of style and irreverent attitude towards fashion. Singled out by author Jay McInerney with a seven page feature in THE NEW YORKER that predated "Kids", she was a pop phenomenon before she had begun to establish any sort of career. Her status as darling of the underground celebrity set threatened to overshadow her acting in the late 1990s, with the young up-and-comer getting more notice for her clothing choices and lifestyle than her film work until 1999 saw the so-called "It" girl emerge as much more. She transcended hipster labels with a show of formidable talent in a trio of big screen releases. She effectively essayed a pregnant teen engaging in an incestuous relationship with her schizophrenic brother (Ewen Bremner) in Korine's daring Dogma '95 feature "julien donkey-boy." She offered a memorable supporting turn as an ill-prepared working mother who clashes with school nurse and town outcast Alice Goodwin (Sigourney Weaver) in Scott Elliott's powerful drama "A Map of the World". Most notable among Sevigny's 1999 roles, however, was her turn as Lana, the love interest of a captivating man hiding his biological femaleness in Kimberly Peirce's remarkable feature "Boys Don't Cry". Powerful performances abounded in the finely crafted film, and Sevigny proved more than capable of holding her own, her skilled portrayal a pleasant surprise for many moviegoers. The actress' remarkable onscreen magnetism and watchability brought added magic to the character, and her understated but unflinching portrayal well-served this moving dramatization of a real-life American tragedy and earned her a richly deserved Academy Award nomination as Best Supporting Actress.

2000 would see the actress take on a role in Mary Herron's controversy-plagued "American Psycho", based on Bret Easton Ellis' novel about a stylish businessman who brutally tortures and murders for kicks. That same year Sevigny made her television acting debut in the "1972" segment of "If These Walls Could Talk 2" (HBO), a lesbian-themed anthology drama.

Chole is slated to appear in a number of movies in 2003 and 2004, including, Dogville and Shattered Glass.