During the 1990s, Sheryl Lee was a formidable presence in Hollywood, captivating audiences with her talent and charm.
Known for her striking blonde hair and endearing smile, Lee brought to life the characters of Laura Palmer and Maddy Ferguson on the iconic TV series Twin Peaks, helmed by visionary director David Lynch.
Although Twin Peaks aired for only a short span between 1990 and 1991, it managed to cultivate a devoted fan base.
Lee’s portrayal of Laura continued in the 1992 film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, and she returned to the role in the 2017 Showtime reboot of the series.
Her personal life also drew attention, notably her relationship with co-star David Duchovny, who later gained immense popularity with The X-Files.
Hailing from Colorado, Lee’s film career includes notable performances in movies such as Backbeat (1994), Mother Night (1996), John Carpenter’s Vampires (1998), Winter’s Bone (2010), and Woody Allen’s Café Society.
She has had recurring roles on such series as One Tree Hill (2005 to 2006) with Hilarie Burton, and Dirty Sexy Money (2007 to 2009) with Natalie Zea and Donald Sutherland.
On Wednesday Lee made a rare appearance at a Twin Peaks fan event inside the Wilshire Ebell Theater in Los Angeles. See her now at age 58.
Sheryl Lee was a Hollywood acting powerhouse in the 1990s. The blonde beauty with the charming smile played both Laura Palmer and Maddy Ferguson on the television series Twin Peaks. The show aired only from 1990 until 1991 but developed a cult following
Lee was also in the 1992 film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me and later she reprised her role of Laura in the Showtime revival of Twin Peaks in 2017
The event was called Twin Peaks: Conversation with the Stars: A Special David Lynch Birthday Celebration Event.
Along with Lee was Ray Wise, Dana Ashbrook, Kimmy Robertson, Harry Goaz and Sabrina S Sutherland.
Lee looked youthful in all black with dark boots and her blonde hair worn down as she stood on stage.
Lee’s first television role was as the dead Laura Palmer in the television series Twin Peaks.
She was hired to play a dead girl, but the image of Lee in her homecoming queen photograph and also wrapped in plastic once deceased stood out so much she became a semi-regular on the show with the help of flashback scenes.
And then she became a recurring character, Laura’s cousin Maddy Ferguson, later in the series.
She worked again with Lynch in 1990 when she appeared as Glinda the Good Witch in the movie Wild At Heart with Laura Dern and Nicolas Cage.
The star with Dana Ashbrook at the Esquire Magazine ‘Women We Love’ Gala in 1990
She worked again with Lynch in 1990 when she appeared in the movie Wild At Heart with Laura Dern and Nicolas Cage
Lee at the Wild at Heart premiere in August 1990 in Los Angeles
The star famously dated her Twin Peaks co-star David Duchovny, who went on to find mega fame with The X-Files. Seen in October
The star also worked on the prequel Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me. Then she was in the show’s redo in 2017.
After Twin Peaks made her a star, she started working nonstop throughout the 1990s.
In 1994, she was cast as Astrid Kirchherr in the film Backbeat, a biopic of the early career of The Beatles opposite Stephen Dorff.
Next came 1995’s Notes from Underground opposite Henry Czerny, 1996’s Mother Night, and 1997’s Bliss.
She won raves as Katrina in John Carpenter’s 1998 film Vampires opposite James Woods and Daniel Baldwin.
She played also a leading role in the 1999 crime drama film Angel’s Dance with Kyle Chandler and Jim Belushi and starred as Dr Sarah Church in the short-lived series L.A. Doctors (1998—1999) which ran for a single season.
Lee starred opposite Anthony Michael Hall in the 2001 movie Hitched.
Lee as Dr Sarah Church in the CBS hospital-setting drama, L.A. Doctors in 1998
Pictured from left is Matt Craven (as Dr Tim Lonner), Ken Olin (as Dr Roger Cattan), Lee (as Dr Sarah Church), Rick Roberts (as Dr Evan Newman) from L.A. Doctors
She played the leading role of Elinore Murphy in Children on Their Birthdays (2002).
In the 2003 television series Kingpin, she played the role of Marlene Cadena opposite Bobby Cannavale.
In 2005 to 2006, she played Ellie Harp on the third season of One Tree Hill.
In 2007 and 2008, Lee appeared on Dirty Sexy Money as Andrea Smithson.
Next came Winter’s Bone in 2010, White Bird in a Blizzard (2014), and 2016’s Rebirth.
On Wednesday Lee made a rare appearance at a Twin Peaks fan event inside the Wilshire Ebell Theater in Los Angeles. See her now at age 58
The event was called Twin Peaks: Conversation with the Stars: A Special David Lynch Birthday Celebration Event
She had a small role as Karen in Café Society, written and directed by Woody Allen. The movie also starred Kristen Stewart and Blake Lively.
In 2018, Lee played Emily Hodges, one of the leads in the Teen-Thriller Deadly Scholars (also known as #SquadGoals).
She was married to Jesse Diamond, the son of singer and songwriter Neil Diamond. They have a son, Elijah, born in 2000.
In 2014, Lee revealed that she had been diagnosed with a rare blood disorder called neutropenia.
