Lori Petty (born October 14, 1963)[1] is an American actress, director, and screenwriter. She made her big screen debut appearing in the 1990 comedy film Cadillac Man and later starred in films Point Break (1991), A League of Their Own (1992), Free Willy (1993), In the Army Now (1994), The Glass Shield (1994) and played the title role in Tank Girl (1995). She created and starred in the short-lived Fox sitcom Lush Life in 1996 and acted in number of
independent movies in her later career.
In 2008, Petty wrote and directed independent drama film The Poker House based on her early life during the 1970s. In 2014 she joined the Netflix comedy-drama series, Orange Is the New Black as Lolly Whitehill as a guest star in the second season, and a recurring character in the third, fourth and seventh seasons.
Early life
Petty, the eldest of three children, was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, the daughter of a Pentecostal minister.[2] She had a difficult upbringing after her mother left her abusive father and became addicted to drugs and became a sex worker, which left the young Petty responsible for her younger sisters.[3] Petty graduated from North High School in Sioux City, Iowa in 1981. She worked in Omaha, Nebraska as a graphic designer for several years before pursuing acting.[2]
In 1990, Petty made her film debut as Robin Williams's wannabe fashion designer girlfriend in the dark comedy Cadillac Man. The following year, Petty played the surfer who taught Keanu Reeves how to surf in the 1991 action thriller Point Break directed by Kathryn Bigelow. In 1992, Petty starred in the sports comedy-drama film, A League of Their Own directed by Penny Marshall starring opposite Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, and Madonna. The film was a critical and commercial success, grossing over $132.4 million worldwide.[8] The following year she went to star in the family drama film Free Willy. Released on July 16, 1993, the film received positive attention from critics and was a commercial success, grossing $153.7 million from a $20 million budget.[9][10] Later that year, Petty had supporting role in the romantic drama film Poetic Justice directed by John Singleton. In 1994 she starred in the police drama film The Glass Shield. It received positive reviews but was released only in selected theaters.[11][12] Also in 1994, Petty starred in the comedy film In the Army Now. It was universally panned by critics but grossed $28,881,266 at the box office.[13][14]
Petty at the 2017 Wizard World Columbus
In 1995, Petty played the title role in Tank Girl, an adaptation of the British cult comic book of the same name, directed by Rachel Talalay. Financially unsuccessful, Tank Girl recouped only about $6 million of its $25 million budget at the box office and received mixed reviews from critics.[15] Despite the box-office failure of the film, it has since become a cult classic and has been noted for its feminist themes.[7] The following year, Petty returned to television starring and creating the short-lived sitcom Lush Life with her friend Karyn Parsons, but it was canceled after five episodes. She went to star in smaller-scale thriller films Countdown (1996), The Arrangement (1999), Firetrap (2001), and Route 666 (2001). She also was featured in the independent films Relax... It's Just Sex (1998), Clubland (1999), MacArthur Park (2001), and Prey for Rock & Roll (2003). In 2001, she made her directorial debut with the drama film Horrible Accident.[6]
^ abcd"Lori Petty (visual voices guide)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved December 10, 2023. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
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