Juliette Lewis has been recognized as one of Hollywood's most talented and versatile actors of her generation since her Oscar-nominated performance as "Danielle Bowden" in Cape Fear (1991). With a career spanning over three decades, she has worked with some of the most revered directors in the industry, including Martin Scorsese, Woody Allen, Lasse Hallström, Oliver Stone, and Garry Marshall.
Born in Los Angeles, California, to Glenis (Duggan) Batley, a graphic designer, and Geoffrey Lewis, an actor, Juliette Lewis knew she wanted to be a performer by the age of six. She landed her first leading role in the Showtime miniseries Home Fires (1987) at the age of 12, and went on to appear in several TV sitcoms, including The Wonder Years (1988).
Juliette made her move to film, starring in National Lampoon's National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989) and Crooked Hearts (1991). She caught the attention of Martin Scorsese, who cast her in his thriller Cape Fear (1991),opposite Robert De Niro. Her powerful scenes with De Niro earned her an Oscar nomination and Golden Globe nomination for "Best Supporting Actress".
She next worked with Woody Allen in Husbands and Wives (1992),and then starred in a succession of films, including Kalifornia (1993),Romeo Is Bleeding (1993),What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993),and Natural Born Killers (1994). Juliette's other credits include the Nora Ephron comedy Mixed Nuts (1994),the sci-fi action film Strange Days (1995),and Quentin Tarantino's vampire tale From Dusk Till Dawn (1996).
Juliette has continued to add roles to her growing list of television credits, including a performance in Showtime's My Louisiana Sky (2001),for which she secured an EMMY nomination, and a starring role in the Mira Nair-directed HBO's film Hysterical Blindness (2002).
After a six-year hiatus from film to pursue her music career, Juliette announced her return to acting with a handful of upcoming movies. She starred alongside Elliot Page, Marcia Gay Harden, Kristen Wiig, and Jimmy Fallon in the comedy Whip It (2009),and then joined the cast of the acclaimed European animated thriller Metropia (2009).
Juliette has also appeared in the romantic comedy The Switch (2010),opposite Jennifer Aniston, Jason Bateman, and Patrick Wilson, and in the indie-drama Conviction (2010),which stars Hilary Swank, Melissa Leo, Minnie Driver, and Sam Rockwell. She plays "Roseanna Perry" in the true story of an unemployed single mother who saw her brother begin serving a life sentence in 1983 for murder and robbery.
Most recently, Juliette Lewis has been praised for her performance in Conviction (2010),with USA Today saying, "Juliette Lewis has an indelible role" and the San Francisco Chronicle saying "Her character work should be studied in schools. Just remarkable".