Selma Blair Beitner (born June 23, 1972) is an American actress. Blair's best known film roles were in Cruel Intentions (1999), which also starred Sarah Michelle Gellar, and the Reese Witherspoon vehicle Legally Blonde. More recently she appeared alongside Cameron Diaz and Christina Applegate in The Sweetest Thing (2002), and in Hellboy (2004). She was born to a Jewish family in Southfield, Michigan with the Hebrew name Batsheva, and as a child attended Hillel Day School and Cranbrook Kingswood school near Detroit, Michigan. She studied at Kalamazoo College from 1990–1992, then transferred to the University of Michigan, where she earned her bachelor's degree in 1994. She also attended the Stella Adler Acting School. She has been married to Ahmet Zappa since 24 January 2004. In the town of Southfield, Michigan, Selma Blair Beitner was born June 23, 1972. After receiving a combined degree in Fine Arts and English from Michigan University, Blair decided to move to New York City to pursue a career in photography. Once in the Big Apple, she began taking photography classes at New York University, but soon realized that being a photographer wasn't what she really wanted and instead turned to acting. At the Stella Adler Conservatory in New York City, Blair honed her raw skills and was soon discovered in one of her acting classes by an agent. She earned her Screen Actor's Guild card one week later, after doing a television commercial for the Theater of Virginia. Her official acting debut was on the TV series The Adventures of Pete and Pete in 1993, which was followed by spot roles in Soldier of Fortune, Inc. and Promised Land. Her first few films were independent releases or mediocre films, with the exception of the Kevin Kline film In and Out. The independent films, however, garnered a great deal of praise for Blair, but were shown to a very limited audience. Girl (with Dominique Swain and Tara Reid) was a tremendous film, which certainly would have faired decently at the box office but was never given the funding. Additionally, Strong Island Boys and Brown's Requiem both received excellent reviews, particularly for Selma's performances. It was the praise from these films which helped get her name out among filmmakers' circles. Blair's career began to snowball and her great performance in Cruel Intentions was all she needed to push herself over the edge. Contacts were made and the phone was ringing off the hook after the success of the film, for which Blair received a "Best Kiss" award from the MTV Movie Awards and a nomination for Best Breakthrough Performance for her role as Cecile Caldwell. The Warner Brothers network also grabbed her for the title role in the 1999 sitcom Zoe (formerly Zoe, Duncan, Jack & Jane), which received great reviews and amassed a sizeable audience. Following Cruel Intentions, Blair appeared in Storytelling, in which she appears nude, after stripping to sleep with her college professor. This roll helped to keep Blair's name buzzing in Hollywood. Roles in hits Legally Blonde, The Sweetest Thing, and Hellboy followed, keeping her busy and continuing her success. Blair is currently married Ahmet Zappa and in her spare time she enjoys horseback riding; collecting black and white photography and figure skating.
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