Biography for
Anne Heche More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

25 May 1969, Aurora, Ohio, USA

Birth Name

Anne Celeste Heche

Height

5' 5" (1.65 m)

Mini Biography

Anne Heche was born in Aurora, Ohio and is the youngest of five children, although three of her four siblings are now tragically deceased. Her father, Don Heche, was often unemployed and led a double life as a homosexual. She has described him as lazy, schizophrenic, and sexually deviant. Despite her father's homosexuality, Anne has claimed that he raped her on a regular basis from the time she was an infant until she was 12, giving her herpes. The experience drove her insane, leading her to create a fantasy world called the "Fourth Dimension" to make herself feel safe, and an alter ego named "Celestia," an alien from that world who could speak to God and was the half-sister of Jesus Christ.

The Heches moved nine times before settling in Ocean City, New Jersey when Anne was 12. They were very poor, and at one point all lived together in a single bedroom of another family's house. To help make ends meet, Anne got a job as a performer in a local dinner theater. In March 1983, when Anne was 13, her father died of AIDS. Three months later, her brother Nathan committed suicide just days before his high school graduation. To escape the embarrassment of these two events, Anne's mother Nancy uprooted the family to Chicago. There, Anne attended the Francis W. Parker School and was active in theater. An agent saw Anne in a school play and was so impressed with her talent that he secured her an audition for the daytime soap opera "As the World Turns" (1956) in 1985 when she was 16. Anne was flown to the audition in New York and offered a job, but her mother felt it best that she finish high school first.

Immediately after graduating from high school in 1987, Anne flew to New York again and was cast as good and evil twins on the daytime soap opera "Another World" (1964). The salaries weren't enough to live on, so she worked an evening job as a waitress. Anne left the cast of "Another World" in 1991 with the intention of enrolling in the Parsons School of Design, but changed her plans and decided to move to Los Angeles when she was offered a small part in the made-for-TV movie O Pioneers! (1992) (TV). Soon thereafter, she made her big-screen debut with a brief appearance in The Adventures of Huck Finn (1993). Anne worked constantly over the next two years with minor roles in obscure TV movies like Girls in Prison (1994) (TV) and Kingfish: A Story of Huey P. Long (1995) (TV). Her first substantial role was in a segment of the 1996 made-for-cable anthology film If These Walls Could Talk (1996) (TV), in which she gave an excellent performance as a college student who decides to have an abortion after becoming pregnant by a married professor.

In 1997, Anne had supporting roles in the films Donnie Brasco (1997), Volcano (1997), I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997), and Wag the Dog (1997). Although none of the films were particularly successful, critics took notice of Anne's performances in each of them. That same year, out of nowhere, she entered into a same-sex relationship with the most famous lesbian in the world, Ellen DeGeneres. Literally overnight, the unknown actress suddenly became the subject of widespread controversy and criticism. Prior to this, Anne had only dated men, and many speculated that she was just experimenting and accused her of being a gold-digger. Meanwhile, she had just landed her first leading role in the big-budget romantic adventure Six Days Seven Nights (1998) with Harrison Ford, and there was a debate in the media about whether or not audiences would accept her playing Ford's love interest. The director, Ivan Reitman, said "I think it will do the movie some harm, and that makes me nervous. The great news about all this is that we hired a relatively unknown and now she's one of the most famous women in America." The film performed well at the box office when it came out in the summer of 1998, and Anne seemed to be a star-in-the-making. Immediately after, she had her second leading role (and her best role to date) in the exceptional drama Return to Paradise (1998) with Vince Vaughn. As a less publicized film, it did not do well at the box office and was overlooked for any major awards.

Despite the commercial success of "Six Days Seven Nights" and the critical plaudits for "Return to Paradise," Anne couldn't get another leading role. Her agents told her this was because of the negative attention she was getting for her relationship with DeGeneres, and that she lost the career opportunities they had predicted for her. In the worst of timing, Anne's updated sexual preference had ruined her career prospects just as she seemed destined to become a major star. Her next appearances were supporting roles in the barely-seen, appalling remake of Psycho (1998), and the low-budget indies The Third Miracle (1999) and Auggie Rose (2000), which went straight to cable.

In August 2000, Anne and DeGeneres broke up after three years together. A day after the split was announced, Anne drove to a rural area outside Fresno, parked her car along a dusty roadside and walked a mile and a half through the desert before showing up at the doorstep of a stranger's ranch house. High on ecstasy and wearing only a bra and shorts, Anne asked the home's resident if she could use their shower. The resident obliged, then Anne plunked down in the living room and said she wanted to watch a movie, but the VCR was broken. When Anne showed no sign of leaving after half an hour had passed, the resident became uneasy and called the Fresno County sheriff's department. According to the police report, Anne told officers that she was "God, and was going to take everyone back to heaven in a spaceship." The deputies summoned an ambulance, which took Anne to Fresno's University Medical Center, where she was admitted to the psychiatric unit and released after a few hours. Two days after that, Anne flew to Toronto to begin filming John Q (2002). It was only a supporting role, and the film wasn't released until 2002.

By the end of 2000, Anne was in a serious relationship with Coleman 'Coley' Laffoon, a cameraman she'd met on DeGeneres' summer comedy tour and started dating two weeks after the breakup. In early 2001, Anne had a recurring guest role on the TV sitcom "Ally McBeal" (1997) and got a small part in the straight-to-video film Prozac Nation (2001). Later that year, she published an autobiography titled "Call Me Crazy," in which she recalled her horrifying childhood and stated that she was insane for the first 31 years of her life, until the incident in Fresno snapped her out of it and put her alter-ego behind her. Anne also wrote about how she became estranged from her mother Nancy upon confronting her about the sexual abuse she endured during her infancy and childhood. Since her husband's death from AIDS, Nancy Heche has become a Christian therapist and motivational speaker who lectures around the country encouraging gays to convert to straightness. Anne describes her mother as the epitome of denial, and they remain estranged. The release of "Call Me Crazy" coincided with the 9/11 attacks, and the book did not sell well.

Laffoon and a pregnant Anne married on September 1, 2001, and welcomed son Homer on March 2, 2002. Four months later, Anne was back to work, starring in a stage production of the critically acclaimed drama "Proof" on Broadway. In 2004, she was nominated for a Tony Award for her performance in another Broadway play called "Twentieth Century." Also that year, she had supporting roles in the independent film Birth (2004) and the TV movie Gracie's Choice (2004) (TV), followed by a lead role in the TV movie The Dead Will Tell (2004) (TV). In 2005, Anne had recurring guest roles on the television shows "Everwood" (2002) and "Nip/Tuck" (2003), and filmed a pilot called True (2005) (TV), which never aired. She had lead roles in two more TV movies, the Hallmark Christmas drama Silver Bells (2005) (TV) and the Lifetime thriller Fatal Desire (2006) (TV), as well as appearing in a few straight-to-video features such as Sexual Life (2005).

In 2006, Anne turned to television full-time by starring in her own primetime series: "Men in Trees" (2006) was a delightful comedy-drama in which she played Marin Frist, a New York relationship coach who, after finding out her fiancée has been cheating on her, moves to a small town in Alaska to get a new start, where the ratio of men to women is 10 to 1. The series, which was shot entirely on location in Vancouver, Canada, was well-received by both critics and audiences during its first season. Anne's love interest on the show was played by Canadian actor James Tupper, and they soon began an affair, during which she decided to leave her marriage. Laffoon filed for divorce in February 2007, and a bitter court battle ensued with nasty accusations flying from both sides. Laffoon claimed that Anne was still insane and deemed her an unfit parent, while Anne insisted that he was a deadbeat who stayed home all day playing video games and watching pornography. The judge granted Laffoon primary custody of their son Homer since Anne had to be in Canada nine months out of the year for the filming of "Men in Trees." However, in May 2008, following a hiatus due to the writer's strike, the show was canceled after 36 episodes, much to the dismay of many fans. Following the cancellation, Anne stated in court papers that she was broke and could no longer afford to pay the ridiculous monthly installments of $15,000 in child support. Ever resilient, Anne sold the Vancouver home that she'd moved into with James Tupper and took a role in the low-budget Canadian film Toxic Skies (2008) to pay off her debts. As she waited for her divorce to be finalized, Anne announced she was pregnant with Tupper's child. She finally got a divorce from Laffoon three days before giving birth, and a court order was issued requiring the former couple to hire a "parenting coordinator" to manage their relationships with Homer. Anne's second son, Atlas Heche Tupper, was born on March 7, 2009.

With another concurrence of career disappointment and personal milestones behind her, Anne went looking for work. She got a featured role in the independent film Spread (2009), in which she had a number of explicit sex scenes with Ashton Kutcher. Then, she joined the cast of the little-watched cable TV series "Hung" (2009) as the ex-wife of the main character, a male prostitute played by Thomas Jane. Though the part was well beneath her talents, Anne was just happy to be getting work. She landed a supporting role in the mainstream comedy The Other Guys (2010), but the majority of her performance was cut and she ended up only being in the film for a matter of seconds, so briefly that her name didn't even appear in the credits. Her next role was in the indie comedy Cedar Rapids (2011). Although she earned rave reviews for her funny performance, it was just an independent film and did nothing for her career. In December 2011, "Hung" was canceled after 30 episodes and Anne signed with a new agency. Only time will tell if this extremely underused, one-of-a-kind actress will get another high-profile film role and become the big Hollywood star that she should be.

IMDb Mini Biography By: Anonymous

Spouse

Coleman 'Coley' Laffoon

(1 September 2001 - 4 March 2009) (divorced) 1 child

Trivia

Surname is pronounced "Haytch".

Went to Ocean City High School in Ocean City, New Jersey. Graduated from the Francis W. Parker School in Chicago, Illinois.

Her father Don, a choir director, died at 45 of AIDS in 1983.

Her late sister Susan Bergman wrote the book "Anonymity: The Secret Life of an American Family" (1994), about their father's homosexuality and his death from AIDS.

1998: During an interview with "Entertainment Tonight" (1981) to promote her movie Return to Paradise (1998), Heche was asked to respond to rumors that she may have been romantically involved with co-star Vince Vaughn while making the film. Heche, who lives an openly gay life with Ellen DeGeneres, was insulted by the question, cut short the interview and left with the tape.

Announced her intention to marry Ellen DeGeneres if Vermont carried through its plans to legalize gay marriages. [October 1999]

A scantily clad and disoriented Heche was picked up by police at a ranch in Cantua Creek, Calif., after telling the home's occupant she was looking for a spaceship that was supposed to be meeting her there. [19 August 2000]

Announced that she is engaged to her boyfriend, cameraman Coleman 'Coley' Laffoon. [30 May 2001]

During an interview with Barbara Walters, Heche stated that she has an alter ego named "Celestia". [5 September 2001]

2 March 2002: 7 pound boy, Homer Laffoon, born in Los Angeles. The baby is the first child for Heche and her husband, cameraman Coleman 'Coley' Laffoon.

Heche's family moved 11 times before she was 12.

Is one of five children, although three of her four siblings are deceased. Her sister Cynthia died of a heart defect as an infant; her brother Nate committed suicide in 1983; her sister Susan died of brain cancer in 2006. Her only remaining sibling, Abigail, is a jewelry designer in New York.

Auditioned for the Kate Hudson role in Almost Famous (2000).

Was nominated for Broadway's 2004 Tony Award as Best Actress (Play) for a revival of "Twentieth Century".

Her Christian mother Nancy claims to have cured her lesbianism by praying for her.

Fleetwood Mac's Lindsey Buckingham wrote the song "Come" about her, taking shots at her delusional behavior and dabble with lesbianism.

She was born at 4:51 PM (EDT).

Has a tattoo of a butterfly on her lower back.

Separated from husband Coleman 'Coley' Laffoon after five 1/2 years of marriage. [24 January 2007]

Submitted a financial declaration showing that she has a grand total of $34,840.93 in her bank accounts and can no longer afford to pay child support for her six-year-old son. [14 May 2008]

Announced she is pregnant by her boyfriend, James Tupper. [5 December 2008]

7 March 2009: Gave birth to her second son, Atlas Heche Tupper. He weighed 6 lbs. 12 oz. Dad is Heche's boyfriend, James Tupper.

Returned to work eight days after giving birth to her son Atlas in order to begin filming episodes of "Hung" (2009).

Her first job was performing in a troupe at a Swainton, NJ dinner theater.

Worked at a gas station and an ice cream shop when she was a teenager.

Former daughter-in-law of Polk Laffoon IV (vice president of corporate relations for the newspaper Knight-Ridder) and his wife Anne.

Considers Sophia Loren her style icon.

Launched a mineral powder sunblock called "Tickle Time" in August 2012.

The first movie she ever saw was Star Wars (1977).

Personal Quotes

I put a very high premium on honesty. What I learned from [my father's] death is that if you don't accept your sexuality, it will kill you.

I'm always honest, whether I'm in the limelight or not.

I've always kind of gone with my heart.

We have such a wonderful thing as children, that we can just make the best of everything, and say, Well, this must be what everybody else is experiencing, and I've got to make the best of it. You don't know that it's not good until you witness something that it seems better.

Are we changing the idea of what beauty is? Let's hope so. I'm not the typical Hollywood beauty. Let's hope we're looking at the insides of people a little more.

It's my job, to create a fantasy.

We do not fall in love with the package of the person, we fall in love with the inside of a person.

It's important to talk about loving yourself and looking at your tragedies and the stuff that makes you grow.

I think my father was a sexual addict. I think he saw everybody as a sexual being. But I think [at the time he contracted AIDS] he was living a very flamboyant homosexual lifestyle. You know, at that time there were bath houses where the whole trick was how many can you do a night. You know, there is no question of what he was doing at that time.

[on her father having AIDS] He was in complete denial until the day he died. We know he got it from his gay relationships. Absolutely. I don't think it was just one. He was a very promiscuous man, and we knew his lifestyle then.

I don't think [my father] was just a gay man. I think he was sexually deviant. My believe is that my father was gay and he had to cover that up. The more he couldn't be who he was, the more that came out of him in ways that it did.

[on being sexually abused by her father] He raped me ... he fondled me, he put me on all fours, and had sex with me.

I didn't have any memory until I was 18 years old.

I had another personality. I had a fantasy world. I called my other personality Celestia. I called the other world that I created for myself the Fourth Dimension. I believed I was from that world. I believed I was from another planet. I think I was insane.

I told my mother at about the seventh year of therapy that I had been abused sexually by my father and she hung up the phone on me. To have gone through so much work to heal myself, and have my mother not acknowledge in any way that she was sorry for what had happened to me, broke my heart. And in that moment I think I split off from myself. So Anne, this girl who had just confronted her mother, shrunk, and out came Celestia, where I was literally thrown to the ground, and I'm not kidding, in New York City, thrown to the ground and heard the voice of God, and thought I was absolutely insane. I had no idea what to do. I was existing as two people.

What could I do when I was Celestia? I spoke a different language. I spoke a different language that God and I spoke together. I could, you name it, I could do it, I could see into the future, I could heal people.

I was raised to hide. I was raised to pretend. I was raised to always tell everybody that everything was fine, and even though I was in therapy for years I never told anybody that I had another personality. I never told anybody that I heard voices and spoke to God. I never told anybody any of it. I thought it would have to be something I would have to keep secret forever.

[on escaping the pain of her childhood] I drank. I smoked. I did drugs. I had sex with people. I did anything I could to get the shame out of my life.

[explaining her infamous meltdown in Fresno] I was told to go to a place where I would meet a spaceship. I was told in order to get on the spaceship that I would have to take a hit of ecstasy. A voice. All of this justification for the end of this journey. I did go to a house. I did ask people to join me. I did go to the hospital.

I think everything I've done in all my insanity was to try to get my parents to love me. My father loved movie stars. I decided I needed to become famous to get his love. My mother loved Jesus. That was her thing. So I wanted to become Jesus Christ.

I've always wanted to heal my life. I always wanted to see the good side of life. I've always wanted to see the good in everything that happened to me.

[on her memoir, "Call Me Crazy"] I wrote this book to say goodbye, once and for all to my story of shame and embrace my life choice of love. The fact that there are people hearing my story is the icing on the most beautiful cake in the world, that I imagine says, 'Happy freedom Anne. You have made it to the other side.'

I have in the past understood that in being honest about certain things in my life, I've helped other people be honest, because they think that it's OK when somebody else admits what they've been doing. You know, it helps other people. It certainly helps me when other people are honest about the journey in their life. It inspires me.

I would never limit myself to saying I would be with a man or a woman. I have been very clear to everybody that just because I'm getting married does not mean I call myself a straight.

My life is a life movies are made of.

[on doing sex scenes with Ashton Kutcher] We wanted to create something that nobody's ever done before. We wanted to be outrageous and dangerous. Nobody was joking around about it.

Vibrators. I think they are great. They keep you out of stupid sex. I'd pitch them to anybody.

[on ex-husband Coleman 'Coley' Laffoon] I can't even get a divorce. Like, I'm divorced, but now he wants me to come and watch him run around in his little white shorts playing soccer, cause he wants to coach the seven-year-old team. I'm like, I divorced you, I don't want to see you on Saturday. Honestly, I don't want to come to rehearsal and watch you run around in your tight shorts like trying to pretend you know how to play soccer. I don't, I divorced you! No, I don't want to hang around with you Thursdays and Saturdays and maybe on Sunday.

[on naming her son Atlas] I said to James (James Tupper), 'What about Atlas?'. He's like, 'Okay, cool name, but people will totally make fun of you.' I was like, 'Okay, I'm used to that. Let's name him Atlas!.'

Where else do you meet people except in your workplace?

[telling David Letterman what her ex-husband Coleman 'Coley' Laffoon does for a living] He goes out to the mailbox, and he opens up the little mailbox door and goes "Oh I got a check from Anne! Oh my gosh, I got a check from Anne! Yay!".

My mother's had a very tragic life. Three of her five children are dead, and her husband is dead. That she is attempting to change gay people into straight people is, in my opinion, a way to keep the pain of the truth out. People wonder why I am so forthcoming with the truths that have happened in my life, and it's because the lies that I have been surrounded with and the denial that I was raised in, for better or worse, bore a child of truth and love. My mother preaches to this day the opposite of that core of my life. It is no mistake that she still stands up against love. And one wonders why I'm not rushing to have her meet my children.

Forgiveness is a funny word for me. I'm OK with my mother living her life the way she wants to live it, and I'm OK with her not participating in my life the way I want to live it.

I used to live in hell and I don't want to be there anymore. Today my life rocks.

[on playing Dee Dee in That's What She Said (2012/I)] I was chain smoking the entire time. Made me quit again. I've quit in my life smoking. After that movie I definitely quit.

Salary

"Men in Trees" (2006)	$81,000
Spread (2009)	$65,000

Where Are They Now

(July 2002) Staring in the Pulitzer Prize-winning drama 'Proof' on Broadway

(March 2005) Appearing as a regular guest star on the TV show "Everwood" (2002).

(March 2006) Finished pilot for her new ABC series, "Men in Trees" (2006).

(July 2006) Currently in Vancouver, Canada filming the first season of "Men in Trees" (2006).

(September 2001) Release of her autobiography, "Call Me Crazy".