Juliette Lake Lewis (born June 21, 1973) is an American actress. She is known for her portrayals of offbeat characters, often in projects with dark themes. Lewis became an "it girl" of American cinema in the early 1990s, appearing in various independent and arthouse films. Her accolades include nominations for an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, and two Primetime Emmy Awards.
The daughter of actor Geoffrey Lewis, Lewis began her career in television at age 14 before making her film debut with a small part in My Stepmother Is an Alien (1988). This was followed by a more prominent role in the comedy film National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989). She gained acclaim for her portrayal of a troubled teenager in Martin Scorsese's thriller Cape Fear (1991), for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She subsequently had supporting roles in Husbands and Wives (1992), Kalifornia (1993), What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993), and From Dusk Till Dawn (1996), and a starring role in Oliver Stone's crime film Natural Born Killers (1994).
In 2003, she earned an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress for the television film Hysterical Blindness (2002). She went on to co-star in the mainstream thrillers Enough (2002) and Cold Creek Manor (2003), as well as comedies such as Old School (2003) and Starsky & Hutch (2004). Lewis embarked on a musical career in 2003, forming the rock band Juliette and the Licks. Since 2009, she has been releasing material as a solo artist. Subsequent film roles include Conviction (2010), The Switch (2010), August: Osage County (2013), and Ma (2019). Since the late 2010s, Lewis has worked more frequently in television, appearing in prominent roles in series such as The Firm (2012), Wayward Pines (2015), Secrets and Lies (2015–2016), The Act (2019), Sacred Lies (2020), Queer as Folk, and Welcome to Chippendales (both 2022). Since 2021, she has starred in the Showtime mystery-thriller series Yellowjackets.
Early life
Juliette Lake Lewis was born June 21, 1973, in Los Angeles, California, to actor Geoffrey Lewis and his first wife, Glenis ( Duggan) Batley, a graphic designer. She has seven siblings or half-siblings including Lightfield (an actor who appeared in The New WKRP in Cincinnati), Peter, Miles, Matthew, Brandy, Hannah, and Dierdre. She has a step-sister, Emily Colombier.
When she was two years old, Lewis's parents divorced, and she spent her childhood living between both their homes in the Los Angeles area. Her first on-screen appearance was an uncredited bit part in Bronco Billy (1980), in which her father played a supporting role.
Career
1987–1999: Early career and success
Lewis made her first major screen appearance in the television film Home Fires (1987). Howard Rosenberg of the Los Angeles Times praised Lewis's performance in the film, writing that she "lights up the screen." She subsequently starred on the television series I Married Dora, which ran between 1987 and 1988. At age 14, she was legally emancipated from her parents (with their approval) in order to enable her to more freely work. Lewis recalled her emancipation: "I know that sounds all radical, but when you start acting when you’re younger, you talk to other actor kids and their moms, and they’re like, 'Yeah, if you want to get a job, they like on your resume to say emancipated minor versus minor, because you then can work over eight hours.'" For a brief period, Lewis lived with actress Karen Black, who was a mentor to her. At age 15, Lewis dropped out of high school.
She subsequently had a minor part in the science fiction comedy My Stepmother Is an Alien (1988), before landing her first major supporting role as Audrey Griswold in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989). She followed this with roles in the dystopian film Meet the Hollowheads, and the comedy The Runnin' Kind (both 1989). The same year, Lewis had a guest-starring role as Wayne's girlfriend, Delores, on the series The Wonder Years.
In 1990, Lewis co-starred with Brad Pitt, who she would go on to date for four years, in the Lifetime television film Too Young to Die?, a crime film loosely based on the case of Attina Marie Cannaday, playing a troubled young woman who falls into a world of prostitution and drugs. During this period, Lewis herself was met with legal trouble after entering a bar at age 16, for which she was arrested and charged with underage drinking.