Illeana Douglas

Illeana Douglas is an actress, writer, producer, and director.  Getting her start by playing fearless, often outspoken women in films like Goodfellas, Cape Fear, and To Die For, Illeana went on to star in the musical Grace of My Heart, comedies like Picture Perfect, Message in a Bottle and Ghost World and the iconic horror film, Stir of Echoes.  A film historian, Illeana  is the granddaughter of two-time Academy Award–winning actor Melvyn Douglas. 

Illeana has interviewed a pantheon of cinema greats for Turner Classic Movies and has participated in scores of film documentaries, including Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed,  CNN: The Movies, 78/52, Greatest Cult Films of All Time, The True Adventures of Raoul Walsh,  Kino Lorber’s Pioneers: First Women Filmmakers, which she also executive-produced and hosted, and Joe Dante’s movie site, Trailers From Hell. 

On television she received an Emmy nomination for her portrayal of Angela on Six Feet Under and has guest-starred in classic shows like  Larry Sanders, Seinfeld,  Frasier, The Drew Carey Show, Law and Order, Entourage, Ugly Betty, Shrill, Search Party, and Goliath. She created and starred in the multi award winning first ever branded web series Easy to Assemble sponsored by IKEA. 

Her first book, I Blame Dennis Hopper: And Other Stories from a Life Lived In and Out of the Movies, was named “one of the best books of 2015” by Entertainment Weekly.  Connecticut in the Movies : From Dream Houses to Dark Suburbia (2023) is  now in its second printing.