Chloe Webb (born June 25, 1956) is an American actress, best known for her roles in the films ''
Sid and Nancy'' (1986), ''
The Belly of an Architect'' (1987), ''
Twins'' (1988), and ''
Heart Condition'' (1990). She also was nominated for a
Primetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...
for her role as Laurette Barber in the ABC drama series ''
China Beach'', and had a recurring role as Monica Gallagher on the
Showtime comedy-drama ''
Shameless''.
Early life
Webb was born June 25, 1956, in the
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village, or simply the Village, is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street (Manhattan), 14th Street to the north, Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the s ...
neighborhood of
Manhattan
Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...
in New York City.
She spent her youth in various locations on the
East Coast, depending on where her father, a bridge and road designer, was employed, though she was primarily raised in
Syracuse, New York
Syracuse ( ) is a City (New York), city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States. With a population of 148,620 and a Syracuse metropolitan area, metropolitan area of 662,057, it is the fifth-most populated city and 13 ...
, where she attended Bishop Grimes High School. At age sixteen, she enrolled at
The Boston Conservatory[ and later, ]Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music () is a Private university, private music college in Boston, Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern Music of the United ...
. Originally, she pursued her passion for singing by singing in bars despite being underaged; she realized that even though she greatly enjoyed singing, she was better at acting.
Career
In April 1982, Webb joined '' Forbidden Broadway'', an Off-Broadway
An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...
revue parodying musical theatre, particularly Broadway musicals. Four years later, she made her film debut in Alex Cox
Alexander B. H. Cox (born 15 December 1954) is an English film director, screenwriter, actor, non-fiction author and broadcaster. Cox experienced success early in his career with ''Repo Man (film), Repo Man'' (1984) and ''Sid and Nancy'' (1986 ...
's '' Sid & Nancy'' (1986); she portrayed Nancy Spungen, the mentally ill, heroin
Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a morphinan opioid substance synthesized from the Opium, dried latex of the Papaver somniferum, opium poppy; it is mainly used as a recreational drug for its eupho ...
-addicted girlfriend of punk rock
Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...
singer Sid Vicious. Her performance garnered best actress awards from the National Society of Film Critics, the Boston Film Critics and the San Francisco Film Critics.
She also appeared as Brian Dennehy's estranged socialite girlfriend in Peter Greenaway's 1987 drama film '' The Belly of an Architect'' and as Laurette, a young woman from Paoli, Pennsylvania who dreams of becoming a successful singer, in ABC's drama television series '' China Beach''. Other roles include the eccentric girlfriend of Danny DeVito
Daniel Michael DeVito Jr. (born November 17, 1944) is an American actor and filmmaker. He gained prominence for his portrayal of the taxi dispatcher Louie De Palma in the television series ''Taxi (TV series), Taxi'' (1978–1983), which won him ...
's character in the Ivan Reitman
Ivan Reitman (; October 27, 1946 – February 12, 2022) was a Canadian film director and producer. He was known for his comedy films, especially in the 1980s and 1990s. Reitman was the owner of The Montecito Picture Company, founded in 1998.
...
comedy '' Twins'' (1988), and a cameo as a woman convinced that she had been abducted by aliens in ''Ghostbusters II
''GhostbustersII'' is a 1989 American Supernatural fiction, supernatural comedy film directed by Ivan Reitman and written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis. The film stars Bill Murray, Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Ramis, Rick Moranis, Ernie Hudson ...
'' (1989). Between roles in motion pictures and television series, Webb frequently appeared in several Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
based stage productions: ''The House of Blue Leaves'', for which she won a Drama-Logue Award, and ''The Model Apartment''; her performance earned her a Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award and another Drama-Logue Award.
Webb co-starred alongside Denzel Washington
Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. (born December 28, 1954) is an American actor, producer, and director. Known for his dramatic roles Denzel Washington on screen and stage, on stage and screen, Washington has received List of awards and nominations ...
and Bob Hoskins in '' Heart Condition'' (1990). In 1991, she played a hairdresser in '' Queens Logic'' and a woman with a developmental disability
Developmental disability is a diverse group of chronic conditions, comprising mental or physical impairments that arise before adulthood. Developmental disabilities cause individuals living with them many difficulties in certain areas of life, espe ...
who wins the lottery in ABC's made-for-TV film ''Lucky Day''.
Other roles included the eccentric Mona Ramsey in the first season of Armistead Maupin miniseries
In the United States, a miniseries or mini-series is a television show or series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. Many miniseries can also be referred to, and shown, as a television film. " Limited series" is ...
'' Tales of the City'' (1993).
Webb has appeared on several television series: CBS's ''Judging Amy
''Judging Amy'' is an American legal drama television series that was telecast from September 19, 1999, through May 3, 2005, on CBS. This television series starred Amy Brenneman and Tyne Daly. Its main character (Brenneman) is a judge who serves ...
'' (2003), FOX's ''House
A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...
'' (2005), CBS's '' Two and a Half Men'' (2005), NBC's '' Medium'' (2005), and CBS's '' CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'' (2008). Webb reunited with Cox in 2009 for his film '' Repo Chick''; she played Sister Duncan.
Her most recent role was as Monica Gallagher, William H. Macy's character's estranged and unstable wife in Showtime's comedy-drama TV series '' Shameless''; her performance earned her a nomination for Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Guest Performer in a Drama Series.
Partial filmography
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Webb, Chloe
1956 births
Living people
American film actresses
American television actresses
Actresses from Manhattan
People from Greenwich Village
Actresses from Syracuse, New York
Boston Conservatory at Berklee alumni
20th-century American actresses
21st-century American actresses