Clueless, Batman & Robin
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"I think I can deceive people. I'm like, the nice, sweet girl when you meet me. And I don't have any bad intentions. But I'm a bad girl, too." Alicia Silverstone won the 1994 MTV Movie Award for Best Breakthrough Performance in her film debut, so you could say that she had talent from the start. After landing her starring role in Clueless, Silverstone would cement herself as a Hollywood superstar.
In the intervening years since her film debut in 1993, Silverstone has turned into a Golden Globe-nominated perform. She has also gained attention for as an animal rights activist, outspoken vegan, and her work as a writer. Silverstone may have been one of the most famous actresses in the world during the 90s, but her star certainly hasn't faded with time.
Born and Raised in San Francisco
Alicia Silverstone was born on October 4, 1976, in San Francisco, CA. She comes from Deirdre and Monty Silverstone. Deirdre, also known as Didi, was a Pan Am flight attended during Silverstone's childhood. Her father, Monty, was a real estate agent. Silverstone comes from a mixed background as her father was English and her mother was Scottish. While she was born in San Francisco, she also spent a considerable amount of time in Hillsborough, California.
Silverstone began working as a model when she was just six years old. As a burgeoning child star, it wouldn't take long for Silverstone to begin pursuing professional work. With support from her family, Silverstone began working in commercials as a child with Domino's Pizza being one of her first jobs. Silverstone would attend Crocker Middle School before graduating from San Mateo High School.
Breaking Through the 90s
Alicia Silverstone's acting career began in earnest in 1992 when she scored a credited role on an episode of The Wonder Years, starring Fred Savage. Silverstone's character was the high school 'dream girl' which, not coincidentally, would become a recurring trait for her characters. A short two years later, Silverstone would make her film debut in The Crush. In The Crush, Silverstone would play a teenager that was hellbent on ruining an older man's life after he turned down her advances. She would win acclaim for her work, including the aforementioned 1994 MTV Movie Award for Best Breakthrough Performance. She would also earn an MTV Award for Best Villain.
After her breakthrough performance in The Crush, Silverstone was suddenly a notable face in Hollywood. Silverstone would get the call from Marty Callner in order to star in a couple of music videos by Aerosmith, including Crazy (1994) and Big Ones You Can Look At (1994). Silverstone would harness her momentum in order to land a leading role in the hit comedy, Clueless (1995). In Clueless, Silverstone stole the show as Cher Horowitz, a spoiled but earnest girl who lived in Beverly Hills. The film became an instant hit and it would help Silverstone sign a six-picture deal with Columbia Tri-Star. The value of the deal is purported to have been worth nearly $10 million dollars. Silverstone also negotiated a first-look deal as part of her contract, which would give her production company, First Kiss Productions, the chance to sign potential projects.
Silverstone would star in several forgettable films before landing a leading role in the much-maligned comic book film, Batman & Robin (1997). Silverstone would play the role of Batgirl opposite of George Clooney. The film would go on to become one of the worst comic book films to ever see the light of day. While the film didn't kill her career, it certainly put a dent in it. Silverstone would win a Razzie Award for Worst Supporting Actress for her work as Batgirl.
In 1997, Silverstone would release the first film through her production company, named Excess Baggage (1997). The film was a crime-comedy centered on a young woman trying to stage kidnappings in order to earn her father's affection. The film scored average reviews before grossing $14.5 million in North America. Silverstone would move on from that forgettable fare to star in Blast from the Past (1999) alongside Christopher Walken, Sissy Spacek, and Brendan Fraser.
After the clock ticked over to into Y2K, Silverstone would begin focusing more on smaller productions. She would appear in Love's Labour's Lost (2000) which was a Shakespearian adaptation, directed by Kenneth Branagh. Silverstone would then star in Braceface (2001) which was an animated series produced in Canada. She would then play bass in the rock comedy, Global Heresy (2002) before making her debut on Broadway in The Graduate. Silverstone would star in The Graduate revival along with Kathleen Turner and Jason Biggs. Silverstone would later return to the theater to star in David Mamet's production of Boston Marriage (2007). Silverstone would garner rave reviews for her later work in the play, Speed-the-Plow.
Silverstone would get back to her mainstream roots with a starring role in the NBC series, Miss Match (2003). The show only scored an 11-episode run before being canceled. However, Silverstone still won a Golden Globe nomination for her work on the program. Silverstone would once again dip her toes in mainstream blockbuster projects like Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004) and Beauty Shop (2005).
Despite her high-profile name, Silverstone saw her career slow down in the mid-aughts. She would turn to the field of writing in order to release a cookbook, The Kind Diet, which was focused on vegan nutrition. Silverstone would launch a companion website, The Kind Life, in tandem with the book. She would see her cookbook top the Advice category on the New York Time's bestseller list.
Most recently, Silverstone landed a starring role in The Baby-Sitters Club which is set to release at some point in 2020 or beyond. She also had a starring role on the TV series, American Woman (2018). Outside of her work in entertainment, Silverstone has one child with her ex-husband. She lives in an eco-friendly home and has become a staunch advocate for animal rights and environmentalism. Silverstone has been a vocal supporter of PETA, and she has even paid for a rescued pet sanctuary in Los Angeles.
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