Basic Instinct, Waterworld, Criminal Minds
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There are certain actors and actresses that you think about immediately when you’re talking about the 1990s. One name that comes to mind is Jeanne Tripplehorn, who got her start in the decade thanks to some very memorable roles. While this included what many to be a huge flop with “Waterworld”, Tripplehorn has enjoyed a fine career to this point. Now in her mid 50s, Tripplehorn is a television regular, and figures to be working for years to come.
Tripplehorn comes from Oklahoma, where she was born in Tulsa on June 10, 1963 and her family was actually more music-focused than acting. Her father was a professional guitarist, and Tripplehorn started working in radio after finishing high school in the Tulsa area. However, it was acting that became more of a calling while Tripplehorn was in college, and she made her way to Juilliard where she’d study acting further.
“From a very, very early age, I had a vivid imagination,” Tripplehorn said. “Which evolved into acting in community theater and having my own television and radio show in Tulsa, Oklahoma. My mother and grandmother were incredibly supportive...If it wasn’t for their unwavering belief in me, I would not be where I am today.”
Tripplehorn’s initial acting roles came on stage in New York, which helped to garner attention for on-screen roles. Her first screen appearance came in 1991 when she was cast in the TV movie “The Perfect Tribute”, and the following year worked on “The Ben Stiller Show”. Also in 1992, Tripplehorn made her film debut in “Basic Instinct”, playing Beth Garner. For the rest of the 1990s, Tripplehorn had just a couple of TV appearances including a guest spot and a TV movie, but focused more on her big screen career.
Tripllehorn starred in films such as “The Firm”, “Waterworld” and “Very Bad Things” during the 1990s. She then wrapped up the decade with “Mickey Blue Eyes”, and stayed very busy in the early 2000s with movies including “Timecode”, “Paranoid” and “Relative Values”. After starring in 2005’s “The Amateurs”, Tripplehorn finally made her return to being a television regular.
It was in 2006 when Tripplehorn was cast as Barbara Henrickson on the series “Big Love” that aired for five seasons on HBO. The show was a success, with Tripplehorn earning award nominations for her work. “Big Love” ran until 2011, and while it was running, Tripplehorn had also appeared in the films “Winged Creatures” and “Morning”.
On the series, Tripplehorn’s character was married to Bill Paxton’s character. Paxton passed away in 2017, which left a hole in Tripplehorn’s life. “It’s difficult to process the loss of Bill Paxton,” she said. “I adored that man from Fort Worth, Texas. From the moment we met on ‘Big Love’, I knew he was a friend for life...but then everyone has felt that after working with him.”
“I can’t believe he won’t be out there on a set somewhere anymore,” she continued. “He loved being an actor and I loved acting with him. I will miss our long talks about our crazy business, his passion for art and the deep love for his family.”
It didn’t take much time for Tripplehorn to land another regular role, being cast as Dr. Alex Blake on the series “Criminal Minds” for two seasons and nearly 50 episodes from 2012 to 2014. Coming up, Tripplehorn has another TV project with the miniseries “Mrs. America”. Some of her recent feature films include “Little Pink House” and 2018’s “Gloria Bell”.
Talking about her “Criminal Minds” role, Tripplehorn said that the preparation was rather intense. “About a week before we start shooting they have all the writers gather and they bring in people from the FBI to talk to them, give presentations, kind of get their creative juices flowing with some real-life cases; maybe it will sput another idea for a story,” she noted.
“They invited me to sit down with them and, quite frankly, the real-life serial killers that they talked about that I had never heard of, the stories you see on screen are nothing compared to what this FBI person was talking about in the room,” Tripplehorn continued. “I was sitting at the front of the table, everybody else was behind me and I thought for a second I was going to be sick, it was so nauseating. I thought, ‘If I leave the room now I will never hear the end of it.’”
During much of the 1990s, Tripplehorn had been in a relationship with Ben Stiller, whom she worked with multiple times, but in 2000 married actor Leland Orser of “ER” fame. The two have been together ever since and have one child. Tripplehorn says that the TV schedule allows her to be home with her family more often than films. “I don’t have to make huge sacrifices a lot of people in our business do,” she said. “I have been really, really lucky...because my family is the number one priority, being here for my little boy and my husband. I don’t want to be in a hotel room and traveling.”
Many would describe Tripplehorn’s career as being a successful one to this point. When talking about success, Tripplehorn says that “I think success is doing what makes you happy, and being able to dow hat makes you happy. If I wasn’t going to be an actor, if I was going to find success in my life, it would be finding how I can earn a living...if you’re going to spend that much time doing something, you should be able to enjoy it. I think that’s success.”
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