Ashley Judd Ashley Judd, born as Ashley Tyler Ciminella on April 19, 1968, in Granada Hills, California, is the daughter of Naomi Judd and half-sister of Wynonna, the trio who make up the country mother and daughter group, The Judds. Since 1991 she has made a name for herself as a talented actress without having to use her last name to help increase her profile. In fact, her mother, Naomi, has not always been supportive of the acting roles Ashley has chosen to play, and has publicly objected to many of her movies because of the profanity, nudity, sex, or violence they contain. Ashley studied at the University of Kentucky where she majored in French and minored in anthropology, art history, theater, and women’s studies. She quit school early in 1990 with plans to become a Peace Corps volunteer in Africa, but instead decided to pursue an acting career in Hollywood. She moved to Hollywood and studied with acting teacher, Robert Carnegie, at the Playhouse West while working as a waitress at The Ivy restaurant.
In 1991 she landed roles as a Starfleet officer in two episodes of the television show Star Trek: The Next Generation. From 1991 to 1994 she had a recurring role on the NBC drama, Sisters as Swoosie Kurtz's daughter. Ashley made her film debut in 1992 with the action/comedy Kuffs, starring Christian Slater. She landed the role of the wife of the paint store owner, even though this wasn’t the part she auditioned for. It’s been reported that she turned down a larger role because the part involved nude scenes. In 1993 Ashley had a starring role in Ruby of Paradise and earned an Independent Spirit Award for her role as Ruby. The following year she had a role in Oliver Stone’s Natural Born Killers, but her scenes were cut from the final print. The same year she worked for the first time on Broadway by appearing in the Roundabout Theater's revival of Picnic. By the end of the 1990s, Ashley’s mostly supporting acting roles turned into leading lady parts. In 1997 she starred in Kiss the Girls and followed that movie with the leading role in 1999’s Double Jeopardy, in which she starred with Tommy Lee Jones.
Other movies Ashley has acted in include Someone Like You in 2001, High Crimes in 2002, and the 2004 biography of Cole Porter, De-Lovely. In 2007 she will star in the psychological thriller and horror film, Bug, directed by William Friedkin. Throughout her years in the public eye, Ashley has been romantically involved with many different men. In the 1990s she dated baseball player Brady Anderson, singers Lyle Lovett and Michael Bolton, and actors Matthew McConaughey and Robert De Niro, who worked with her in the 1995 thriller, Heat. In 1999 she became engaged to Scottish racecar driver, Dario Franchitti. The two married at Skibo Castle near Dornoch, Scotland, on December 12, 2001. YUDDY | 
