Lisa Banes

Lisa Banes was born in Cleveland, Ohio. Just five years later, Lisa secured her SAG card for waving from the back seat of an Oldsmobile along with big brother, Evan, in car commercials produced by her father, Ken. (Florence Henderson was driving.)

The Banes family, including her mother, Mary Lou, a model and homemaker, decamped to Colorado when Lisa was 10, beginning her life-long love affair with the Broncos and a state she considers her spiritual home.

Ever precocious – and resourceful – Lisa at age 15 lied about her age to work in a summer stock theater that served alcohol. She's been playing slightly older ever since. She started her college years in St. Louis at Webster College, but life took a dramatic turn, literally, when a visiting teacher from Juilliard discovered Lisa while directing her in a production of "The Crucible." Encouraged by the teacher, Lisa auditioned at Juilliard, and soon was packing her bags for New York City. After graduating, she joined The Acting Company, a theater group formed by John Houseman and Margot Harley, and spent a year touring the U.S. And Australia.

Lisa's first major New York role landed her a Theater World award for her performance playing opposite Malcom McDowell in a Roundabout Theater production of "Look Back in Anger." She was honored with an Obie Award for her role in "My Sister in this House" with Elizabeth McGovern, and a Drama Desk nomination for her performance in Wendy Wasserstein's "Isn't It Romantic." During this period, Lisa also appeared with Diane Weist, Sam Waterson and Jeff Daniels in "The Three Sisters," and in Neil Simon's Broadway production of "Rumors."

Subsequent Broadway productions include Tom Stoppard's' "Arcadia" at Lincoln Center and Noel Cowards' "Present Laughter" opposite Victor Garber.

Lisa's first movie role was in The Hotel New Hampshire, in which the great English director Tony Richardson cast her as the wife of screen husband Beau Bridges and mother of children played by Rob Lowe, Jodie Foster, Paul McCrane, Seth Greene and Jennifer Dundas. In one scene, Lisa, unbeknownst to director Richardson, appeared as a male reporter in a scene shot after her screen character had met an untimely demise. Mr. Richardson, once he became aware of the deception, kept the scene in the picture, and it remains one of Lisa's favorite moments on film.

She also played Tom Cruise's rich, older girlfriend in Cocktail. Her other movies include Marie: A True Story, Young Guns, Dragonfly, Without Limits and The Jackal, among others.

Lisa's television performances are as varied as they are numerous. She was a series regular in "The Trials of Rosie O'Neil," "Son of the Beach" and "Girls Club," and has had recurring roles on series including "China Beach," "Six Feet Under" and "Royal Pains." She has also guested on "Frasier," "Roseanne," "L.A. Law," "Boston Legal," "Desperate Housewives," "Law and Order" and many others.

20th Century Fox