Ashley Judd is an American actress and model best known for her performances on Kiss the Girls, Double Jeopardy and High Crimes. The daughter of the country music singer Naomi Judd and marketing analyst for the horseracing industry Michael Ciminella, Jr., Ashley Judd was born on April 19, 1968 in Granada Hills, California. Her parents divorced when she was six. In 1974, her mother took her back to their native town Kentucky, where she grew up. She attended Franklin High School in Tennessee and did some modeling in Japan during school breaks. She then studied French at University of Kentucky, with minors in anthropology, art history, theater, and women’s studies.
Ashley Judd had her first acting appearance on television when she played as the Starfleet officer Ensign Robin Lefler in two episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation in 1991. She also had her recurring role as Reed, Alex’s daughter on the NBC drama series Sisters. In 1992, she made her debut film appearance in the comedy film Kuffs. The following year, she played a starring role in the independent film Ruby in Paradise. Judd further gained critical acclaim in the films Smoke and Heat. She also played Callie in Philip Ridley’s The Passion of Darkly Moon. She also played the lead roles for the box office thrillers, Kiss the Girls in 1997, and Double Jeopardy in 1998. This was then followed by Someone Like You and High Crimes. Judd was also nominated for a Golden Globe Best Actress award for performance in the 2004 Cole Porter biography De Lovely.
Judd is also known for dating baseball player Brady Anderson, singers Lyle Lovett and Michael Bolton, and actors Matthew McConaughey and Robert De Niro. In 2001, she married NASCAR driver Dario Franchitti.
Judd is also active in humanitarian and political causes. She was appointed Global Ambassador for YouthAIDS, an education program promoting AIDS prevention and treatment and give talks at pro-choice events.