Known for her bold and sensuous personality, American actress Heather Graham is considered an iconic sex symbol of Hollywood. In most of her films, she is seen performing sexual roles, but she has claimed in the past that she has a strong notion behind opting for these roles, and she believes that with such roles she can empower women to be more vocal about their pleasure. Earlier during an interview, she said, “Our culture sends out mixed messages to women about sex. Are women supposed to be sexually alive people, or are we supposed to be ‘good’ mothers who would never do those things?” and that she likes “the fact some of my roles may help people open their minds about the way they think about sex.”
Undoubtedly, the roles performed by Heather throughout her career were so well adapted by her that it’s indeed hard to imagine anyone else playing them. Her passion and dedication to her craft are evident in her work. Her hard work and talent haven’t gone unnoticed as the actress has been honored with numerous accolades for her roles. In her expansive career, Graham has beautifully managed to balance between the big screen and television. Let’s reflect on the TV shows and films featuring Heather Graham.
Drugstore Cowboy (1989)
Based on the autobiographical novel of the same name, the crime thriller film starred Matt Dillon, Kelly Lynch, James Le Gros, and Heather Graham in the lead roles. The film revolves around the story of a group of four drug-addicted criminals who robbed drugstores. In the film, Graham played the role of one of the group members named Nadine. With her performance in the film, she proved to be a promising actress. She was also nominated for an Independent Spirit Award.
Boogie Nights (1997)
The Academy Award-winning film Boogie Nights is a period comedy-drama that narrates the tale of a young nightclub dishwasher (Mark Wahlberg) who becomes a popular star of pornographic films. The film consists of an ensemble cast including Graham. She portrayed the role of a porn star, called Roller Girl, as she always wore rollerblades while performing. For her role, Graham won an MTV Movie Award for it.
License to Drive (1988)
Heather Graham emerged as a potential young star ever since the early phase of her career. Her 1988 teen comedy film License to Drive is proof of it. Graham played the role of Mercedes Lane, a beautiful girl who is being pursued by her admirer Les Anderson (Corey Haim). Talking about Graham’s performance, she was perfect to portray the role of the Lane. She dived so well into the character that the audience could resonate with her as the girl next door. She started her career with a bang, as she earned herself a nomination for a Young Artist Award for Best Young Actress in a Comedy for her role.
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999)
The Austin Power film series is quite infamous among film critics, for their immature and just downright absurd comedy. Nevertheless, the films are highly popular, and there is hardly anyone who follows pop culture and does not know about Austin Powers. Indeed, the impact of Mike Myers’s eccentric characters has been huge among the audience. Graham appeared in the second film of the series, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me. The actress portrayed the role of the protagonist’s love interest. Her role as Felicity Shagwell is known as one of her most iconic roles to date.
Bowfinger (1999)
Among the many sensuous roles Graham has performed in her career, her role as Daisy in the 1999 film Bowfinger is one of her best roles. She played the role of a nymphomaniac woman, who ends up sleeping with a lot of men. Graham does justice to her character by capturing the naivety of Daisy which leads to messing up with everyone’s feelings. The actress won a Blockbuster Entertainment Award for her performance. The action comedy film stars Steve Martin and Eddie Murphy in the lead roles.
From Hell (2001)
Heather Graham certainly knows the knack of maintaining a balance between restraint and excess, as with her role in From Hell, she smoothly played the role of a complex woman with a good heart who has a harsh job as a prostitute. Despite the harsh factors her character Mary Kelly has to face, Graham makes a way to pull them off gracefully. Graham was cast along with Johnny Depp, and their on-screen chemistry was indeed magical.
The Hangover (2009)
If you are looking for a cult comedy film, with an ensemble cast that includes iconic actors like Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms, and Ken Jeong, The Hangover is undoubtedly a go-to film. Though Graham has a small part in the film, she didn’t fail to make an impact with her acting. She played the role of an escort with a baby who married Ed Helms’s character.
