Ashley Tyler Ciminella
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Ashley Judd became the first celebrity to publicly accuse Harvey Weinstein of sexual misconduct in a New York Times article on October 5, 2017. Her acting career spans over two decades, with notable roles in Heat 1995, Kiss the Girls 1997, and Double Jeopardy 1999. Off-screen, she is a global ambassador for YouthAIDS and earned a Master’s degree from Harvard’s Kennedy School in 2010.
Names, aliases, and relatives of Ashley Judd — birth name, kin, and personal ties.
Ashley Judd by the numbers — life, work, and family.
Ashley Judd — early life, career, personal life, and legacy.
Ashley Tyler Ciminella was born on April 19, 1968, in Granada Hills, California, to country singer Naomi Judd and marketing specialist Michael Ciminella. Her parents divorced when she was young, and she moved frequently, attending twelve schools in thirteen years before college. She enrolled at the University of Kentucky, majoring in French and minoring in anthropology and other subjects, but left in 1990 just shy of graduation to pursue acting in Hollywood.
Judd’s first screen kiss was with Wil Wheaton on Star Trek: The Next Generation 1987, where she played Ensign Robin Lefler. She turned down a larger role in Kuffs 1992 due to requested nudity, saying, My mother worked too hard for me to take my clothes off in my first movie. Her film breakthrough came with Heat 1995 as Charlene Shiherlis. She starred in thrillers Kiss the Girls 1997 and Double Jeopardy 1999, both opposite Morgan Freeman. In 2002 she played both a teenager and a 30-year-old in Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood. She also voiced roles in Dolphin Tale 2011 and its sequel.
Judd married Scottish racing driver Dario Franchitti on December 12, 2001, at Skibo Castle in Scotland. They divorced in January 2013. She has no children. In 2006 she spent 47 days in a Texas rehab center for depression. In March 2015 she wrote an article revealing she was raped by two adult family members as a child. On February 13, 2021, while in Africa studying bonobos, she shattered her leg and endured a 55-hour ordeal to reach a hospital in South Africa.
Judd’s decision to go public with her allegations against Harvey Weinstein in 2017 made her a pivotal figure in the #MeToo movement. She has testified before the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee on sexual violence and AIDS, and served as a Global Ambassador for YouthAIDS. She earned her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Kentucky in 2007, 17 years after leaving, and a Mid-Career MPA from Harvard in 2010. She is remembered as an actress who balanced a major film career with outspoken humanitarian activism.
The complete filmography of Ashley Judd — every film, TV show, and documentary credit, ranked by popularity.
A wall of memorable lines from Ashley Judd — lyrics, interviews, and off-the-cuff remarks captured over a lifetime.
It’s Unconscionable to Breed with the Number of Children Who Are Starving to Death in Impoverished Countries.
Little-known facts about Ashley Judd — origins, oddities, and behind-the-scenes details from a public life.
When offered a larger role in Kuffs 1992 that required nudity, Ashley Judd declined, saying her mother’s hard work meant she shouldn’t disrobe in her first film.
Ashley Judd was the first celebrity to publicly accuse producer Harvey Weinstein of sexual misconduct, as reported in the New York Times on October 5, 2017.
Her first screen kiss was with Wil Wheaton on Star Trek: The Next Generation 1987.
She speaks French fluently.
Judd was among 4,000 students who graduated on May 6, 2007 from the University of Kentucky, having completed her Bachelor’s degree in French 17 years after leaving.
On the TV show Who Do You Think You Are? 2010, she discovered her third great-grandfather was a Union soldier in the Civil War who was taken prisoner twice and had a leg amputated after a battlefield injury.
Her mother and sister are country singers Naomi Judd and Wynonna Judd; she once cleaned their tour bus for $10 a day.
On February 13, 2021, while in Africa studying endangered bonobos, she shattered her leg after tripping over a tree and endured a harrowing 55-hour journey to a hospital in South Africa.
Though she appeared in only two episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, her character Ensign Robin Lefler was loved by fans and appears on the cover of the Star Trek book End Game.
She was named after Ashland, Kentucky and is an eighth-generation Kentuckian.
In a March 2015 MIC article, Judd addressed online gender violence and revealed she was a survivor of sexual assault, rape, and incest by two adult family members, and that she found recovery in 2006.
She has co-starred with Morgan Freeman in five films: Kiss the Girls 1997, High Crimes 2002, Dolphin Tale 2011, Olympus Has Fallen 2013, and Dolphin Tale 2 2014.
In Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood 2002, she played both a teenager and a thirty-year-old as Vivian Walker.
An avid fan of the University of Kentucky Wildcats basketball team, she once did not shower for fear of jinxing them and used their cheerleading routine in Someone Like You 2001.
She enrolled at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government to earn a one-year Mid-Career Master’s degree in Public Administration MC/MPA.
A descendant on her mother’s side of Edward Seymour whose sister Jane was married to Henry VIII and of John of Gaunt.
Worldwide Spokesperson for Youth AIDS International.
She attended 12 schools in 13 years before college, was a sister of Kappa Kappa Gamma, and elected to Phi Beta Kappa at the University of Kentucky.
Her paternal grandfather was born to Sicilian-Italian immigrants in Westfield, New York; the rest of her ancestry is English, Scottish, Irish, German, Welsh, and Swiss-German.
Her mother Naomi Judd publicly objected to many of Ashley’s movies due to profanity, nudity, sex, or violence.
She bakes chocolate chip cookies to relieve stress.
On January 29, 2013, Judd and Dario Franchitti announced their divorce, stating they would always be family.
On June 23, 2005, she gave testimony to the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee on sexual violence and AIDS as a Global Ambassador for YouthAIDS.
In February 2006, she entered a Texas rehab center for 47 days to treat long-term depression.
She practices kickboxing, Tae Kwon Do, Kung Fu, Judo, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
She worked as a waitress at the Ivy restaurant while studying the Sanford Meisner technique at Playhouse West in Los Angeles.
She had a role in Oliver Stone’s Natural Born Killers 1994 that was cut from the film.
Good friends with Salma Hayek and Joey Lauren Adams.
Received a Mid-Career Master’s degree in Public Administration from Harvard University in May 2010.
Distant cousin of Seth MacFarlane and Rachael MacFarlane, both descendants of Mayflower passenger William Brewster.
Named one of People magazine’s 50 Most Beautiful People in 1996, 2000, and 2002.
Named one of People magazine’s 25 Most Intriguing People.
Publicly announced her engagement to racer Dario Franchitti in December 1999 and married at Skibo Castle in Scotland in December 2001.
Drove from Memphis, Tennessee to Los Angeles at age 22 to pursue acting.
Declined the role on Home Improvement 1991 that went to Pamela Anderson to focus on movies, later starring in Where the Heart Is 2000 directed by that show’s producer.
Her father Michael Ciminella divorced Naomi Judd in 1972.
Was considered for the female lead in Million Dollar Baby 2004 but the role went to Hilary Swank.
Visited Guatemala in May 2006 with Salma Hayek and Juanes for a Youth/AIDS campaign.
Enthusiast of the cockapoo dog breed; owns a dog named Buttermilk and a cat named Buttercup.
Janet Tamaro’s original choice for Jane Rizzoli in Rizzoli & Isles 2010, but she declined and the role went to Angie Harmon.
Decided not to run for U.S. Senate from Kentucky in April 2013.
Attended art school in France.
Fractured her right ankle when thrown from a horse in Franklin, Tennessee, and was hospitalized for two days.
In 2003 she modeled a Hello Kitty t-shirt with Handle with Care printed on the front to benefit YouthAIDS.
A self-proclaimed feminist who modeled a This is What a Feminist Looks Like t-shirt for Ms. Foundation.
Presented to the National Press Club on June 22, 2005 as a spokesperson for Youth AIDS International.
Presented clues on the The World AIDS Crisis category on Jeopardy! on December 2, 2005.
Was listed as a potential nominee for Worst Actress for Twisted 2004 on the 2005 Razzie ballot but did not receive a nomination.
Global ambassador for YouthAIDS, an international health initiative combatting HIV/AIDS.
Quick answers to the questions readers ask most about Ashley Judd.
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