Anne Archer Biography

The daughter of actors John Archer and Marjorie Lord and a native to Los Angeles, Anne Archer was well on her way to becoming an actress the day she was born.

She made her New York stage debut when she played Maude Mix in the celebrated off-Broadway production of John Ford Noonan's A Coupla' White Chicks Sitting Around Talking. She later reprised the role in a Los Angeles production opposite Elisabeth Ashley.

Her film career began in the early 1970s when she landed her first important role in the 1972 Bob Hope comedy Cancel My Reservation. A year later, Archer played the Natalie Wood part in a TV-sitcom adaptation of Bob and Carol and Ted and Alice. Other small screen credits include Indiscretion Of An American Wife, "Past Tense, Future Perfect, Nails, The Last Of His Tribe, Neil Simon's Jake's Women opposite Alan Alda and Falcon Crest.

Archer made her motion picture debut starring with Jon Voight in The All American Boy. Her subsequent performance as Sam Elliott's former girlfriend in the feature film Lifeguard, which achieved cult status, won her critical acclaim.

Often cast in vulnerable, imperiled roles, the actress gave one of her most memorable performances as Michael Douglas' wife in Fatal Attraction (1987), for which she earned nominations from the Academy Awards and the Golden Globes.

One of Archer's most beloved roles by audiences around the world is that of Dr. Cathy Ryan, which she originated in Patriot Games, one of 1992's biggest summer box-office hits. She reprised that role opposite Harrison Ford in Clear and Present Danger (1994).

To start off the millennium, Archer appeared in Rules of Engagement (2000) with Samuel L. Jackson and Tommy Lee Jones, and the action feature The Art of War, in which she played an ambitious American diplomat in line to be the next U.N. Secretary General, opposite Wesley Snipes.

On the spiritual side, Archer is a member of the Church of Scientology, along with John Travolta and his wife Kelly Preston. She also devotes her time to Applied Scholastics and its World Literacy Crusade. The Planned Parenthood Federation of America appointed her as their first National Public Advocacy Chairman, a role in which she served for seven years. In recognition of this commitment, Ms. Magazine honored her as one of their six Women of the Year (1988).

In the years following 2000, Archer continued to work steadily in both film and television. She starred in the heartfelt indie Uncle Nino (2003), the prison drama Felon (2008), and the romantic comedy Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009). On television, she's had recurring roles in acclaimed series such as The L Word (2004–2009) and its sequel The L Word: Generation Q (2019, 2021), as well as guest appearances on Ghost Whisperer, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and The Grinder.

Anne appeared in the thriller Trafficked (2017) and earned praise for her portrayal of Charlotte Shultz in Hulu’s The Dropout (2022), a dramatization of the Theranos scandal.

Anne has been married twice and she has two children, one from each of her marriages. She and her second husband, Terry Jastrow, reside in Los Angeles.

Filmography:

Paper Empire (2025)
Ulysses Coyote (2024)
The Dropout (2022)
The L Word: Generation Q (2021)
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2018)
Trafficked (2017)
Lullaby (2014)
Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009)
Felon (2008)
Cut Off (2006)
Man of the House (2005)
November (2004)
Uncle Nino (2003)
The Iris Effect (2004)
Night of the Wolf (2002)
The Gray in Between (2002)
Whispers: An Elephant’s Tale (2000)
The Art of War (2000)
Rules of Engagement (2000)
Nico the Unicorn (1998)
Indiscretion of an American Wife (1998)
My Husband’s Secret Life (1998)
Mojave Moon (1996)
The Man in the Attic (1995)
Because Mommy Works (1994)
Clear and Present Danger (1994)
Jane’s House (1994)
Short Cuts (1993)
Family Prayers (1993)
Body of Evidence (1993)
Patriot Games (1992)
Nails (1992)
The Last of His Tribe (1992)
Eminent Domain (1991)
Narrow Margin (1990)
Love at Large (1990)
Leap of Faith (1988)
Fatal Attraction (1987)
A Different Affair (1987)
The Check Is in the Mail... (1986)
Too Scared to Scream (1985)
The Naked Face (1984)
The Sky’s No Limit (1984)
Waltz Across Texas (1982)
Green Ice (1981)
Hero at Large (1980)
Raise the Titanic (1980)
Good Guys Wear Black (1978)
Paradise Alley (1978)
The Pirate (1978)
Lifeguard (1976)
Trackdown (1976)
The All-American Boy (1973)
Cancel My Reservation (1972)
The Honkers (1972)