Film actress and director, born in Los Angeles, CA, USA. After a career in television commercials, she became known for her child roles in Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974), Bugsy Malone (1976), and Taxi Driver (1976). She studied in Los Angeles and at Yale, and then established herself as an adult actress, receiving Best Actress Oscars for her roles in The Accused (1988) and The Silence of the Lambs (1991). She made her directorial debut with Little Man Tate (1991). Later films include Somersby (1992), Home for the Holidays (1995), which she also directed, Contact (1997), Anna and the King (1999), Panic Room (2002), and Flightplan (2005).
