A juvenile player who successfully transitioned to adult roles, Gish is a capable actress with girl-next-door looks who has never quite unlocked the door to stardom. Still in her teens when she beat out hundreds of actresses for the lead role in 1986's
Desert Bloom, she landed a quick succession of big-screen roles. But while a number of her early costars went on to fame (Julia Roberts in
Mystic Pizza, Bridget Fonda in
Shag), Gish found herself relegated to smaller and smaller roles, in part because she took time off to attend Duke University. After appearing in supporting roles in a number of indie films and TV-movies in the '90s, Gish got a big career boost — and met her husband, fight coordinator Wade Allen — when she signed on to the last season of
The X Files. A recurring part on
The West Wing as the first daughter reaffirmed that the small screen was her medium, and in 2006 she delivered a tour-de-force performance as a local politician's troubled wife on the Showtime series
Brotherhood.
Annabeth Gish Fast Facts:
- No relation to silent film stars Lilian and Dorothy Gish.
- Beat out more than 500 young actresses for her role in 1986's Desert Bloom, including Winona Ryder.
- Says her career influences include Jessica Lange, Meryl Streep, Marcia Gay Harden and Goldie Hawn.
- Annabeth Gish Relationships:
- Cash Alexander Allen - Son
- Enzo Edward Allen - Son
- Judith K. Stephenson Gish - Mother
- Robert F. Gish - Father
- Robin Gish - Sister
- Tim Gish - Brother
- Wade Allen - Husband
- College:
- Duke University, Durham, NC (BA in English, 1993)
