An American actress of Irish and Palestinian descent, born in Los Angeles, California, USA. She is the youngest of four children. She attended PS 41 Greenwich Village School, before Intermediate School 70 in New York City, then attended the High School of Music and Art and continued training in London for a year at the British Theatre Academy. As a member of the Malaparte Theatre Company, she played leading roles in many works, including the film Romancing the Stone (1984), Moonstruck (1987), and Dolores Claiborne (1995).