Daryl Hannah

Daryl Hannah is an American actress, director, and environmental activist born on December 3, 1960, in Chicago, Illinois. She was born to Susan Jeanne Metzger and Donald Christian Hannah, and was raised alongside her siblings Don and Page, as well as her half-sister Tanya Wexler. Developing an interest in cinema at a young age while dealing with insomnia, Hannah faced childhood struggles and was diagnosed with autism. She later attended the Francis W. Parker School in Chicago before moving to Los Angeles to study ballet and acting at the University of Southern California, where she majored in theatre.

Hannah made her film debut at age 17 in Brian De Palma's 1978 horror movie The Fury. She gained widespread fame in 1982 for her role as the replicant Pris in Ridley Scott's science fiction feature Blade Runner, in which she performed several of her own gymnastic stunts. Her breakthrough expanded with her starring performance as a mermaid in Ron Howard's 1984 fantasy comedy Splash opposite Tom Hanks. Throughout the 1980s, Hannah maintained a steady screen presence in films such as The Pope of Greenwich Village, The Clan of the Cave Bear, Legal Eagles, Wall Street, Roxanne, High Spirits, Crimes and Misdemeanors, and Steel Magnolias.

In the 1990s, Hannah appeared in titles including the comedy Grumpy Old Men, the television remake Attack Of The Fifty-Foot Woman, the thriller The Tie That Binds, and the made-for-television movie Rear Window. In 2003 and 2004, she played the one-eyed assassin Elle Driver in Quentin Tarantino's martial arts films Kill Bill: Volume 1 and Volume 2. Around this period, she took on roles in projects such as Dancing at the Blue Iguana, A Walk to Remember, Northfork, Casa de los Babys, and Silver City, alongside various television miniseries and original films.

In addition to screen acting, Hannah played Marilyn Monroe's role in a 2000 West End stage production of The Seven Year Itch in London. From 2015 to 2018, she starred as Angelica Turing in the Netflix series Sense8, and in 2020, she appeared in the comedy series The Now. Behind the camera, Hannah wrote, directed, and produced the short film The Last Supper and the documentary Strip Notes. She also wrote and produced the 2018 film Paradox, directed the 2025 documentary Coastal, and received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Music Film in 2023 for her work on A Band A Brotherhood A Barn.

Outside the entertainment industry, Hannah is a dedicated environmental and social activist. She established the video blog DHLoveLife to promote sustainable living, adopted a vegan lifestyle, and adapted her home to run on solar power. Her environmental advocacy has involved direct participation in public demonstrations, leading to arrests during protests concerning urban farming, mountaintop removal, and oil pipeline construction. Furthermore, she served as executive producer of the 2012 climate change documentary Greedy Lying Bastards, joined the World Future Council, co-created board games, and expressed political support for the Ukrainian cause at the 97th Academy Awards ceremony in 2025.