With a film career that dates back to the mid-80s, Heather Graham has been around the acting scene a lot longer than most viewers may realize. As a young adult, she started attending UCLA, studying English. However, in a display of good instincts, she decided to go against her parents' wishes and drop out of university to pursue acting, and this turned out to be a life-changing choice

Graham has since forged a massively successful career in her chosen field, while also being a talented model. She's appeared in a wide selection of film and television projects over the years, and won plenty of acclaim for many of those roles. Though her career is expansive, these are the 10 best movies and TV shows starring Heather Graham.

10 Bowfinger (1999)

Starring SNL icons Steve Martin and Eddie Murphy, Bowfinger was one funny film. Martin played Bobby Bowfinger, a B Movie producer who saves a meager amount to produce his own film. He manages to convince a Universal Pictures executive to distribute the film, but only on condition that he gets the famous star Kit Ramsey (Murphy) to star in it. Ramsey is notoriously paranoid, so Bowfinger assembles a rag-tag group of actors and crew members and tricks them all into filming the movie without Ramsey's knowledge that he's even in it as they secretly film him.

What Makes It Great

Pulling together two greats in Martin and Murphy gave the film an authentically funny feel that comes from casting some of the greatest comedic actors. For her part, Heather Graham was a magnetic part of the film as she played Daisy, one of the actresses from Bowfinger's movie. Daisy has a voracious sexual appetite and winds up sleeping with most of the men. Graham did a great job of capturing the air of innocence with which she goes about messing with everyone's feelings and won a Blockbuster Entertainment Award for it.

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9 The Hangover (2009)

Heather Graham plays Jade in the massive hit comedy, ​​​​​​The Hangover. Making huge stars out of its cast, the film follows a group of bungling friends on a bachelor party trip to Las Vegas who get way too drunk and lose the groom. They then get into all kinds of shenanigans in their attempt to bring him safely home.

What Makes It Great

Hilarious, with brilliantly executed roles from its main cast that included Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms, and the unforgettable Ken Jeong, the film has since become a cult favorite among lovers of raunchy comedies. While she had a small part in the film, Heather Graham played an escort with a baby who married Ed Helms' character while he was drugged. Her role was memorable as she came across as good-natured and likable despite their situation. She later returned as Jade again in The Hangover Part III.

Rent on Apple TV+

8 Extrapolations (2023)

An anthology drama series that focuses on one of the most poignant subjects in human history, Extrapolations has been described as the Black Mirror of climate shows. It explores the devastating effects of climate change on a range of interconnected stories. Featuring different timelines that span some 30-odd years into the future, the show is an ambitious project with a deadly serious theme.

What Makes It Great

Aside from the poignancy of its subject, the sheer number of acclaimed stars that play a part in the show is staggering. Heather Graham is one of the many other major stars who also appear in the show. Playing a character named Hannah, Graham is every bit as committed to her role as anyone else, as the show's talented cast all show that this role has significant meaning to each of them.

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7 Bobby (2006)

Featuring an ensemble cast, Bobby was a 2006 drama film written and directed by Emilio Estevez. It wasn't universally appreciated by critics, but was still honored with many prestigious award nominations such as a Golden Globe for Best Drama Picture. The film tells the story of the assassination of Senator Robert F. Kennedy at LA's Ambassador Hotel, and does so through some unique angles.

What Makes It Great

Bobby paints a brilliantly intricate portrait from the perspectives of more than 20 people present at the hotel that fateful night. Heather Graham plays Angela, a switchboard operator who was privy to a lot of the goings-on at the hotel. However, it was her affair with the hotel manager that also gave her other insights. A complexly placed character, Graham was great in the role and contributed to the cast being nominated for Critics Choice and SAG Awards for Best Ensemble Cast.

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6 License to Drive (1988)

Very early on in her film career, Heather Graham was already showing signs of her talent and star potential. Her role in the 1988 teen comedy, License to Drive was a perfect example. In addition to Graham, the film starred the late Corey Haim and centered around his character, Les Anderson, as he tried his best to get his driver's license despite failing the knowledge portion. All his efforts were out of his desperation to borrow the family car and impress his crush, the beautiful Mercedes Lane.

What Makes It Great

Mercedes Lane was played by Heather Graham, who was a natural fit for the charismatic character. Effortlessly endearing herself to audiences with her girl-next-door charm and sweet personality, Graham stood out in the film, earning herself a nomination for a Young Artist Award for Best Young Actress in a Comedy.

Stream on Starz

5 From Hell (2001)

At the turn of the century, Heather Graham was one of the most recognizable actresses around when she appeared in the period slasher film, From Hell. Starring alongside Johnny Depp in the lead, the film was in some ways a tale about the original slasher himself — Jack the Ripper. The film saw Depp playing Inspector Abberline, a detective on the Ripper's trail while he also struggled with drug-induced visions of the murders. Graham played a sex worker named Mary Kelly who falls in love with Abberline.

What Makes It Great

Depp and Graham have great chemistry as he plays a troubled but ultimately noble man, and she plays a complex woman with a good heart but a harsh job. While not very scary, the film featured a grim atmosphere that fit the context well. Graham's performance was personable as ever, her on-screen charm finding ways of making herself appealing despite her character's circumstances weighing her down.

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4 Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999)

The nature of Austin Powers films is a critic's nightmare, they're immature and just downright ridiculous. However, the films are still massively popular around the world and have had a huge impact on pop culture through Mike Myers' kooky characters, hilarious antics, and catchy phrases. The second film in the series, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me featured Heather Graham as the love interest this time and her part in it became one of her most iconic roles.

What Makes It Great

Graham, like everything and everyone else in the film never takes herself seriously and leans into her role in a way that makes it all the more appealing. The energy that Graham injects into the character, and her effervescent smile is what makes her time as Felicity Shagwell so memorable. The film was a massive commercial hit, once again underscoring just how popular the character and film were.

Rent on Apple TV+

3 Sidewalks of New York (2001)

A Woody Allen film, Sidewalks of New York featured the iconic director's typical style of exploring themes of relationships, love, and sex through engaging characters. Set in New York, the film revolves around six characters and eight cycles between their interconnected lives that form a circle. Intricate, poetic, and darkly humorous at times, the film was a classically Allen film and also featured other great actors like Edward Burns, Rosario Dawson, Stanley Tucci, and the late Britney Murphy among its main cast.

What Makes It Great

This time Heather Graham plays Annie Matthews, a real estate broker who is unhappy in her marriage, but too loyal to cheat. However, this doesn't stop her from enjoying the company and flirting with one of her clients. The documentary style breaks where each character addresses the camera in soliloquy-like moments also gives each one a more personal touch from which the audience is able to gauge their individual nuances.

Rent on Apple TV+

2 Drugstore Cowboy (1989)

A fantastic film based on an autobiographical novel, Drugstore Cowboy starred Matt Dillon as Bob Hughes, the leader of a nomadic group of drug-addicted criminals. The group included Bob's own wife, his best friend Rick, and Rick's girlfriend Nadine (Graham). To feed their habits, the group travels around the country robbing pharmacies and hospitals. While their fast-paced, dangerous lifestyle often worked in their favor, there were also severe consequences for them when their actions began to catch up with them.

What Makes It Great

As surreal as the film may be at times, its source material adds a greater layer of intrigue to it as it's based on a true story. For her part, Heather Graham was great in the film. Released in 1989, it was one of the earliest film roles in her career, but one that again showed her potential as a young actress. It still holds a 97% critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and won a fair few accolades, with Graham being nominated for an Independent Spirit Award.

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1 Boogie Nights (1997)

A classic film, Boogie Nights was a period comedy-drama that chronicled the life of a nightclub dishwasher who rose to become a successful porn star. It charts the career of "Dirk Diggler" (Mark Wahlberg) as he experienced all the highs of being a popular porn star during the '70s and the so-called golden age of porn, before succumbing to the notorious industry's excesses by the '80s. The film featured an amazing cast with Julianne Moore, Burt Reynolds, Don Cheadle, and John C. Reilly, all also appearing in it among others.

Why It's The Best

Among this terrific cast, Heather Graham held her own. Playing "Roller Girl", a porn star known for always being in rollerblades while performing, Graham was fantastic in the part and won an MTV Movie Award for it. The film itself was nominated for three Academy Awards, amid a plethora of other prestigious nominations and wins, and remains an iconic cult film to this day.

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