Yancy Butler

Last updated
Yancy Butler
YancyButler5.JPG
Butler in May 2009
Born
Yancy Victoria Butler

(1970-07-02) July 2, 1970 (age 53)
Alma mater Sarah Lawrence College
OccupationActress
Years active1979, 1991–present
Parent

Yancy Victoria Butler (born July 2, 1970) [1] is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Natasha Binder in the 1993 film Hard Target , Jess Crossman in Drop Zone (1994), and Detective Sara Pezzini on the TNT supernatural drama series Witchblade . For her performance in Witchblade, she won a Saturn Award for Best Actress in a Television Series.

Contents

Early life

Yancy Victoria Butler was born in Greenwich Village in Manhattan, the daughter of Leslie Vega, a theatre company manager, and Joe Butler, the drummer and vocalist for the 1960s rock group the Lovin' Spoonful. [2] [3]

Butler attended Sarah Lawrence College, graduating in 1991. [1]

Career

According to the Chicago Tribune , a fan site dedicated to Butler described her as having an "unmistakable husky voice and big, intense eyes"; flattered, she told the newspaper: "That makes me sound like Peter Lorre." [4] Butler's first major role was in the television series Mann & Machine in 1992, in which she played an android police officer partnered with a human detective. The series was set in Los Angeles in the near future. The series was co-created by Dick Wolf. A year later, she starred in her second series, South Beach , in which she played a con artist and thief who made a deal with the federal government; in exchange for their wiping of her criminal record, she performs certain tasks for them.

Butler's first film appearance was a small supporting role in the 1979 slasher film Savage Weekend . Her next film appearance was a starring role in John Woo's 1993 film, Hard Target . She then starred in the 1994 film Drop Zone . In 1995, she starred as Corinne the dancer in the film Let It Be Me . Butler was cast as a series regular in the CBS television series Brooklyn South playing Anne-Marie Kersey, a Brooklyn policewoman, which ran for one season from 1997 to 1998.

Butler starred in the television film Witchblade (2000) and the subsequent television series, adapted from the ongoing comic book of the same title; the series ran for two seasons on the Turner Network Television network for a total of 23 episodes. The series has a cult following, and was ranked seventh in the Top 10 Basic Cable Dramas for 2002. The show's cancellation was announced after the second season in September 2002. [5]

In 2005, Butler starred in the film Bloodlines. [6] For distribution purposes, it was retitled in 2006 as Striking Range. In 2007, she appeared in 13 episodes of the television soap opera As the World Turns , as Ava Jenkins.[ citation needed ] She was confirmed to appear in Tales of an Ancient Empire , [7] the follow-up to The Sword and the Sorcerer . [8] On January 24, 2012, Tales of an Ancient Empire was released on DVD. Butler, however, did not appear in the film. [9] She appeared in a small role in another comic-book adaptation, the film version of Kick-Ass . [10]

In November 2003, Butler was taken into custody in Delray Beach, Florida, for disorderly intoxication and sentenced to a substance-abuse treatment program. [11] In 2007, she was charged with driving under the influence after she crashed her car. [12]

On April 3, 2017, Butler was arrested in Sag Harbor, New York, and charged with aggravated drunken driving and possession of drugs after she was found passed out behind the wheel of her car after it had hopped a curb onto the sidewalk. [13]

Personal life

As of 2017, Butler lives in Winnetka, California. [13]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1979 Savage Weekend Little Girl
1993 Hard Target Natasha Binder
1993The Hit ListJordan Henning
1994 Drop Zone Jessie Crossman
1995 Let It Be Me Corinne
1996Fast MoneyFrancesca March
1997 Ravager Avedon Hammond
1997 The Ex Deidre Kenyon
1997Annie's GardenLisa Miller
1999The Witness FilesSandy Dickinson
2000Doomsday ManCaptain Kate Roebuck
2004The Last LetterMs. Toney / Alicia Cromwell
2006Striking RangeEmily Johanson
2008Vote and Die: Liszt for PresidentAnn Barklely
2010 Kick-Ass Angie D'Amico
2010 Lake Placid 3 Reba
2012Shark WeekElena
2012 Lake Placid: The Final Chapter Reba
2013 Hansel & Gretel Get Baked Officer Hart
2013 Kick-Ass 2 Angie D'Amico
2017 Death Race 2050 Alexis HamiltonDirect to video
2018 The Assassin's Code Laura Consolo
2019American CriminalDr. Penelope Lang
2020Emerald RunAnna Thomas
2021 Initiation Detective Sandra Fitzgerald
2021The AccursedHana

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1991 Law & Order Beverly KernEpisode: "Misconception"
1992 Mann & Machine Sgt. Eve Edison9 episodes
1993 South Beach Kate Patrick7 episodes
1997 NYPD Blue Lucinda "Lucy" Hastings1 episode
1997–1998 Brooklyn South Officer Anne-Marie Kersey21 episodes
2000 Witchblade Detective Sara Pezzini Television movie
2001–2002 Witchblade Detective Sara Pezzini23 episodes
2006Double CrossKathy SwansonTelevision movie
2006Basilisk: The Serpent KingHannah Carmelina Santorini FrankmanTelevision movie
2007 As the World Turns Ava Jenkins13 episodes
2008 Wolvesbayne LillithTelevision movie
2010 Lake Placid 3 RebaTelevision movie
2011 The Mentalist Aunt JodieEpisode: "Blood for Blood"
2011 Rage of the Yeti VillersTelevision movie
2012 Lake Placid: The Final Chapter RebaTelevision movie
2015 Lake Placid vs. Anaconda RebaTelevision movie
2017Boyfriend KillerCarrie EllingtonTelevision movie
2017Witness ProtectionSusanTelevision movie

Awards

On June 10, 2002, Butler won a Saturn Award for Best Actress in a Television Series, at the 29th Annual Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films Awards ceremony, for her performances in Witchblade. [14]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heather Locklear</span> American actress (born 1961)

Heather Deen Locklear is an American actress famous for her role as Amanda Woodward on Melrose Place (1993–1999), for which she received four consecutive Golden Globe nominations for Best Actress – Television Series Drama. She is also known for her role as Sammy Jo Carrington on Dynasty from 1981 to 1989, her first major television role, which began a longtime collaboration with producer Aaron Spelling.

<i>Witchblade</i> American comic book series

Witchblade is an American comic book series published by Top Cow Productions, an imprint of Image Comics, which ran from November 1995 to October 2015. The series was created by Top Cow founder and owner Marc Silvestri, editor David Wohl, writers Brian Haberlin and Christina Z, and artist Michael Turner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Katharine Ross</span> American actress and author (born 1940)

Katharine Juliet Ross is an American actress on film, stage, and television. Her accolades include an Academy Award nomination, a BAFTA Award, and two Golden Globe Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kim Delaney</span> American actress (born 1961)

Kim Delaney is an American actress known for her starring role as Detective Diane Russell on the ABC drama television series NYPD Blue, for which she won an Emmy Award. Early in her career, she played the role of Jenny Gardner in the ABC daytime television drama All My Children. She later had leading roles in the short lived TV drama Philly, part of the first season of CSI: Miami, and the first six seasons of Army Wives. She also appeared in Tour of Duty, Season 2 and the first two episodes of Season 3, as reporter Alex Devlin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Top Cow Productions</span> American comics publisher

Top Cow Productions is an American comics publisher, an imprint of Image Comics. It was founded by Marc Silvestri in 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alice Krige</span> South African actress and producer (born 1954)

Alice Maud Krige is a South African actress and producer. Her big break came in 1981, when she starred as the Gilbert and Sullivan singer Sybil Gordon in the British historical film Chariots of Fire, and as Eva Galli / Alma Mobley in the American supernatural horror film Ghost Story. She received a Laurence Olivier Award for her performance in the West End theatre production of Arms and the Man (1981) and later joined the Royal Shakespeare Company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cynthia Watros</span> American actress

Cynthia Michele Watros is an American actress recognized for her roles in both daytime and primetime television. In 1994, she was cast in the regular role of Annie Dutton on Guiding Light, which earned her the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 1998. In 2002, she was cast as Kellie on The Drew Carey Show and in 2005 joined the cast of Lost as Libby Smith. Since 2019, Watros has portrayed the role of Nina Reeves on ABC's General Hospital.

Mia Sarapochiello, known professionally as Mia Sara, is an American actress. She made her film debut as Princess Lili in the fantasy film Legend (1985), and had her breakthrough role starring as Sloane Peterson in the comedy film Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986). She also portrayed Melissa Walker in the science fiction film Timecop (1994), which won her the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Summer Glau</span> American actress (born 1981)

Summer Glau is an American actress best known for her roles in science fiction and fantasy television series: as River Tam in Firefly (2002) and its continuation film Serenity (2005), as Tess Doerner in The 4400 (2005–2007), as Cameron in Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008–2009), and as Isabel Rochev / Ravager in Arrow (2013–2014).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brett Butler (actress)</span> American actress (born 1958)

Brett Butler is an American actress, writer, and stand-up comedian. She is best known for playing the title role in the ABC comedy series Grace Under Fire (1993–1998), for which she received two Golden Globe Awards nominations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Darkness (character)</span> American comic series

The Darkness is a superhero created by Marc Silvestri, Garth Ennis, and David Wohl, who first appeared in Witchblade #10, published by Top Cow Productions. Jackie Estacado is a New York mafioso who, after turning 21, inherits the curse of the Darkness.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sara Pezzini</span> Fictional superheroine in the Witchblade series

Sara Magdalene Pezzini is a fictional superheroine starring in the Witchblade series, set in the Image Universe, as the host of the Witchblade. Sara also appeared in a Turner Network Television live-action feature film and TV series of the same name and she was portrayed by Yancy Butler. She is an NYPD homicide detective whose life changed when she came into contact with a powerful ancient weapon known as the Witchblade, which bestows its wielder with supernatural powers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Magdalena (character)</span> American comic book superheroine character

The Magdalena is a superheroine created by Joe Benitez, David Wohl, and Malachy Coney for Top Cow Productions. The character is based on the Biblical character of Mary Magdalene, and the theory of the bloodline resulting from Mary's marriage to Jesus Christ, from which according to the storyline, the Magdalena is descended.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frances Sternhagen</span> American actress (1930–2023)

Frances Hussey Sternhagen was an American actress. Sternhagen was known as a character actress who appeared on- and off-Broadway, in movies, and on television for over six decades. She received numerous accolades including two Tony Awards, a Drama Desk Award and a Saturn Award, as well as nominations for three Primetime Emmy Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abigail Spencer</span> American actress

Abigail Leigh Spencer is an American actress. She began her career playing Rebecca Tyree on the ABC daytime television soap opera All My Children (1999–2001) before going on to star in the Lifetime crime drama series, Angela's Eyes (2006). From 2013 to 2016, Spencer starred as Amantha Holden in the SundanceTV drama series Rectify, for which she received a nomination for a Critics' Choice Television Award; she then starred as history professor Lucy Preston in the NBC science-fiction series Timeless.

<i>Witchblade</i> (2001 TV series) American television series

Witchblade is an American television series that aired on TNT from 2001 to 2002. The series is based on the Witchblade comic book series, and followed a pilot film that debuted in August 2000. Some of the episodes were written by Ralph Hemecker, Marc Silvestri and J.D. Zeik.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beth Riesgraf</span> American actress

Beth Jean Riesgraf is an American actress and television director. She is known for her portrayal of Parker on the TNT television series Leverage (2008–2012) and the revival Leverage: Redemption, which streams on IMDb TV/Freevee.

The Librarian is a series of original fantasy-adventure made-for-television films from Turner Network Television (TNT) starring Noah Wyle as the Librarian, who protects a secret collection of artifacts.

<i>Witchblade</i> (film) 2000 television film directed by Ralph Hemecker

Witchblade is a made-for-television live-action superhero film adapted from the comic book by Marc Silvestri and Top Cow Productions. Set in contemporary New York City, the occult police drama centers on Sara Pezzini, a brooding and willful homicide detective who is the reluctant inheritor of an ancient, symbiotic weapon that grants her superhuman powers.

Witchblade is an American comic book series published by Top Cow Productions.

References

  1. 1 2 "Butler, Yancy 1970–". Encyclopedia.com . Cengage. Archived from the original on September 24, 2023.
  2. "Yancy Butler Biography". Film Reference. Retrieved September 23, 2010.
  3. "Interview: Yancy Butler (Witchblade's Sara Pezzini) - Part Two". Sci Fi Dimensions. July 2002. Archived from the original on June 12, 2011. Retrieved September 24, 2010.
  4. Rodgers, Andrew (June 30, 2002). "'Witchblade' star rebounds from rehab". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved August 27, 2023.
  5. Josh, Grossberg (September 5, 2002). ""Witchblade" Sliced by TNT". E! Online. Retrieved December 29, 2006.
  6. "Striking Range [Bloodlines] Trailer". Serendipitous Films.
  7. "Yancy Butler Joins the Family in Tales". Dreadcentral.com. April 17, 2008. Retrieved October 14, 2010.
  8. "A Few More Details On That SWORD AND THE SORCERER Follow-Up We've Been Hearing About!! - Ain't It Cool News: The best in movie, TV, DVD, and comic book news". Aintitcool.com. April 23, 2008. Retrieved October 14, 2010.
  9. "Tales of an Ancient Empire (2010)". Amazon. Retrieved January 31, 2012.
  10. ""Interview: Yancy Butler (Witchblade, Wolvesbane)" Action Flick Chick; October 26, 2009". Actionflickchick.com. October 26, 2009. Retrieved October 14, 2010.
  11. Josh, Grossberg (November 24, 2003). ""Witchblade" Star Ordered to Rehab". E! Online. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved December 29, 2006.
  12. "Actress Yancy Butler arrested for DUI". USA Today . March 15, 2007.
  13. 1 2 Morrow, T. E. (April 5, 2017). "Actress Charged Again With Drunken Driving". The East Hampton Star . Archived from the original on June 21, 2022. Retrieved June 20, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  14. "Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA – 2002 Awards". IMDb.com.