Parker Posey, born 1968, is 45 today. Appearing in big and small films alike, she was once called “Queen of the Indies,” and the title still fits. She’s another one of those actresses whose mere appearance in a film brings a little spring to the proceedings, because you know her performance will bring something interesting to the table.
Like Adam Goldberg, her first major role was in Dazed and Confused as Darla, the senior who made the freshman transition a living hell. Her 90’s resume, as her title might suggest, reads like a role call of good and not so good indie films and smaller roles in big budget films. Among the more notable of these roles: Party Girl, where she played a Manhattan socialite who takes a job as a librarian (the first film shown in its entirety on the Internet too); Kicking and Screaming, the early Noah Baumbach effort where she played the sometimes girlfriend of one of the male leads; Waiting For Guffman, as the DQ-working Libby Mae Brown: Henry Fool, the first time she played Fay Grim for director Hal Hartley; and Clockwatchers, a precursor to Office Space about female temp workers. She ended the decade with one of her most notable roles, playing Meg Swan in another Christopher Guest project, Best In Show, as a “catalog person” and the subject of this article’s headline.
In the 2000’s, she did more big budget fare, with roles in Blade: Trinity, Scream 3, Josie and the Pussycats, Superman Returns and The Eye, but she also turned in fine work in several independent films such as Broken English, The Anniversary Party and Happy Tears. She also had several notable supporting turns on TV, playing characters like Leslie Knope’s rival on Parks and Recreation and Louis CK’s girlfriend on Louie. Her most recent work was a guest spot on New Girl and the upcoming Canadian film And Now a Word From Our Sponsor.
Also born today:
Colin Strause (37)
Tara Reid (38)
Gretchen Mol (41)
Leif Garrett (52)
Alfre Woodard (61)
