# Who is this actress? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 18, 2013, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-this-actress/653228 "2013-03-18T04:17:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-this-actress/653228/1 "2013-03-18T04:17:21Z")
My wife met her today at some sort of trade show and e-mailed me [this pic she took](http://www.ericlevonian.com/mysterywoman.jpg). Says she’s a reasonably well-known actress who I should be able to recognize. I know I’ve seen her somewhere before, but I just can’t place her. Who the fuck is it? ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-this-actress/653228/2 "2013-03-18T04:27:00Z")
I recognize the face, but I can’t put a name to it… ---
**Author:** ![LC\_Strawhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@LC\_Strawhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LC_Strawhouse)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-this-actress/653228/3 "2013-03-18T04:29:26Z")
Dianne Wiest, perchance? ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-this-actress/653228/4 "2013-03-18T04:38:54Z")
Looks maybe a little bit like [Valerie Mahaffey](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0536723/)? Can’t find any pics of her with that hairdo, but [here’s a good face pic from a similar angle](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:CFC_In_LA_2012_3.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-this-actress/653228/5 "2013-03-18T04:40:52Z")
It looks like Loretta Switt, aka Margaret Hot Lips Houlihan from MASH. But she is too young to be Switt. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-this-actress/653228/6 "2013-03-18T04:46:57Z")
Washoe, does your wife actually know who she is & is just challenginng you? I’m thinking Valerie Mahaffey myself, BUT my first thought was indeed Diane Wiest, but she looks younger than I think Diane would. ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-this-actress/653228/7 "2013-03-18T04:52:17Z")
She knows who it is; she’s just being coquettish by making me guess. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-this-actress/653228/8 "2013-03-18T04:56:08Z")
Looks like [Ellen Burstyn](http://www.exposay.com/celebrity-photos/ellen-burstyn-2009-lucille-lortel-awards-16mjQW.jpg) to me, although perhaps a bit too young. ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-this-actress/653228/9 "2013-03-18T05:00:04Z")
It looks a bit like Amy Madigan ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-this-actress/653228/10 "2013-03-18T05:06:22Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Looks like [Ellen Burstyn](http://www.exposay.com/celebrity-photos/ellen-burstyn-2009-lucille-lortel-awards-16mjQW.jpg) to me, although perhaps a bit too young. I know; that was my first response too. Looks like her, but way too young. The funny thing is that my wife says she was in a very well-known movie. But my wife and I have very different tastes in movies. We invariably watch them separately. So my guess is that it would have to be a \*really \*popular movie for her to know for a fact that I’ve seen it. ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-this-actress/653228/11 "2013-03-18T05:21:51Z")
Will your wife penalize you for a wrong guess? I’d say to submit Valerie Mahaffey as a guess just to see if we can eliminate her- though I wouldn’t know what “very well-known movie” would qualify. ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-this-actress/653228/12 "2013-03-18T05:23:05Z")
Amy Madigan - Field of Dreams ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-this-actress/653228/13 "2013-03-18T05:29:39Z")
Dammit, she found this thread! I didn’t know she still followed my Dope postings. :mad: She says all of your guesses are wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-this-actress/653228/14 "2013-03-18T05:37:07Z")
How bout Rebecca De Mornay - Risky Business ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-this-actress/653228/15 "2013-03-18T05:42:38Z")
> [@Stephe96](#): > > How bout Rebecca De Mornay - Risky Business Oh, if it is I’m going to go postal! I’ve _always_ wanted to meet Rebecca De Mornay! You know, I think it is her. The jaw and the nose are a good match. ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-this-actress/653228/16 "2013-03-18T05:48:16Z")
> [@Washoe](#): > > Oh, if it is I’m going to go postal! I’ve _always_ wanted to meet Rebecca De Mornay! . Not if she’s being chased around by Guido the Killer Pimp. ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-this-actress/653228/17 "2013-03-18T06:03:23Z")
I have a feeling it’s her. My wife sent me an e-mail about half an hour ago that said “you’re cheating on Straight Dope,” and “I can’t believe you’ve never seen this movie.” And it’s true—I’ve never seen _Risky Business_. ETA: new e-mail. It’s not Rebecca De Mornay. ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-this-actress/653228/18 "2013-03-18T06:08:51Z")
Hmmm…Jennifer Grey? Dirty Dancing? ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-this-actress/653228/19 "2013-03-18T06:11:59Z")
Well, **Washoe** , the good news is nobody else seem to be able to recognise her either. My only guess so far, Sissy Spacek, I shot down myself after searching pics, so I didn’t even bother to submit it. ---
**Author:** ![Sefton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Sefton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sefton)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-this-actress/653228/20 "2013-03-18T06:13:05Z")
[Kelly McGillis](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000534/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1) in a blond wig? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-this-actress/653228.md?page=2)