Biography
New York-based Kathryn Erbe got her first professional break on series TV and soon forged a career for herself as a versatile stage, movie, and TV actress. Born and raised in the Boston area, Erbe left her hometown to study drama at New York University. After making her TV debut as
Lynn Redgrave's daughter on the short-lived TV sitcom
Chicken Soup (1989), she returned to New York and was cast in the acclaimed 1990 Broadway production of The Grapes of Wrath. Erbe soon scored her first major film credit as
Richard Dreyfuss' daughter in the
Bill Murray comedy What About Bob? (1991) and alternated stage work as a member of the Steppenwolf Theatre Company and Atlantic Theatre Company with TV and films throughout the 1990s. Burnishing her reputation, the talented Erbe held her own among the distinguished casts of
Rich in Love (1992),
Breathing Lessons (1994), and
George Wallace (1997), as well as in supporting roles in
Kiss of Death (1995) and indies
The Addiction (1995) and
Dream With the Fishes (1997). Erbe garnered further recognition when she joined the cast of HBO's acclaimed series
Oz in 1998 as one of the titular prison's inmates; during the series' hiatus, Erbe returned to films with a starring role as
Kevin Bacon's wife in
Stir of Echoes (1999). Erbe is married to
Oz co-star
Terry Kinney. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide