Biography
Raised in the 1970s bohemia of New York's Greenwich Village, Yancy Butler dabbled in acting in college at Sarah Lawrence, but didn't decide to make it her career until after graduation. After guest appearances on TV, including 1990s New York stalwart Law & Order, and featured roles in the short-lived series Mann and Machine (1992) and
South Beach (1993), the husky-voiced Butler made her film debut opposite
Jean-Claude Van Damme in
John Woo's inaugural American effort,
Hard Target (1993). Aided by her exotic good looks as well as her acting chops, Butler became the action
babe du jour with subsequent starring roles in
Drop Zone (1994) opposite
Wesley Snipes and B-actioner
Fast Money (1995). Breaking away from the genre, Butler joined the cast of the ill-received ballroom dance comedy
Let It Be Me (1995) and played the titular psycho in B-thriller
The Ex (1997). Butler got a potentially major career break when she was cast in distinguished TV producer Steven Bochco's 1997 TV police drama
Brooklyn South, but the series failed to catch on with viewers; Butler returned to B-movies, including the thriller
Witness Files (1998). Her father is Lovin' Spoonful drummer Joe Butler. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide