Who is Selma Blair? Everything You Need to Know

Quick Facts

Also Known As: Selma Blair Beitner

Age: 51 Years, 51 Year Old Females

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Ahmet Zappa (m. 2004–2006)

father: Elliot Beitner

mother: Molly Ann Beitner

children: Arthur Saint Bleick

Born Country: United States

Actresses American Women

Height: 5'3" (160 cm), 5'3" Females

U.S. State: Michigan

City: Southfield, Michigan

More Facts

education: University of Michigan

Recommended For You

Recommended Lists:

Actresses Who Are In Their 50s

Childhood & Early Life

Selma Blair was born Selma Blair Beitner on June 23, 1972, in Southfield, Michigan, United States. She is the youngest child of Elliot Beitner and Molly Ann Beitner, and was raised along with her three older sisters, Katherine, Elizabeth, and Marie Beitner.

Her mother was a judge, while her father was an attorney and an active member of the U.S. Democratic Party. Her parents got separated when she was twenty-three years old.

Selma studied at ‘Hillel Day School,’ a Jewish school in Farmington Hills, and at ‘Cranbrook Kingswood’ in Bloomfield Hills. After that, she attended ‘Kalamazoo College.’

When she was still a kid, she wanted to be a ballerina. But later, she changed her mind and started her career in the acting industry.

Selma moved to New York to pursue a career in photography and attended the ‘New York University.’ She also began taking acting classes at the ‘Stella Adler Conservatory.’ She ended up returning to Michigan and subsequently graduated from the ‘University of Michigan’ with multiple degrees in photography, fine arts, English, and psychology.

She began her professional acting career in 1995, and has been actively involved in the field of acting ever since.

Continue Reading Below

Recommended Lists:

Women Film & Theater Personalities

American Film & Theater Personalities

American Female Film & Theater Personalities

Cancer Women

Career

Selma had to face a number of auditions and rejections before she finally landed a television commercial in 1993. She continued appearing in television commercials until landing her first acting role in the television series, ‘The Adventures of Pete & Pete’ in 1995.

The following year, she made her film debut by playing the role of Pretzel Cart in the movie ‘The Broccoli Theory.’ Selma went unnoticed in the film. She then landed a decent role in the film ‘In & Out.’ However, many portions in which Selma had appeared were taken out by the editor and the film released without much of Selma’s on-screen presence. She was also seen in My Friend Steve’s 1998, music video, ‘Charmed.’

Selma tasted success in 1999, when she appeared along with stars like Sarah Michelle Gellar and Ryan Phillippe in the film ‘Cruel Intentions.’ She won the ‘MTV Movie Award’ under the category ‘Best Kiss’ which she shared with Gellar.

Her next television appearance came in between 1999 and 2000, when she was seen in a couple of seasons in the series ‘Zoe, Duncan, Jack and Jane.’ In 2001, she was cast alongside actress Reese Witherspoon in the comedy film ‘Legally Blonde’ from which she was fired during the pre-production schedule. However, she rejoined the project later.

Later, Selma appeared in ‘Highway,’ which released in 2002. She also starred opposite Cameron Diaz and Christina Applegate in the rom-com ‘The Sweetest Thing.’ She then did two independent films that garnered her critical acclaim. The films were Dana Lustig's ‘Kill Me Later’ and Todd Solondz's controversial flick, ‘Storytelling.’

2004 saw one of Selma’s most memorable roles – Liz Sherman in ‘Hellboy.’ Its successful sequel ‘Hellboy II: The Golden Army,’ which released in 2008, was based on a popular comic of the same name.

2008 was a busy year for Selma. She starred in an independent film titled ‘The Poker House’ by writer and director Lori Petty. She was cast opposite ‘Oscar’ and Golden Globe-winner, Jennifer Lawrence. In the fall of 2008, Selma took to television and acted in one of the seasons of NBC's ‘Kath & Kim,’ starring opposite Molly Shannon.

Her stage work includes her portrayal of Kayleen in Rajiv Joseph's play, ‘Gruesome Playground Injuries,’ which had its world premiere at Houston's ‘Alley Theatre’ in October 2009.

In 2012, she appeared in the series ‘Anger Management’ in which she played the role of Dr. Kate Wales. The same year, Selma starred in the suspense thriller movie ‘Columbus Circle,’ starring alongside Jason Lee, Amy Smart, Giovanni Ribisi, and Kevin Pollak.

Continue Reading Below

In 2013, she worked for the television show ‘Comedy Bang! Bang!’ in which she portrayed herself as a cyber girl. After a brief stint in television in 2014, she appeared in the drama ‘Sex, Death And Bowling’ in 2015.

2016, was a great year for Selma as she starred in the hit ‘FX’ miniseries ‘American Crime Story: The People vs. O. J. Simpson,’ which was based on the publicized case of O. J. Simpson’s murder, where she portrayed Kris Jenner. The same year, she starred in the independent drama ‘Mothers and Daughters.’

In 2017, Selma was cast in the critically acclaimed movie ‘Mom and Dad’ opposite Nicolas Cage. She returned to television in 2018, with recurring roles in series like ‘Heathers’ and ‘Liverspots and Astronots.’

In 2019, the actress was seen in the romantic drama movie ‘After’ and in the ‘Netflix’ science fiction series ‘Another Life.’ She was also cast to star in the horror crime ‘The Great Illusion.’

In 2022, she appeared in 'Dancing with the Stars,' but had to exit the show early due to health reasons.

Major Work As An Actor

The Adventures of Pete & Pete – Selma appeared as a child artist in this surreal comedy television series. She was seen as Penelope Ghiruto. The series was aired from February 9, 1991, to December 28, 1996, on ‘Nickelodeon.’

Zoe, Duncan, Jack and Jane – Selma was one of the four leads in this television drama. She played Zoe Bean, a desperate lover girl, in a total of 26 episodes. The series was aired from January 17, 1999, to June 11, 2000, on the channel, ‘The WB.’

Cruel Intentions – This film marked her first successful outing as a Hollywood actress. The adult-teen drama projected Selma as a sensuous and desirable lady. She wowed the audience with her portrayal of a shy and naive student named Cecile Caldwell. She was even presented with an award for the much talked about kissing scene with her co-actor, Sarah Michelle Gellar. The film released on March 5, 1999, and was received well after an initial criticism.

Highway – Selma was seen playing the lead character in this crime drama film. She played Cassie, the love interest of Jack Hayes, played by Jared Leto. Released on March 26, 2002, the film became an average hit.

Continue Reading Below

Hellboy – This film increased Selma’s popularity. She played Liz Sherman, who falls in love with Hellboy. Released on April 2, 2004, the film received mixed reviews.

Awards & Achievements

MTV Movie Awards (2000) – Selma shared this award with her ‘Cruel Intentions’ co-star, Sarah Michelle Gellar, for their sizzling on-screen chemistry.

Young Hollywood Awards (2000) – She received the ‘Face of the Year’ award.

Operation Smile (2015) – Her million dollar smile brought her this award under the ‘Universal Smile’ category.

Personal Life

In 1990, when Selma was eighteen years old, she lost her boyfriend in an accident. It took her several years to recover from the tragic loss.

In July 2003, she began dating Ahmet Zappa. Ahmet is a famous writer, producer, and publisher from the United States. After dating each other for about six months, they got married on 24 January 2004, but the marriage did not last long as they got separated on November 27, 2006.

In 2010, she began dating Jason Bleick, a fashion designer. In 2011, her representative made a public announcement saying that she was pregnant with Jason’s child. The baby was born on July 25, 2011, and they named the child Arthur Saint Bleick. After two years of dating, the couple got separated in September 2012.

In October 2018, Selma Blair announced that she is being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, a disease that damages a part of the nervous system. She revealed that she has been suffering from this illness for a long time and did not realize it was so catastrophic.

She supports a number of charity works relating to health and child support. She has lent her support to H&M Magazine’s ‘Against AIDS’ campaign, Marc Jacobs' ‘Skin Cancer Awareness Campaign,’ AmFAR ‘AIDS Research,’ and ‘Bulgari-Save the Children’ 2012 ad campaign. She is also a part of ‘Staying Alive Foundation’ and ‘National Multiple Sclerosis Society.’

Selma Blair Biography