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basics
full name: Alison Elizabeth Ashley
ooc
played by: Elizabeth Banks Credit goes to ~allistair for the code. |
biography
Alison Ashley was born April 18th, 1976 in Beverly Hills, CA. Her father, esteemed writer/director Michael Ashley, met America's sweetheart Elizabeth Lyons at an Hollywood party in the early 70's. The pair were married at the time, each to other people, but it hardly mattered for how well they connected. An affair carried on quietly until 1975 when Michael finally got around to divorcing his wife and demanded Elizabeth do the same. She agreed, partly out of love and partly because she was pregnant with Alison. The couple found parenthood exhilarating and had three more children within the next several years. Unfortunately, the saying 'once a cheater, always a cheater' turned out to be true in the case of Alison's mother. She began a very public, very scandalous affair with a co-star when Alison was seven. Around the same time, her acting career took off in earnest. She had been starring in commercials and modeling in print ads for several years prior when her father heard through the grapevine about a pilot involving a grade school orphan who comes to be adopted by a grumpy, but well-meaning older gentleman. Originally, Alison was meant to read for the part of stuck up Margeaux Kramer but was offered the titular role of Penelope 'Punky' Brewster, instead. The series and the quick takeoff of her serious acting career was juxtaposed with the disintegration of her parent's divorce and it left Alison confused and overwhelmed. Her mother's betrayal was an issue she wouldn't confront until years later. As with most series involving children who haven't stopped developing, the cast eventually began to outgrow their roles, particularly Alison. The series came to an end in 1988 and with it, her first bout of serious depression. She was a creature of routine and loved going to school between scenes. Whenever she was on hiatus and had to attend a regular private school in Beverly Hills, she fell victim to jealousy and merciless teasing. It was a lot to handle - being heralded by the media and hated by classmates took it's toll and Alison threw herself into the first decent pilot that came her way. Elizabeth had already divorced the man she left her father for, and remarried a third man. Four marriages in and still going strong - it left Alison with an askew view on relationships. Dating was something she did her best to avoid, especially as she entered her teen years with the whole world watching. Besides, her next project was big, and meaningful, and controversial - Life Goes On, which was not only the first network drama to feature a main character (arguably, the star) with Down Syndrome but to cast an actor who carried the affliction as well. Alison was cast as Becca Thatcher, the main character's sister. While earlier seasons focused on Corky and his struggles with Down Syndrome, as Alison became something of an It Girl - undeniably America's Sweetheart - the writers began to focus more on Becca. The show changed her profoundly, seeing Alison through her own high school years and even providing her first romance - she dated the boy who played Jesse, her character's HIV positive boyfriend, during the show's fourth season. Her relationship with her co-star ended amicably in 1994, during her first year of college. It was this year that her last film for half a decade would be released. Heavenly Creatures was a small, independent film written and directed by a friend of her family. Having already decided to leave acting on the back burner in order to pursue her education, at least temporarily but possibly for good, she wanted the last role to be memorable. She starred as Juliet Hulme, the ficticious counterpart of a real life murderer. Hulme and her partner, Pauline Parker, were notorious in New Zealand for murdering Parker's mother. The film featured a girl-on-girl kiss and a lesbian relationship, leaving little doubt in anyone's mind that Punky Brewster had grown up. The transition from being a teenage phenom to mature actress was decisive. After filming ended, she attended Dartmouth and received a degree in Psychology. Alison took a year off after graduating college and traveled the world - visiting five of the seven continents and deciding on her next move. Ultimately, she decided to return to LA and continue acting, if she was able to. Her first project back earned her a Golden Globe and her first Oscar nomination as Penny Lane in Almost Famous. Offers rolled in from all fronts but she was careful about her choices, not wanting to be pidgeonholed as any one thing. She delved into comedy with Say It Isn't So and found it more fulfilling than anything else she'd done regardless of the fact it didn't come with a bevy of praise or accolades. She continued on with comedy for the next several years and returned to television in NBC's Parks and Recreation in 2009. facts 
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filmography
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