Jill Hennessy - Women of the West

Jill Hennessy
Birthday: 25 November 1968
Birthplace: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Full Name: Jillian Noel Hennessy


Years Active: 1988 - 2013
Number of Western Appearances: 1

---

Canadian actress Jill Hennessy broke into the business through a number of prostitute/vampire roles in low-budget horror and thriller vehicles (both film and television) in the late 1980's and early 1990's before getting her big break co-starring on the hit NBC drama Law & Order. Jill followed up on her success by landing the starring role on another NBC hit series: Crossing Jordan.

Having established her success in the television world, Jill has been largely free to pick and choose her feature film involvement which, thus far, has been primarily in the realm of independent productions. Of the many projects that she's been attached to, only one - 2012's Dawn Rider - has been in the Western genre. With her scrappy good looks, which epitomize the ruggedness of Old West beauties, it's a surprise that she hasn't been approached by Western casting directors more often.

As Alice Gordon, the female lead opposite Christian Slater in Dawn Rider, Jill convincingly portrays the kind of tough, confident, and self-reliant frontierswoman that life in the Old West demanded. Although the script was relatively weak, Jill held her own as the tough-as-nails (yet sensuous) Alice.

Western Filmography

	Title	| Year	| Role	| Director
	Dawn Rider	2012	Alice Gordon	Terry Miles

Jill Morrison - Women of the West

Jill Morrison
Birthdate:
Birthplace: Langley, British Columbia, Canada
Full Name:


Years Active: 2004-2013
Number of Western Appearances: 1

---

Jill Morrison - the red-haired, blue-eyed, voluptuous starlet from Western Canada - landed her first role as "Crying Girl" in the 2004 teen comedy Mean Girls. Since then, Jill has gone on to appear in numerous films and television shows. Her résumé includes everything from disaster flicks such as 2012 (2009) to Christmas comedy (Deck the Halls [2006]), but until Dawn Rider (2012) Jill hadn't had a single Western role to her credit. In her first genre appearance, Jill plays the proprietor of a saloon/brothel on the verge of being busted up by the film's protagonists. Although afforded just one line, she delivers it with gumption.

Seemingly drawn to more comedic roles, Jill is nevertheless in the midst of working on a made-for-TV Western destined for the Hallmark Channel. Hopefully the future will hold an abundance of more gritty genre work for this young Canadian actress.

Western Filmography

	Title	| Year	| Role	| Director
	Dawn Rider	2012	Proprietor	Terry Miles

Clare Bowen - Women of the West

Clare Bowen
Birthdate: 12 May 1989
Birthplace: Australia
Full Name: Clare Maree Bowen


Years Active: 2009-2013
Number of Western Appearances: 1

---

A rising young star from the Land Down Under, Clare Bowen appeared in several Australian feature films and television series before landing her big U.S. break as Scarlett O'Connor on ABC's Nashville. Her entry into American features came with a lead role in Jared Moshe's 2012 indie Western Dead Man's Burden. Playing opposite Barlow Jacobs as the protagonist's sister Martha Kirkland, Clare was afforded the opportunity to show off not only her mastery of Southern dialect but also her horseback riding expertise, the latter of which was gained while - of all things - rustling cattle during her pre-acting days in Australia.

A versatile actress with great girl-next-door looks, here's hoping for more genre appearances!

Western Filmography

	Title	| Year	| Role	| Director
	Dead Man's Burden |	2012 |	Martha Kirkland |	Jared Moshe

Laura Cayouette - Women of the West

Laura Cayouette
Birthdate: 11 July 1964
Birthplace: Laurel, Maryland


Years Active: 1995 - 2013
Number of Western Appearances: 1

---

Born in the environs of our nation's capital, Laura Cayouette's name hints at her bayou heritage but - as many aspiring actresses do - her dream of a life in Hollywood drew her to the West Coast. Making the cross-country trek in 1992, Laura's film career began in earnest just a few short years later as she began compiling a list of minor role credits. Ultimately her path crossed with director Quentin Tarantino when she appeared in Kill Bill: Vol. 2 before leaving L.A. for New Orleans. For her first Western appearance, Laura would reunite with Tarantino for a role in the director's own initial foray into the Western genre - Django Unchained.

Portraying Lara Lee Candie-Fitzwilly, the widowed sister of main protagonist Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio), Laura's performance embodies the irony of high society in the antebellum South. Perpetually sporting a broad, disinterested grin and routinely offering up a refined giggle whenever a (white) male character would speak (no matter the horrors occurring around her) , Laura's Lara Lee evokes both contempt and pity.

Although the part Laura plays is of a Southern aristocrat, and not technically "of the West", her presence in a genre film still warrants her inclusion within these pages. Hopefully, soon, Laura will return in a more traditional setting.

Western Filmography

	Title	| Year	| Role	| Director
	Django Unchained |	2012 |	Lara Lee Candie-Fitzwilly |	Quentin Tarantino

Shannon Hazlett - Women of the West

Shannon Hazlett
Birthdate: 1 November 1980
Birthplace: Studio City, California
Full Name: Shannon Marie Hazlett


Years Active: 2002 - 2012
Number of Western Appearances: 1

---

An emerging actress with wholesome good looks, California native Shannon Hazlett started her budding career with bit television parts. Seemingly active in the same circles as Quentin Tarantino and Jamie Foxx, Shannon landed a part as a "foot double" in Tarantino's 2007 grindhouse flick Death Proof before making a brief cameo in the director's 2012 Western foray Django Unchained. Without lines and only glimpsed through a window, Shannon nevertheless has the presence to capture a scene. Hopefully another Western is in the cards.

Western Filmography

	Title	| Year	| Role	| Director
	Django Unchained |	2012 |	Daughtry Saloon Girl |	Quentin Tarantino

Amber Tamblyn - Women of the West

Amber Tamblyn
Birthdate: 14 May 1983
Birthplace: Santa Monica, California
Full Name: Amber Rose Tamblyn


Years Active: 1995 - 2013
Number of Western Appearances: 1

---

The daughter of veteran Western actor Russ Tamblyn, Amber has established herself as a successful television star with appearances on such shows as Joan of Arcadia, where she portrayed the titular character, and General Hospital. The films in which Amber has appeared have run the gamut from horror to drama to comedy. Amber's first role in a Western came as a cameo alongside her father in Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained. Quentin, a well-known lover of classic Westerns, included the pair as an homage to Russ' work in films such as How the West Was Won and Son of a Gunfighter.

Western Filmography

	Title	| Year	| Role	| Director
	Django Unchained |	2012 |	Daughter of a Son of a Gunfighter |	Quentin Tarantino