Internationally acclaimed star of Screen, Television and Stage Sean Young has starred in over three dozen feature films, including such box office hits as “BLADE RUNNER”, “NO WAY OUT”, “ACE VENTURA PET DETECTIVE”, “COUSINS”, “WALL STREET” and “DUNE”. She has been fortunate to have worked with several of the most accomplished directors in the industry including Robert Altman, Harold Becker, Roger Donaldson, James Ivory, David Lynch, Gary Marshall, Ismail Merchant, Carl Reiner, Ivan Reitman, Ridley Scott, Tom Shadyak, Joel Shumacher, Oliver Stone and Gus Van Sant.
Young was born as Mary Young in Louisville, Kentucky November 20, 1959, the daughter of Lee Guthrie, a screenwriter, public relations executive, and journalist, and Donald Young, a television news producer and journalist. She attended Cleveland Heights High School in Cleveland Heights, Ohio and then transferred to and graduated from Interlochen Arts Academy in Interlochen, Michigan. In 1990, Young married Robert Lujan, with whom she has two children, Rio Kelly and Quinn Lee. The couple divorced in 2002.
Young began her film career in 1980 in the film “JANE AUSTEN IN MANHATTAN”, followed by a small role in the 1981 film “STRIPES”,
Her body of work has established her versatility and exhibited her chameleon capability in her leading roles: from an other-worldly replicant in “BLADE RUNNER” opposite Harrison Ford, to the lusty mistress in “NO WAY OUT” with Kevin Costner and Gene Hackman, to Michael Douglas trophy wife in “WALL STREET”, to the gracious wronged-woman in “COUSINS” with Ted Danson, to the ass-kicking, military helicopter pilot trading barbs with Nicolas Cage and Tommy Lee Jones in “FIREBIRDS”, to playing twin sisters in “A KISS BEFORE DYING” with Matt Dillon.
Sean's comedic skills were highlighted in “FATAL INSTINCT”, under the direction of Carl Reiner with Armand Assante, as well as “THE PROPRIETOR” which she starred with the incredible Jeanne Moreau. She played a woman seeking a husband in F. Scott Fitzgerald's “UNDER THE BILTMORE CLOCK” for American Playhouse, and the teenage movie star in “TENDER IS THE NIGHT”, with Mary Steenburgen and Peter Strauss.
“….the most successful acting turn is by Young, who gives a full-bodied, fully-felt performance as Christine but never allows anything to spill over the edges. Her self-containment here is impressive!... Sean Young has found herself as an actress, rediscovering her is, again, one of the definite pleasures of this little movie.” - Joe Baltake (Sacramento Bee 1/19/04)
“THE AMATI GIRLS” (Jan 19, 2001), ensemble cast includes, Cloris Leachman, Mercedes Ruehl, Dinah Manoff, Lee Grant. Paul Sorvino, and Mark Harmon for Triple Axel Productions/Tricor Entertainment (Sean was awarded the Scarlett Award for her performance Marco Island Film Festival, and Best Actress Award – The Sarasota film Festival) “SUGAR AND SPACE” (Jan 2nd 2001 - #5 on Box Office weekend) directed by Francine McDougall, produced by Oscar winner Wendy Finerman (FOREST GUMP) uncovers Sean as Mena Suvari's mother for New Line Pictures. “POOR WHITE TRASH”, in which she stars as a white trash mother, Linda Bronco, who becomes a burglar to accumulate money for a college education for her teenage son (winner “Best Acres” Cleveland Film Festival is currently available on DVD).
No stranger to television, she has starred in such highly rated and significantly acclaimed Movie of the Week's as the award-winning legal drama,: “WITNESS TO THE EXECUTION”, “BLUE ICE”, with Michael Caine, and the mini-series “BLOOD AND ORCHIDS” with Kris Kristofferson. She also starred in CBS's “EVERYTHING TO GAIN”,one of its highest-rated Movie of the Weeks.
She has an intensive dance background and graduated from Interlochen Arts Academy, which served her during her critically acclaimed performance in “STARDUST” with Toni Tenille and Hinton Battle, a musical review of songwriter Mitchell Parish. She performed with Gregory Hines at a special benefit for the American Tap Dance Orchestra where she sits on the Board at their New York City headquarters.
Sean completed two movies for the Lifetime Channel, “HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS”, released Christmas 2005, and “THE PROTEGE” thet were released in 2006. Next up was a starring role in My Network's series "THE ART OF BETRAYAL." The series featured a 65-episode story arc of hour-long episodes stripped Monday through Friday over the span of 13 weeks, while a re-cap episode highlighted the programs' previous week's story lines that aired every Saturday.
Then back to the big screen she appeared in “THE DROP” with John Savage, “THE GARDEN” and “LIVING THE DREAM” released 2006. Then in 2007, Young finished work on “THE MAN WHO CAME BACK”, “HAUNTED ECHOES”, “SEA CHANGE” and “DATING IN LA” ... then more recently finished “HARVEST MOON” and “PARASOMNIA” in 2008 and then finally “SIGNAL LOST” with Tony Denison released in 2009.