June 23: Actress and “Singer,” Selma Blair, is 41-years-old today.

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Selma Blair Beitner was born in Southfield, Michigan. After spending her freshman year at Kalamazoo College, where she studied photography and acted in a theater play called "The Little Theater of the Green Goose," Blair moved to New York City to pursue her photography career, while living at The Salvation Army.

She attended NYU as well as acting classes at The Stella Adler Conservatory, The Column Theatre and The Stonestreet Screen Acting Workshop; later she returned to Michigan to finish her studies and then start an acting career.

After transferring from New York University, she graduated magna cum laude from the University of Michigan in 1994 with a BFA degree in photography, a Double major in Fine Arts & English and a BA in Psychology. Blair began auditioning in the mid-90s, her first audition was for a cereal commercial and won her first professional role in 1995, in an episode of the children's television sitcom The Adventures of Pete & Pete.

In 1996, she landed her first film role in the comedy The Broccoli Theory. Afterwards, she won her first lead role in the fantasy film Amazon High with Karl Urban, which was filmed in New Zealand, later parts of the film were transmitted in the episode "Lifeblood" of the series Xena: Warrior Princess.

In 1997, Blair starred opposite Suzanne Somers in the family drama No Laughing Matter, as a pregnant teenager, later she auditioned for the title role in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but Sarah Michelle Gellar was chosen instead. She was originally cast as Joey Potter on Dawson's Creek, but later she was replaced by Katie Holmes.

Subsequently, she appeared in several independent movies including, Debutante with Josh Hartnett, Girl opposite Dominique Swain, the suspense thriller Brown's Requiem, based on the crime novel of the same name and Strong Island Boys, based on true events about a Long Island street gang.

As for her "singing career," Blair also appeared in My Friend Steve's 1998 music video for the song "Charmed," and the Placebo music video for "Every You Every Me."

After several auditions, independent film roles and guest roles in various television series, Blair starred in the 1999 film Cruel Intentions with Sarah Michelle Gellar and Ryan Phillippe. The movie is based on the novel "Les Liaisons dangereuses."  Her performance earned her a nomination for an MTV Movie Award for "Best Breakthrough Performance" and won for "Best Kiss" with Gellar.

In 2000, Blair won a Movieline's Young Hollywood Award in the Exciting New Face - Female Category and portrays a predatory and sexy seductress college girl in the teen comedy Down to you alongside Freddie Prinze, Jr. and Julia Stiles.

Blair has gone on and starred in feature films including, Legally Blonde, The Sweetest Thing, Hellboy, The Fog, Purple Violets, and Hellboy II: The Golden Army. She also played the titular role of Kim in the US version of the TV series Kath & Kim.

In 2012, Blair was cast as the female lead in the new FX comedy series Anger Management opposite Charlie Sheen. In June 2013, it was announced she was fired because of conflicts with Sheen.
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