August 21: Actress and singer, Alicia Witt is 38-years-old today.

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Alicia Witt was born in Worcester, Massachusetts. Supposedly, at two years old, she was reading college textbooks. Witt was discovered by David Lynch in 1980 when she recited Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet on the television show That's Incredible! He cast her in the 1984 movie Dune  as Paul Atreides's sister Alia. She turned eight during filming.

At age 14, Witt earned her high school diploma. Shortly thereafter, she moved to Hollywood with her mother to pursue acting. In September 1990, she competed on Wheel of Fortune. During this time, Witt supported herself by playing piano at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel. Alicia was often cast as the prodigy or gifted child and had her skills as a pianist incorporated into her roles.

She had small parts in Mike Figgis's Liebestraum, the Gen-X drama Bodies, Rest & Motion and the TV movie The Disappearance of Vonnie. In 1994, Witt landed her first lead role in a film, playing a disturbed teenager in Fun. She received the Special Jury Recognition Award at the Sundance Festival and was nominated for Best Actress at the Independent Spirit Awards. She was then cast as Madonna’s daughter in the first segment of Four Rooms ("The Missing Ingredient").

Witt was introduced to a larger audience in the role of Zoey Woodbine, daughter of actress Cybill Shepherd's character in the sitcom Cybill. During that period (from 1995 to 1998,) she had film roles in Mr. Holland's Opus, Citizen Ruth, Passion's Way and Bongwater.

In 2000, Witt had starring roles on the television shows Ally McBeal and The Sopranos; the lead role in the comedy Playing Mona Lisa; a supporting part in John Waters's Cecil B. Demented; and her stage debut at Los Angeles's now-closed Tiffany Theater in Robbie Fox's musical The Gift, in which she played a high-priced stripper with a disease.

In the following years, Witt's acting career slowed. She had a small part in Cameron Crowe's Vanilla Sky intended as a reference to her roles in Dune and Liebestraum; played a college graduate who discusses losing her virginity in the experimental Ten Tiny Love Stories; and was the trailer-trash Barbie in American Girl.

In September 2006 she returned to the London stage at the Royal Court Theatre in Piano/Forte, portraying the piano-playing Abigail, a role in which she demonstrated herself to be an "outstanding pianist" of "formidable skill."

Witt joined the cast of Law & Order: Criminal Intent for the 2007-08 season as Detective Nola Falacci. She was a recurring character in Friday Night Lights for the 2009-10 season.

In May 2011, Witt was in talks with Law & Order: Special Victims Unit producers to reprise her Criminal Intent role if female lead Mariska Hargitay left the series, but Hargitay chose to stay.

Witt continues to enjoy the musical component of her career. The singer/songwriter has played shows at venues including Hotel Cafe in Los Angeles and Joe's Pub in New York City. In 2012. she released an album of 11 songs, Live at Rockwood, and four independent tracks.

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For more about Alicia, visit her Website at –

http://aliciawittmusic.com/

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