Actress Claire Danes was barely in her teens when she made a significant impact on primetime television with the startling authenticity, intelligence and complexity she brought to her starring role on the landmark drama "My So-Called Life" (ABC, 1994-95).Following the beloved show's early demise, Danes headed straight for dramatic feature films, maintaining her "thinking teen" persona in Baz Luhrman's "Romeo + Juliet" (1996) and the Academy Award-nominated "The Hours" (2002). While Danes branched out with comedies including.She was born April 12, 1979, and raised in then up-and-coming SoHo by artistic parents. She was learning modern dance at six, and at age nine, began taking acting classes at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute. Her career began in off-off-Broadway productions "Happiness," "Punk Ballet" and "Kids on Stage," for which she choreographed a solo dance piece.While there, she truly became a professional by making her television debut on "Law & Order" (NBC, 1990- ), portraying a volatile teen involved with a sleazy photographer. The same year, with only one TV credit to her name, Danes auditioned for "My So-Called Life" and was chosen over a large pool of actresses to play the lead character of 15-year-old Angela Chase, suburban teenager.
