Daphne Zuniga Biography

Daphne Eurydice Zuniga (originally Zúńiga) (born October 28, 1962 in Berkeley, California, USA) is an actress. She is perhaps best known for playing Jo Reynolds on Melrose Place from 1992 to 1996. She was also a lead in the 1987 film Spaceballs and the 1989 film Gross Anatomy, with Matthew Modine, and previously worked with Modine in the movie Vision Quest. A more recent starring role was in Artificial Lies. She was also one of many voice actors for the animated television series Stories from My Childhood. Zuniga also had a lead role in the TV series Pandora's Clock.
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A pert, smoky-voiced, brunette, Daphne Zuniga began her show business career with a local theater company in Woodstock, Vermont. After studying acting at the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco and at UCLA, she began landing roles in genre fare like "The Dorm That Dripped Blood" (shot in 1981; released in 1983) and "The Initiation" (1984). She gained notice as John Cusack's reluctant, prudish traveling companion in Rob Reiner's winning collegiate romance, "The Sure Thing" (1985). Zuniga went on to appear as a spoiled princess in "Spaceballs" (1987), Mel Brooks' uneven spoof of "Star Wars" (1977), as a Mexican woman romantically involved with a priest in the routine thriller "Last Rites" (198) and as the love interest of the insect-man (Eric Stoltz) in the unnecessary sequel "The Fly II" (1989).

On the small screen, Zuniga brought her charms to various portrayals including as Helen Hunt's sister in "Quarterback Princess" (CBS, 1983) and a concerned social worker who becomes involved with an elderly bag lady (Lucille Ball) in "The Stone Pillow" (CBS, 1985). In 1992, she joined the cast of the primetime soap "Melrose Place" (Fox). Over a four-year period, she brought a level of skill and professionalism to her role as perennial victim Jo Reynolds. Her first post-"Melrose" role was as a doctor in the medical thriller "Pandora's Clock" (NBC, 1996).

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DAPHNE ZUNIGA BIOGRAPHY