Angela Bettis was born January 9, 1973, in Austin, Texas, to Mary Lynn and Richard Joseph Bettis. She graduated from Westlake High School before making her debut film appearance in Franco Zeffirelli's Sparrow (1993), after the film, she enrolled at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, and later went on to support Winona Ryder in Girl, Interrupted (1999), and Kim Basinger in Bless the Child (2000). A few years later, Angela went on to star in the title role in Lucky McKee's May (2002). She also starred as Carrie White in the 2002 TV Movie version of Carrie