page_title: Selma Blair
section_title: 2005–2011: Independent films and The Diary of Anne Frank
hierarchical_section_title: Selma Blair / Career / 2005–2011: Independent films and The Diary of Anne Frank
caption_attribution_description: English: Selma Blair at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival.
context_page_description: Selma Blair Beitner is an American actress. She played a number of small roles in films and on television before obtaining recognition for her leading role in the film Brown's Requiem. Her breakthrough came when she starred as Zoe Bean on the WB sitcom Zoe, Duncan, Jack and Jane, and as Cecile Caldwell in the cult film Cruel Intentions. Blair continued to find success with the comedies Legally Blonde and The Sweetest Thing, and achieved international fame with her portrayal of Liz Sherman in the big-budget fantasy films Hellboy and Hellboy II: The Golden Army.
  Her other notable film credits include Storytelling, A Guy Thing, A Dirty Shame, The Fog, WΔZ, Feast of Love, The Poker House, Dark Horse, In Their Skin, Ordinary World, Mothers and Daughters, Mom and Dad, and After.
  On television, Blair starred as Kim in the American remake of Kath & Kim; as Kate Wales on the sitcom Anger Management; and as Kris Jenner in the first season of the FX drama series American Crime Story. In 2010, Blair narrated the audiobook The Diary of Anne Frank, earning a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for Children.
context_section_description: Blair starred as a young Harvard-trained economist involved in an international oil scandal in the political thriller The Deal (2005), opposite  Christian Slater and Angie Harmon. The film received limited release in the United States and the United Arab Emirates. Blair next played supporting role in the independent black comedy Pretty Persuasion (2005), starring Evan Rachel Wood. Her last film release in 2005 was the John Carpenter-produced remake The Fog, in which she did her own stunts; among other acts, she spent 12 hours in a water tank over two days to shoot her underwater scenes. The film, co-starring Tom Welling and Maggie Grace, was met with an overwhelmingly negative critical response, while it grossed a modest US$46.2 million worldwide. She also starred alongside Elias Koteas in the fantasy short film The Big Empty, based on the story The Specialist and produced by George Clooney. The production revolved around a young woman suffering a psychosomatic medical condition.
  Blair starred in the dysfunctional family drama The Night of the White Pants, with Nick Stahl. The film premiered through a limited theatrical run in NYC in 2006. She also appeared in a small role in the comedy-drama The Alibi (2006). In 2007, Blair took on the lead role in Edward Burns' Purple Violets, a romantic comedy co-starring Burns, Patrick Wilson and Debra Messing. In the film, Blair played a frustrated and lonely writer who falls in love with her childhood sweetheart. It premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and was the first feature film to debut exclusively on the iTunes Store.
  She co-starred in Robert Benton's romantic dramedy Feast of Love (2007), opposite Greg Kinnear and Morgan Freeman, portraying a woman who begins a lesbian relationship due to her marital frustrations. The film received mixed critical reviews upon its limited theatrical premiere in North America.
  She next appeared in the British crime thriller WΔZ (2007), opposite Stellan Skarsgård, Melissa George and Tom Hardy. Blair starred as a lab assistant who is sexually assaulted by a criminal gang, and becomes a serial killer after watching her mother's death. The film had a limited theatrical run, but was favorably received by critics.
  Blair was included in the list of People Magazine's "World's Most Beautiful People 2007".
  In 2008, she reprised her role of Liz Sherman in Hellboy II: The Golden Army, where her character has a larger role in the storyline than its predecessor. The film garnered largely positive reviews from critics and became a worldwide commercial success, grossing US$160 million. She was nominated for the Scream Awards for Best Actress in a Fantasy Movie or TV Show.
  In 2008, Blair starred as a drug-addicted and alcoholic mother in Lori Petty's independent drama The Poker House, opposite Jennifer Lawrence (in her breakthrough role) and Chloë Grace Moretz, who starred as her daughters. The film is set in 1976 and was based on Petty's real story, in which she and her two little sisters were abused by their mother and a violent pimp. The production initially had a 2008 limited release in theaters only, but was later re-released in 2015 in the UK as Behind Closed Doors; it received generally favorable reviews from critics, with The Hollywood Reporter considering her performance one of the best of her film career. Blair worked with Antonio Banderas and Meg Ryan in the comedy My Mom's New Boyfriend (2008), where she played a young FBI agent. The movie was screened only in Latin American cinemas and went straight-to-DVD in Anglo America.
  Blair accepted the titular role on the NBC sitcom Kath & Kim, opposite Molly Shannon. The sitcom was based on the Australian television series of the same name about a mother and daughter who are obsessed with celebrity culture. Blair had to gain weight and use hair extensions to play her role as Kim, a self-absorbed suburban young princess who is forced to reassess her relationship with her mother. The series was canceled after one season. Blair also appeared with Rainn Wilson singing "Baby, It's Cold Outside" for the 2008 G
caption: Blair at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival
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