Roomed with Sherry Stringfield in college at SUNY Purchase
Left college three weeks before graduation after landing a role on the soap As the World Turns
Starred in more than a dozen independent films in the '90s, leading Time Magazine to crown her "Queen of the Indies," a title that has stuck ever since
Wore real braces for her role in Best in Show (2000)
Learned to play the mandolin for A Mighty Wind (2003)
Had a long-term relationship with writer Thomas Beller, who launched the real-life story Web site Mr