Shannyn Sossamon
Date of Birth:
3 October 1978, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
Birth Name:
Shannon Marie Sossamon
Nickname:
Hot Soss
Height:
5' 7" (1.70 m)
Mini Biography:
Hollywood has mirrored the Camelot in which Shannyn Sossamon found herself in her breakthrough role as the leading lady in A Knight's Tale (2001). Shannyn, who credits her striking looks to an eclectic mix of French, Hawaiian, Dutch, Irish, Filipino and German was born Shannon Marie Kahololani Sossamon in Honolulu, Hawaii. At the age of one, Shannyn and her family moved to a new exotic locale: Reno, Nevada. Her youth was spent at a dance studio. At 17, promptly after high school graduation, she left her small town life for a career in dance in Los Angeles. She got distracted and started deejaying as a hobby with her then boyfriend in the local clubs around town. Paying her bills every month were her appearances in commercials. Acting was not high on the young dancer's priority list, aside from a series of commercials, not for lack of interest but for the fact that she was content with her life in L.A. as it was. It was in 1999, when Shannyn was helping a friend D.J. at a birthday party for Gwyneth Paltrow that a new chapter began in her fairy tale life. Francine Maisler, a casting director known for such films as The Usual Suspects (1995), spotted Shannyn. Shortly thereafter Shannyn found herself with the backing of an influential Hollywood name and one very important audition... A Knight's Tale (2001). She determined she wanted the lead role and after six call backs, beat out the competition. Admittedly, the dancer turned actress knew little of her Australian costar Heath Ledger but the two became friends during filming.
Life Is Hot in Cracktown 
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Movie Synopsis:
Based on writer/director Buddy Giovinazzo's novel of the same name, Life Is Hot in Cracktown explores how crack cocaine infiltrated the streets of urban America by following the journeys of four people whose lives are on a tragic collision course. Pre-op transsexual Marybeth (Kerry Washington) is working as a prostitute in order to save enough money to make her transformation complete. She lives with her lover, Benny, a small-time burglar, whom she hopes to marry after her final operation. Meanwhile, Manny (Victor Rasuk) is busy pulling double shifts while his wife, Concetta (Shannyn Sossamon), cares for their sickly infant son in their run-down apartment. By night Manny works at a 24-hour bodega frequented by junkies, drug dealers, and prostitutes, and by day keeps the peace as a security guard at a welfare hotel. One of the residents at that hotel is Willy, a ten-year-old boy who lives with his mother (Illeana Douglas) and her abusive boyfriend. Willy begs for money on the street so he and Susie can get some fast food. But it's dangerous out there, because volatile gangster Romeo (Evan Ross) is still searching the streets for his brother's killer, and he won't hesitate to terrorize anyone unfortunate enough to cross his warpath. Lara Flynn Boyle, Brandon Routh, Desmond Harrington, and RZA co-star.
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