Alicia Roanne Witt (born August 21, 1975) is an American actress and musician. She first came to fame as a child actress after being discovered by David Lynch, who cast her in Dune (1984) as Alia and Twin Peaks (1990) as Gersten Hayward. Her latest album, produced by Joe Henry, will be released in summer 2026 through Thirty Tigers and is a tribute to her relationship to Lynch, who she has described as having ‘changed my life in every way a life could be changed'. Witt was a regular on Cybill Shepherd's sitcom Cybill (1995–1998) for four seasons, playing the title character's daughter, Zoey Woodbine. She had a critically acclaimed role as a disturbed teenager in Fun (1994), appeared as a music student in Mr. Holland's Opus (1995) and as a terrorized college student in the horror film Urban Legend (1998). She appeared in Vanilla Sky (2001) as Libby, Two Weeks Notice (2002), Last Holiday (2006), 88 Minutes (2007) as Kim Cummings, I Care A Lot (2020) and Longlegs (2024). Witt has made television appearances in shows such as The Walking Dead, The Sopranos, Friday Night Lights as Cheryl, Twin Peaks: The Return as Gersten Hayward, CSI: Miami, Supernatural, Justified and Orange Is the New Black. She starred in five episodes of Law & Order: Criminal Intent as Detective Nola Falacci in Season 7, temporarily replacing actress Julianne Nicholson, who was on maternity leave.
In addition to her acting, Witt is an accomplished pianist, singer, and songwriter. She has starred in nine annual Hallmark Christmas films, the first broadcast in 2013. Many of these include her original Christmas songs. In her Hallmark film Christmas Tree Lane (2020), she was also executive producer and storywriter, and contributed two original songs which her character sings on screen.
Early life and education
Witt was born on August 21, 1975
Career
Film and television
Witt's discovery by Lynch led to her casting as the "flame-haired" child in Dune (1984), as Paul Atreides's sister Alia; she turned eight during filming. She worked with Lynch again when she appeared in an episode of Twin Peaks, Alexander Payne's Citizen Ruth,
Witt filmed Last Holiday (2006) opposite Queen Latifah, and the thriller 88 Minutes (2007) Witt appeared in the role of Amy in the film Peep World (2010). with New York Magazines David Edelstein proclaiming her turn one of the top performances of 2013. She appeared in four Christmas films in 2013: the feature film Tyler Perry's A Madea Christmas, A Snow Globe Christmas for the Lifetime Channel and A Very Merry Mix-Up as an antique store owner, Alice Chapman for the Hallmark Channel and in 2014, the Hallmark Channel's Christmas at Cartwright's. Also in 2014, Witt appeared in a guest-starring role on the DirecTV series, Kingdom, which aired that October.
In 2014, in the fifth season of the FX series Justified she played Wendy Crowe, the brightest member of a Floridian crime family that gets entangled in the show's events in Kentucky. In April 2016, Witt appeared in two episodes of The Walking Dead; the same month, it was announced that she would also be reprising her role as Gersten Hayward in the 2017 Twin Peaks series. In 2016, Witt joined the cast of ABC's Nashville in a recurring capacity playing established country singer Autumn Chase. Witt performed several songs throughout season four. In 2019, she had a recurring role on the seventh season of Orange Is the New Black as Zelda. She also appeared opposite Rosamund Pike in the 2020 Netflix hit movie I Care A Lot.
In 2024, Witt starred in Oz Perkins's smash hit horror film Longlegs, opposite Maika Monroe and Nicolas Cage; the movie became the most successful independent film of 2024, earning over $128M at the box office alone. , and The Big Kill, opposite Skeet Ulrich, Pete Holmes, and Natasha Leggero, from Live Nation Studios and Emmy winning The Daily Show head writer Daniel Radosh , and indie fly fishing drama My Mayfly, from first time director Paula Kay Hornick.
Theater
Witt made her stage debut in 2001, at Los Angeles' historic Tiffany Theater, in Robbie Fox's musical The Gift, in which she played a high-priced, albeit disease-carrying, stripper.
While in residence in the UK in 2004, she starred as Evelyn in a stage production of Neil LaBute's The Shape of Things at the New Ambassadors Theatre. In September 2006, Witt returned to the London stage at the Royal Court Theatre, in the critically well-received Piano/Forte, wherein she was "well-cast" in portraying the stammering, emotionally damaged pianist Abigail, sister to "unloved attention-seeker" Louise (Kelly Reilly).
Witt performed alongside Amber Tamblyn in Neil LaBute's play, Reasons to Be Pretty, at the Geffen Playhouse, which ran until August 31, 2014.
Music
thumb|upright=1.25|Witt performing in 2012
In addition to acting, Witt is a professional singer-songwriter and pianist,
In 2009, Witt released her self-titled extended play album, followed by Live at Rockwood in 2012 and Revisionary History in 2015; the latter was produced by Ben Folds.
In August 2018, Witt released a five-song EP album titled 15,000 Days (a reference to the length of time she had been alive when she recorded the album) working with producer Jacquire King. She released her album The Conduit on September 24, 2021, which she co-produced with Jordan Lehning and Bill Reynolds.
In 2020, Witt released two new Christmas songs, as heard in her Hallmark Christmas film, Christmas Tree Lane. "Why Christmas" and "Christmas Will Never End" are performed on-screen by her character, music-store owner and songwriter Meg.
Alicia’s full length studio album, The Conduit, was released in 2021; it marked her debut as album producer, alongside Jordan Lehning and Bill Reynolds (Band of Horses). Her single from the album, Chasing Shadows, spent 5 weeks on the Billboard Top 30 radio chart.
Witt’s self-produced full length Christmas album, I Think I’m Spending Christmas With You, was released in November 2024; it was engineered by David Kalmusky and recorded in Nashville, TN, where she resides.
Other appearances
In September 1990, Witt competed on Wheel of Fortune.
On October 5, 2021, Witt released a book called Small Changes: A Rules-Free Guide to Add More Plant-Based Foods, Peace & Power to Your Life. It was released through Harper Collins / Harper Horizon.
In 2023, Witt competed in season nine of The Masked Singer as "Dandelion". While having bested Dee Snider as "Doll" and Lou Diamond Phillips as "Mantis" (who was spared by Robin Thicke ringing the Ding Dong Keep It On Bell) on "WB Movie Night", she was eliminated in "Masked Singer in Space" alongside Melissa Joan Hart as "Lamp".
Filmography
Film
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|-
! scope="col" | Year
! scope="col" | Title
! scope="col" | Role
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Notes
! scope="col" class="unsortable" |
|-
! scope="row"| 1984
| Dune
| Alia Atreides
| Credited as Alicia Roanne Witt
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row"| 1991
| Liebestraum
| Girl in Dream
|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row"| 1993
| Bodies, Rest & Motion
| Elizabeth
|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row"| 1994
| Fun
| Bonnie
|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="2"| 1995
| Four Rooms
| Kiva
| Segment: "The Missing Ingredient"
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| Mr. Holland's Opus
| Gertrude Lang
|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row"| TBA
| Shiver
|
| Post-production
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row"| 2026
| Twisted
| Rebecca Kezian
|
| style="text-align:center;«|
|-
! scope="row"| 2026
| My Mayfly
| Ranger Kay
|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|}
Television
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|-
! scope="col" | Year
! scope="col" | Title
! scope="col" | Role
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| 1990
| Twin Peaks
| Gersten Hayward
| Episode #2.1
|-
| 1993
| Hotel Room
| Diane
| Episode: "Blackout"
|-
| 1994
| '
| Janine
| Television film
|-
| 1995–1998
| Cybill
| Zoey Woodbine
| Main role
|-
| rowspan="2"|2000
| Ally McBeal
| Hope Mercey
| 2 episodes
|-
| data-sort-value="Sopranos, The" | The Sopranos
| Amy Safir
| Episode: "D-Girl"
|-
| 2003
| '
| Liz
| Episode: "The Executions of Grady Finch"
|-
| 2004
| Dark Kingdom: The Dragon King
| Kriemhild
| Television film
|-
| rowspan="2"|2007
| Blue Smoke
| Reena Hale
| Television film
|-
| Law & Order: Criminal Intent
| Nola Falacci
| Main role (season 7)
|-
| rowspan="3"|2008
| Wainy Days
| Laura
| Episode: "Shelly II"
|-
| Puppy Love
| Claire
| Series
|-
| Two and a Half Men
| Dolores Pasternak
| Episode: "A Jock Strap in Hell"
|-
| 2009–2012
| '
| Rosalind Harker
| 3 episodes
|-
| 2009–2011
| Friday Night Lights
| Cheryl
| Recurring role (season 4)
|-
| rowspan="2"|2010
| Edgar Floats
| Sandra
| Television film
|-
| Backyard Wedding
| Kim Tyler
| Television film
|-
| 2011
| CSI: Miami
| Michelle Baldwin
| Episode: "Blood Lust"
|-
| 2012
| Person of Interest
| Connie Wyler
| Episode: "The High Road"
|-
| rowspan="2"| 2013
| data-sort-value="Very Merry Mix-Up, A" | A Very Merry Mix-Up
| Alice Chapman
| Television film
|-
| data-sort-value="Snow Globe Christmas, A" | A Snow Globe Christmas
| Meg
| Television film
|-
| rowspan="4"| 2014
| Kingdom
| Melanie
| Episode: "Flowers"
|-
| Justified
| Wendy Crowe
| Recurring role (season 5)
|-
| Christmas at Cartwright's
| Nicky Talbot
| Television film
|-
| data-sort-value="Librarians, The" | The Librarians
| Lucinda McCabe / Morgan le Fay
| Episode: "And the Rule of Three"
|-
| rowspan="4"| 2015
| House of Lies
| Maya
| 2 episodes
|-
| Elementary
| Dana Powell
| Episode: "When Your Number's Up"
|-
| Don't Blink
| herself
| Episode: "Magic Money, Knife Tosses and Sonic Booms"
|-
| I'm Not Ready for Christmas
| Holly Nolan
| Television film
|-
| rowspan="4"| 2016
| data-sort-value="Walking Dead, The" | The Walking Dead
| Paula
| 2 episodes
|-
| Motive
| Cindy Vernon
| 1 episode
|-
| Nashville
| Autumn Chase
| Recurring role (season 4); guest role (season 6)
|-
| Christmas List
| Isobel Gray
| Television film
|-
| rowspan="4"| 2017
| Supernatural
| Lily Sunder
| Episode: "Lily Sunder Has Some Regrets"
|-
| Twin Peaks
| Gersten Hayward
|-
| rowspan=2|1995
| Independent Spirit Awards
| Best Debut Performance
|
| style="text-align:center;" |
|-
| Gijón International Film Festival
| Best Actress
|
|
|-
| 1996
| Screen Actors Guild Awards
| Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
| Cybill
| rowspan=2
| style="text-align:center;" |
|-
| 1999
| Saturn Awards
| Best Young Actor/Actress
| Urban Legend
|
|-
| 2000
| The Comedy Festival
| Film Discovery Jury Award for Best Actor
| Playing Mona Lisa
|
|
|}
Discography
Album
- Live At Rockwood (2012)
- Revisionary History (2015)
- The Conduit (2021)