Kathleen Wilhoite (born June 29, 1964) is an American actress and musician. She made her feature film debut in Private School (1983) before having a leading role in Murphy's Law (1986), followed by supporting parts in Witchboard (also 1986), Crossing Delancey (1988), Road House (1989), and Lorenzo's Oil (1992). She also had notable guest-starring roles on several series during this time, including Twin Peaks (1990).

Beginning in 1994, Wilhoite appeared as Chloe Lewis in a recurring guest-starring role on the series ER, and voiced the role of the titular character on the ABC animated series Pepper Ann (1997–2001). Other notable film roles during the 1990s include the science fiction thriller Fire in the Sky (1993), and the survival film The Edge (1997).

In 2003, she was cast in a recurring role as Liz Danes on Gilmore Girls, and has subsequently had guest-starring roles on Criminal Minds (2008), Grey's Anatomy (2009), and Jane the Virgin (2015). In 2019, Wilhoite guest-starred on an episode of the Netflix series The OA.

Early life

Kathleen Wilhoite was born June 29, 1964, in Santa Barbara, California. She began acting in theatrical productions as a child with the Santa Barbara Youth Theatre. and the same year appeared in the television film Quarterback Princess. She subsequently had guest roles on the television series The Jeffersons and Cagney & Lacey (both 1985). In 1986, she had a lead role in the film Murphy's Law, directed by J. Lee Thompson, as well as a supporting part as a psychic in the supernatural horror film Witchboard.

Wilhoite starred in two theatrical productions for New York City's Second Stage Theater in 1987: Division Street and Moonchildren. Beginning in 1994, she was cast in a recurring guest role as Chloe Lewis on ER, a role she continued to play for the following eight years. In 1995, she won a Q Award for her performance on the series, in the category of Outstanding Specialty Player by the Viewers for Quality Television. In 2000, she appeared in several feature films, including the dark comedies Nurse Betty and Drowning Mona, as well as the drama Pay It Forward. Beginning in late 2003, Wilhoite guest-starred in a recurring role on the series Gilmore Girls, portraying Liz Danes, the mother of Jess Mariano (Milo Ventimiglia).

In May 2006, Wilhoite wrote and performed a one-woman show, Stop Yellin, directed by Kathy Najimy. The show consisted of autobiographical monologues and performances of songs from her albums.. She subsequently had a supporting part in the comedy King of California (2007), starring Michael Douglas and Evan Rachel Wood. Guest-starring television credits in the late 2000s included Criminal Minds (2008) and Grey's Anatomy (2009).

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Stage credits

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! Year

! Title

! Role

! class="unsortable" | Notes

! class="unsortable" |

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| 1987

| Division Street

|

| Second Stage Theater

| style="text-align:center;"|

|-

| 1987

| Moonchildren

| Shelly

| Second Stage Theater

| style="text-align:center;"|

|}

Discography

{| class="wikitable sortable"

|-

! Year

! Album

! Songs

! Performers

|-

|1998

|Pitch Like a Girl

|

  1. "Whatever It Takes" (4:24)
  2. "No One Can Touch Me" (4:47)
  3. "Wish We Never Met" (4:36)
  4. "Olivia Says" (3:56)
  5. "Symphony" (5:00)
  6. "Suck the Joy" (3:45)
  7. "Look But Don't Touch" (4:31)
  8. "Dumb Ol' Girl" (3:39)
  9. "Old Familiar" (4:13)
  10. "Yard Sale" (5:28)
  11. "Stop Yelling" (3:49)
  12. "Pick Up Where You Left Off" (4:01)

| Kathleen Wilhoite - vocals, acoustic guitar, piano<br />

Tony Gilkyson - guitars<br />

Chris Wagner - bass<br />

David Harte - drums, background vocals<br />

Chris Joyner - piano<br />

Chris Frankfort - lap steel<br />

Nikka Costa - background vocals

|-

|2000

|Shiva

|

  1. "Witches' Hill" (4:29)
  2. "Ground Zero" (4:06)
  3. "Back Home" (4:58)
  4. "I Stopped Asking" (3:29)
  5. "Safari Song" (4:06)
  6. "It Ain't My Fault" (3:46)
  7. "On My Couch" (4:02)
  8. "You Move Me" (4:20)
  9. "Stone Cold Alone" (3:23)
  10. "Bad Old Days" (3:49)
  11. "Long Lost Man" (3:48)

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References

  • Interview with Kathleen Wilhoite December 13, 2013