Tripplehorn was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the daughter of Suzanne (née Ferguson) and Tom Tripplehorn (known as "Tommy Tripplehorn"), who was once a guitarist with Gary Lewis & the Playboys. After graduating from high school, Tripplehorn became a D.J. at Tulsa radio station KMOD, using the air name "Jeanie Summers". She was stage-trained as an actress (at Juilliard) and also served as a TV Read more...

Tripplehorn is known for starring opposite Michael Douglas in Basic Instinct and alongside Kevin Costner in Waterworld as well as in The Firm alongside Tom Cruise. Tripplehorn more recently appeared in the HBO drama Big Love.

On September 10, 2007, on the BBC1 television programme Movie Connections, it was confirmed that Tripplehorn had accepted the leading female role in Four Weddings and Read more...

Tripplehorn was engaged to actor Ben Stiller for a time.[citation needed] She is now married to actor Leland Orser and the couple have a son, August, born in 2002. Tripplehorn's grandmother, Jean Neely, appeared in the film Reality Bites, in which Tripplehorn also had a role.