⤑ full name
Ainsley Christina Van Court
⤑ professional name
Ainsley Vancourt
⤑ age + birth date
42 + March 24, 1973
⤑ hometown
Indianapolis, Indiana
⤑ residence
Manhattan, New York / Los Angeles, California
⤑ occupation
Actress
⤑ sexuality
Kinsey 5
⤑ relationship status
Single
The moment that Gwen Van Court saw her little girl on the sonogram, she openly wept with joy, not because she had had trouble getting pregnant or because this was her first baby, but because it was the first time she was having a little girl. All Gwen had ever dreamed of was having a baby girl, from the moment she was a child herself up until she took her first pregnancy test. All that wishing and hoping would grant her a girl, she had convinced herself, and when the doctor announced that she was having a baby boy, she made him check three more times, just to be sure. She loved her son, of course, but her dream started anew as he was born, just waiting for the next pregnancy and the next baby that would surely be a girl. It seemed like the cruelest cosmic joke in Gwen's eyes that not only her next baby, but the twins that she had following that, were all boys. The idea of having a girl of her own seemed to be falling by the wayside, especially as she got older, but fate had a different plan and granted Gwen with an accidental pregnancy that turned out to be the answer to all her prayers. Holding her baby girl for the first time, she knew that this little girl would be the most spoiled child on the face of the earth, that she would be raised like a princess.
However, little Ainsley had no interest in being treated like a princess. Growing up with four older brothers, she simply saw herself as one of the boys, learning how to hold a baseball bat and to dribble a basketball before she was even out of diapers. Disney movies weren't merely tales of boring princesses finding their one true love, but exciting tales of villains out to exact revenge, turning into tragic ones whenever the villain would die. When her mother would attempt to put her into a dress, she was faced with the temper tantrum of the century until she finally caved and let Ainsley wear jeans and a flannel shirt. Gwen nearly cried when the little girl insisted she wanted her hair cut short to match all of her brothers, admitting that sometimes, if you wanted something too badly, life would be cruel upon giving it to you. Her husband, John, had more patience than Gwen and often had to console her when Ainsley rejected the image of girly-girl too strongly. But by the time she reached 3rd grade, Gwen had finally accepted her little girl for the tomboy that she was, something that thrilled the child immensely as she was finally allowed to do the things she wanted -- softball instead of ballet, karate instead of gymnastics, basketball instead of figure skating, trading in her tights and Mary Janes for ripped jeans and Chuck Taylors.
When she was ten years old, Ainsley learned what it meant to be a lesbian and immediately identified with the term, knowing that her worship of She-Ra was for more than just how badass she was. The thought of being different, looked at as a freak by the others in school scared her, but she knew that she had to tell someone, choosing to come out to her oldest brother Michael. Though he might not have completely understood, or have thought that she was just going through a phase, Michael was incredibly supportive, never once invalidating her feelings as he took her under his wing, keeping an eye out for his little sister so that no one at school could pick on her. Ainsley never needed any help in that arena, of course, but it was nice to know that she had the support of someone who she had always looked up to. As the years went on, it became more and more obvious to both the rest of the family and her friends in school that she was interested in women, which taught her who was worth knowing and who wasn't by the way they treated her. Growing up in the Midwest, there were more people than not who were close-minded, but Ainsley managed to find a tight-knit group of friends who accepted her for who she was. It was rare that anyone be out of the closet in that day and age, but especially in middle school, when most of the students were still coming into their own and didn't know what they wanted. Ainsley was a different case, knowing exactly who she was and exactly what she wanted, and though people may have seen her as "that dykey freak", they would never admit that they admired the confidence that she had in herself.
In high school, Ainsley took her first drama class, only signing up for the class to fulfill her art credit requirement. However, from the very first scene she performed in front of the class, she was addicted to the way it felt to take to the stage as someone else. It wasn't that she didn't have confidence, in fact she had what seemed to be twice the confidence that most people her age had, but there was something exhilerating about putting herself in someone else's shoes.
Film
Underworld: Next Generation (pre-production) ... Selene
(2016) The Conjuring 2: The Enfield Poltergeist (pre-production) ... Lorraine Warren
(2015) The Light Between Oceans ... Hannah Roennfeldt
(2013) The Conjuring ... Lorraine Warren
(2013) 12 Years a Slave ... Mistress Mary Epps
(2012) Underworld: Awakening ... Selene
(2009) Underworld: Rise of the Lycans ... Selene
(2009) Up in the Air ... Alex Goran
(2009) Orphan ... Kate
(2007) Funny Games ... Ann
(2006) Underworld: Evolution ... Selene
(2006) Bug ... Agnes White
(2005) The Ring Two ... Rachel
(2004) Van Helsing ... Anna Valerious
(2004) Kill Bill: Vol. 2 ... The Bride
(2003) Kill Bill: Vol. 1 ... The Bride
(2003) Underworld ... Selene
(2002) The Ring ... Rachel
(2001) Donnie Darko ... Karen Pomeroy
(2001) Mulholland Drive ... Betty/Diane Selwyn
(2000) Requiem for a Dream ... Marion Silver
(1999) The Sixth Sense ... Lynn Sear
(1999) The Bone Collector ... Amelia Donaghy
(1996) Scream ... Casey
(1997) Batman & Robin ... Poison Ivy/Dr. Pamela Isley
(1994) Uncovered ... Julia
(1994) Pulp Fiction ... Mia Wallace
Television
(2011-) American Horror Story ... Billie Dean Howard/Lana Winters/Cordelia Foxx/Dot and Bette Tattler
storylines