Lori Petty

About

Lori Petty (born October 14, 1963) is an American actress, director, and screenwriter. She made her big-screen debut appearing in the 1990 comedy film Cadillac Man and later starred in films Point Break (1991), A League of Their Own (1992), Free Willy (1993), In the Army Now (1994), The Glass Shield (1994) and played the title role in Tank Girl (1995). She created and starred in the short-lived Fox sitcom Lush Life in 1996 and acted in a number of independent movies in her later career.
In 2008, Petty wrote and directed independent drama film The Poker House based on her early life during the 1970s. In 2014, she joined the Netflix comedy-drama series Orange Is the New Black as Lolly Whitehill as a guest star in the second season, and a recurring character in the third, fourth and seventh seasons.

Petty, the eldest of three children, was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, the daughter of a Pentecostal minister. She had a difficult upbringing after her mother left her abusive father and became addicted to drugs and became a sex worker, which left the young Petty responsible for her younger sisters. Petty graduated from North High School in Sioux City, Iowa in 1981. She worked…