biography

Liv Tyler was born Liv Rundgren on July 1st, 1977 in Portland, Maine. Liv grew up believing that rock musician Todd Rudgren, her mothers long-term boyfriend, was her father. After all that is what her birth certificate read. However, Liv was actually the product of an eight-month relationship with Aerosmith front-man Steven Tyler. Her mother is Bebe Buell, former Ford model, Playboy Playmate, singer, and apparent rock groupie.

Liv became suspicious of her true paternity when she met Steven Tyler's other daughter Mia, who was like a rubber stamp of herself. Liv confronted her mother and was told the truth about who her biological father was. On her twelfth birthday, Liv adopted the name Tyler as her own.

When Liv was fourteen she and her mother moved from Portland to New York. She began modeling with the encouragement of family friend Paulina Porizkova. With her five foot ten inch frame of amazing proportions, porcelain skin, and blazing blue eyes she did well in modeling. However, after only a year in the biz, she grew tired of modeling and decided that acting was what she really wanted to do.

In 1995 she was offered the part of Callie in "Heavy" after her first reading, and was cast in "Silent Fall" just three weeks later. Her slate became very full and she delivered up seven movies between 1993 and 1996. A catalyst for her career acceleration was the film "Stealing Beauty" (1996), in which Liv was the main star and delivered an astounding performance. At Cannes, where "Stealing Beauty" featured, Liv was a sensation with the press.

She went on to win critical acclaim for her role in Tom Hanks directorial debut "That Thing You Do!" and as Pamela Abbott in "Inventing the Abbott's" in 1997. That same year she was named one of People magazines Most Beautiful People in the World.

In 1998 she moved into the arena of big budget films when she starred with Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck in Disney's "Armageddon." 1999 brought roles in Robert Altman's "Cookie's Fortune" with Chris O'Donnell and Glenn Close. She also starred in "Plunkett & MaCleane", and finished out the year on a more serious note, playing opposite typically and terrifically brooding romantic Ralph Fiennes in the Alexander Pushkin adaptation "Onegin".