Early life
Blair was born Selma Blair Beitner in Southfield, Michigan, to Molly Ann and Elliot Beitner, who divorced when Blair was 23; she subsequently legally changed her surname to reflect that she has "nothing to do" with her father and he is "out of" her life. She has three older sisters, Katherine (a book publicist), Elizabeth, and Marie. Blair had a Jewish upbringing and was given the Hebrew name Batsheva. As a child, Blair attended Hillel Day School and Cranbrook Kingswood school in Bloomfield Hills. She studied at Kalamazoo College from 1990 - 1992, then transferred to the University of Michigan, where she earned her bachelor's degree in 1994. She also studied with Stella Adler.
Career
Blair began acting the 1990s, starring in the film Cruel Intentions (1999), opposite Sarah Michelle Gellar and Reese Witherspoon. Both Blair and Witherspoon later starred together in Legally Blonde (2001). More recently, she appeared alongside Cameron Diaz and Christina Applegate in The Sweetest Thing (2002), and in Hellboy (2004). Also in 2002 she had a guest role on the hit sitcom Friends. She played the character of "Zoe" in the year-long TV series, Zoe, Duncan, Jack and Jane. She was ranked #93 on the FHM 100 Sexiest Women of 2004.
Personal life
Blair married musician Ahmet Zappa on January 24, 2004, in Los Angeles. She filed for divorce at the Los Angeles Superior Court on June 21, 2006, citing irreconcilable differences. In a statement to People, a spokesperson for the couple said, "Selma and Ahmet have decided to divorce but love each other very much and will continue to be close friends."
