Daphne Zuniga

She had to be treated for mercury poisoning in 2004. She said that it was caused due to excessive consumption of fish, and subsequently, she ceased to eat fish and other meat.

She engages herself in environmental activism and backs different campaigns on environmentalism. She mentioned that she had developed a lasting interest in the environment after her family camping trips to the ‘Yosemite National Park’ and ‘Yellowstone.’

Speaking on environment, she said in a 2007 interview that, "The planet does nothing but support us," and that, " …we are constantly committing crimes against nature."

She was born on October 28, 1962, in San Francisco, California, US, to Joaquin Alberto Zuniga Mazariegos, an emeritus professor of philosophy at the ‘California State University,’ East Bay, and Agnes A. Zuniga (née Janawicz), a Unitarian minister. Her younger sister Jennifer Zuniga is also an actor.

She is of mixed ancestry with Polish and Finnish descent from her mother’s side and Guatemalan descent from her father’s side.

She developed an interest in acting at a young age and undertook the ‘Young Conservatory’ program at the San Francisco- based acting school and large non-profit theater company, ‘American Conservatory Theater.’

Following the divorce of her parents, she and her younger sister relocated to Reading, Vermont, from Berkeley, California, along with their mother. She attended the ‘Woodstock Union High School’ in Woodstock, Vermont, from where she completed her graduation in 1980.

She then moved back to California to study theater arts from the ‘University of California,’ Los Angeles.

The first big-screen opportunity for Daphne was in the supporting role of Debbie in the 1982 American slasher film ‘The Dorm That Dripped Blood.’

In 1983, she appeared in theTV film ‘Quarterback Princess.’ Over the years, she has featured in many other TV films, which include ‘Stone Pillow’ (1985), ‘Pandora's Clock’ (1996), ‘Christmas Do-Over’ (2006), ‘A Family Thanksgiving’ (2010) and ‘Signed, Sealed, Delivered’ (2013), among many others.

Her lead film debut happened with the 1984 slasher film ‘The Initiation,’ where she played the double role of twin sisters, Kelly Fairchild and Terry Fairchild, starring along with Clu Gulager, Vera Miles and Hunter Tylo. Recollecting her portrayals in the film, she said, "It was pretty heavy for a first role."

The NBC-aired American sitcom ‘Family Ties’ marked her debut in television. She featured in two of its episodes, titled ‘Double Date’ and ‘The Graduate,’ which were broadcast in 1984.

Her next starring role was that of Alison Bradbury in the 1985 American romantic comedy ‘The Sure Thing.’ The film, which also had John Cusack and Viveca Lindfors in leading roles, garnered positive reviews from critics and went on to become a commercial hit, grossing more than $18 million at the box office. That year, she also featured in the American coming-of-age drama ‘Vision Quest.’