Blair was born Selma Blair Beitner in Southfield, Michigan, the daughter of Molly Ann, a judge, and Elliot Beitner. She has three older sisters, Katherine (a book publicist), Elizabeth, and Marie. Blair attended Hillel Day School, a Jewish day school in Farmington Hills, Michigan, and Cranbrook Kingswood school in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. She attended Kalamazoo College in Michigan, then later transferred to the University of Michigan, where she earned her bachelor's degree in 1994. After training at the Stella Adler Conservatory of Acting, Blair began acting in the mid-90s. Blair began her career with small roles and guest roles in various television series. Blair appeared with co-stars Sarah Michelle Gellar, and Ryan Phillippe in the 1999 film Cruel Intentions , for which Blair won an MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss - Lesbian Kiss between Blair and co-star Gellar. Blair went on to star as Zoe Bean in two seasons of TV series Zoe, Duncan, Jack and Jane (1999-2000), She rejoined actress Reese Witherspoon in the comedy film Legally Blonde (2001). Later, Blair appeared in Highway (2002).
She also starred opposite Cameron Diaz and Christina Applegate in The Sweetest Thing and in two independent films that garnered her much critical acclaim: Dana Lustig's Kill Me Later and Todd Solondz's controversial Storytelling, and one of her most recognized roles, Liz Sherman in Hellboy (2004) and its successful sequel released in 2008, Hellboy II: The Golden Army based on the popular comic.
Other films include the political thiller The Deal, The Big Empty, Feast of Love (opposite Greg Kinnear and Morgan Freeman), Ed Burn's Purple Violets and the horror thriller W?Z (opposite Stellan Skarsgard).
Blair starred opposite Molly Shannon in the TV series Kath & Kim, based on the Australian television series of the same name. Blair's upcoming projects are Happy Together (2009), as Mrs. Delbo, Columbus Circle (2010) and Different Kind Of Love (2011) with Juliette Lewis .
Selma can also be seen in the My Friend Steve 1998 music video Charmed .
Her stage work includes the role of Kayleen in Rajiv Joseph's Gruesome Playground Injuries, which had its world premiere at Houston's Alley Theatre in October 2009.
The ISTP will be full-on, or full off - they don’t do shades of grey. The ISTP personality type moves seamlessly from quiet bystander to active participant and leader in one fell swoop, then back again to invisible, apparently disinterested introvert. They are at their best in times of crisis and challenge, but will have little appetite for follow-through, as they will be waiting for the next challenge. Independent and self-contained the ISTP, although not unfriendly, will be difficult to get to know as they tend to reveal only what they choose to and that is over time when they are ready.
The ISTP is one of the most complex character types either in the thick of the action, leading and solving problems, or with nothing to say. The issue is they only say what needs to be said, they are economic in the extreme. This is because ISTPs are driven purely by challenge and this will determine how involved they want to be, how big is the challenge? They are at their best in times of crisis as they need very little preparation and able to cut to the chase with no preamble or discussion with others, spontaneously jumping in to solve problems or deal with crises often surprising those who had seen them as on the periphery of things. However, once the task is finished or problem solved, they will be looking for the next big thing to throw themselves into.
The ISTP is self-sufficient and very independent, only really happy when undertaking some risky or interesting activity. Direct to the point of abruptness and tending at times to tread on toes, the ISTP tends to speak literally showing little concern for the impact, and they display coolness under pressure which helps get things fixed but which may not endear them to those around them, (even those for whom they’ve fixed something). They are not unfriendly individuals but ultimately the ISTP wants to be left alone to live their lives and do their jobs the way they see fit, rarely trying to control others and expecting others not to try to control them. But in a crisis, or when the situation needs in-depth understanding, the ISTP will thrive, at least until the crisis is over. Once they are clear on what needs to be done, they will be difficult to budge and will potentially move too quickly without thinking through all the implications as they just love the thrill of action. The switch may appear as from someone who is almost exclusively listening to someone who just doesn't listen. The ISTP dislikes theories and complexities, preferring facts and data which will help get the job done in the quickest possible time and with the minimum amount of effort.
The ISTP is the ultimate trouble-shooter, able to unpick and understand how things fit together and then fix them. The ISTP doesn’t follow social rules, nor do they need to engage fully with others and this can give them a distant, aloof persona to others who often don’t quite know where they stand. Practical, resourceful, adaptable pragmatists, ISTPs have excellent powers of observation, a capacity for understanding how anything works, displaying logical, detached analysis. The ISTP has a great ability to analyse facts and store data. This is all internalised, stored in the grey filing cabinets in the brain until called for. Then, when someone argues with the ISTP, the facts, data, empirical evidence, knowledge are brought quickly to bear to quash the argument, quickly and finally. The independent streak in the ISTP means that they will usually display confidence in their own abilities but means they may not bring others into the decision-making process. They are quick and economic and so their desire to get a result in the minimum amount of time and fuss means they may overlook the personal touch and make them fail to see the 'bigger picture,' and so, by quickly solving a problem, they may create another.
The ISTP is very difficult to read. Their areas of interest tend to be mechanical and physical but unlike most SPs they don’t need constant action, they actually lie low, storing all the data saving their energy until a project or an adventure they consider worth their time and effort arises, and then they launch themselves in completely. They work in short bursts of incredible energy, loving fixing and sorting, especially factual mechanical issues but, when it's over it's over, no reflection, no discussion, no hanging in there, they've gone.
Choose another celebrity type to compare side by side the different approaches work, attitudes to conflict and the way they engage with others.
