Real Name : Yancy Victoria Butler
Nick Name : Fans like to call her simply: "YB"
Birth : 2 July 1970, New York City, New York, USA
Height : 5' 7"
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Yancy Butler was born and grew up in Greenwich Village, New York City during the 1970s, so it's not unusual that she chose to be an actor, being third generation showbiz. Her father is Joe Butler, the lead singer and drummer for the reunited Lovin' Spoonful; her step-mother, Kim, was a company manager for Broadway shows, and her grandparents were also involved in various aspects of the theater. At the age of 13, Butler began studying at the prestigious HB Studios in New York, and continued to do so until entering Sarah Lawrence College. Ms Butler made her motion picture starring debut in John Woo's "Hard Target" with Jean-Claude Van Damme. Yancy's television debut in "Law & Order" landed her the series lead in "Mann and Machine", which led to the starring role in "South Beach." Yancy Victoria Butler was born on July 2, 1970, in New York City. Growing up in the bohemian Greenwich Village, Yancy started making showbiz inroads at an early age. In 1979, she made her film debut at age seven with a small appearance in the slasher thriller Savage Weekend. At age 13, Yancy went on to study at New York's prominent HB Studios. She also attended dance and ballet classes at the notable Joffrey and Ailey schools. Perhaps this early dedication was in Yancy's genes: Her father, Joe Butler, was the drummer for The Lovin' Spoonful, while her stepmother was a company manager on Broadway. Even her grandparents had theatrical roots. However, these connections didn't prevent Yancy from going on to study at Sarah Lawrence College, where she earned her bachelor's degree in Liberal Arts in 1991. Yancy landed a guest spot on the then-new hit show, Law & Order, in 1991. Her performance caught the eye of Law & Order's creator-producer, Dick Wolf, who offered Yancy the lead role on his new science-fiction show, "Mann & Machine", the following year. Unfortunately, despite a nascent fan following, the series was canceled after a mere nine episodes. Soon after, she had a lead in another Dick Wolf production, "South Beach", but it too was short-lived. Yancy scored parts in some top action movies. In 1993, she played damsel in distress to Jean-Claude Van Damme in Hard Target, the Hollywood debut of legendary Hong Kong action auteur John Woo. In 1994, she co-starred with Wesley Snipes in the skydiving suspense, Drop Zone. The next few years saw Yancy taking roles in some less-known and independent films, such as 1994's Annie's Garden and 1995's Let It Be Me, as well as some direct-to-video releases, including 1995's Fast Money and 1997's The Ex and Ravager. Also in 1997, Butler guest appeared on "NYPD Blue", which landed her another TV role, this time on the Emmy-winning "Brooklyn South". Despite critical acclaim, the series was canceled after one season. Yancy found work in more less-than-memorable films: 1998's The Treat, 1999's The Witness Files and Doomsday Man, and 2000's The New Adventures of Spin and Marty: Suspect Behavior. Finally in 2000, Yancy nabbed the lead role in the TNT made-for-TV movie version of the popular comic book, Witchblade. She portrayed Detective Sara Pezzini, a troubled New York cop who becomes the keeper of the Witchblade; an ancient and magical weapon handed down through the ages. The movie was such a hit that TNT decided to expand it into a full-fledged series. And the decision was a good one. Soon Witchblade became the network's top draw, and spawned a solid fan following. This in turn led to more successes for Yancy, such as appearances on the The Late Late Show With Craig Kilborn and Politically Incorrect, where she contributed to a discussion on gender roles by citing famous psychologist Carl Jung. However, these accomplishments took their toll: In the summer of 2002, while in production of Witchblade's second season, Butler spent a month in rehab for alcohol abuse, but was able to return to finish taping the show. However, in a surprising move in September 2002, the network decided to pull the plug on "Witchblade", despite its success. While TNT executives claim they wanted the show to end on a high note, insiders and fans suspect that Yancy Butler's battle with alcoholism was the real culprit. After taking a year off from acting, Yancy returned with lead and supporting roles in various independent film productions, and in 2007 landed a part on the TV daytime soap opera "As the World Turns" for a number of episodes. Despite her substance abuse problems which led to some bushes with the law in 2007, she hopefully still has high hopes and looks forward to more notable roles in movies and TV.
Biography written by: matt-282
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- Annie's Garden (1997) [Lisa Miller] <2>
- Basilisk: The Serpent King (2006) (TV) [Hannah] <7>
- Doomsday Man (1999) [Kate] <3>
- Double Cross (2006) (TV) [Kathy Swanson] <1>
- Drop Zone (1994) [Jessie Crossman] <3>
- Fast Money (1996) [Francesca Marsh] <1>
- Hard Target (1993) [Natasha 'Nat' Binder] <3>
- Kick-Ass (2010) [Angie D'Amico] <26>
- Lake Placid 3 (2010) (TV)
- Let It Be Me (1995) [Corinne] <3>
- Ravager (1997) [Avedon Hammond] <2>
- Savage Weekend (1979) (as Yancy Victoria Butler) [Little Girl] <9>
- Striking Range (2006) [Emily Johanson] <2>
- The Ex (1997) [Deidre Kenyon] <1>
- The Hit List (1993) [Jordan Henning] <2>
- The Last Letter (2004) [Ms. Toney/Alicia Cromwell] <2>
- The New Adventures of Spin and Marty: Suspect Behavior (2000) (TV) [Veronica Hulka]
- The Treat (1998) [Wendy] <11>
- The Witness Files (1999) [Sandy Dickinson] <1>
- Thin Air (2000) (TV) [Lisa St. Claire] <3>
- Vote and Die: Liszt for President (2008) [Ann Barklely] <2>
- Witchblade (2000) (TV) [Det. Sara "Pez" Pezzini] <1>
- Wolvesbayne (2009) (TV) [Lilith] <3>
- "As the World Turns" (1956) {(#1.13062)} [Ava Jenkins] <10>
- "As the World Turns" (1956) {(#1.13063)} [Ava Jenkins] <10>
- "As the World Turns" (1956) {(#1.13064)} [Ava Jenkins]
- "As the World Turns" (1956) {(#1.13065)} [Ava Jenkins]
- "As the World Turns" (1956) {(#1.13066)} [Ava Jenkins]
- "As the World Turns" (1956) {(#1.13067)} [Ava]
- "As the World Turns" (1956) {(#1.13068)} [Ava Jenkins]
- "As the World Turns" (1956) {(#1.13073)} [Ava Jenkins] <10>
- "As the World Turns" (1956) {(#1.13074)} [Ava Jenkins] <10>
- "As the World Turns" (1956) {(#1.13077)} [Ava Jenkins] <10>
- "As the World Turns" (1956) {(#1.13078)} [Ava Jenkins] <10>
- "As the World Turns" (1956) {(#1.13079)} [Ava Jenkins] <10>
- "As the World Turns" (1956) {(#1.13083)} [Ava Jenkins] <10>
- "Brooklyn South" (1997) {A Reverend Runs Through It (#1.6)} [Off. Anne-Marie Kersey] <5>
- "Brooklyn South" (1997) {Cinnamon Buns (#1.20)} [Det. Anne-Marie Kersey] <5>
- "Brooklyn South" (1997) {Clown Without Pity (#1.5)} [Off. Anne-Marie Kersey] <5>
- "Brooklyn South" (1997) {Dead Man Sleeping (#1.17)} [Off. Anne-Marie Kersey] <5>
- "Brooklyn South" (1997) {Doggonit (#1.19)} [Off. Anne-Marie Kersey] <5>
- "Brooklyn South" (1997) {Don't You Be My Valentine (#1.16)} [Off. Anne-Marie Kersey] <5>
- "Brooklyn South" (1997) {Dublin or Nothin' (#1.10)} [Off. Anne-Marie Kersey] <5>
- "Brooklyn South" (1997) {Exposing Johnson (#1.12)} [Off. Anne-Marie Kersey] <5>
- "Brooklyn South" (1997) {Fisticuffs (#1.15)} [Off. Anne-Marie Kersey] <5>
- "Brooklyn South" (1997) {Fools Russian (#1.18)} [Off. Anne-Marie Kersey] <5>
- "Brooklyn South" (1997) {Gay Avec (#1.11)} [Off. Anne-Marie Kersey] <5>
- "Brooklyn South" (1997) {Life Under Castro (#1.2)} [Off. Anne-Marie Kersey] <5>
- "Brooklyn South" (1997) {McMurder One (#1.9)} [Off. Anne-Marie Kersey] <5>
- "Brooklyn South" (1997) {Pilot (#1.1)} [Off. Anne-Marie Kersey] <5>
- "Brooklyn South" (1997) {Queens for a Day (#1.22)} [Det. Anne-Marie Kersey] <5>
- "Brooklyn South" (1997) {Skel in a Cell (#1.21)} [Det. Anne-Marie Kersey] <5>
- "Brooklyn South" (1997) {Tears on My Willow (#1.13)} [Off. Anne-Marie Kersey] <5>
- "Brooklyn South" (1997) {Touched by a Checkered Cab (#1.4)} [Off. Anne-Marie Kersey] <5>
- "Brooklyn South" (1997) {Violet Inviolate (#1.14)} [Off. Anne-Marie Kersey] <5>
- "Brooklyn South" (1997) {Why Can't Even a Couple of Us Get Along? (#1.3)} [Off. Anne-Marie Kersey] <5>
- "Brooklyn South" (1997) {Wild Irish Woes (#1.8)} [Off. Anne-Marie Kersey] <5>
- "Grapevine" (1992) {The Lisa and Billy story (#1.4)} [Karen]
- "Law & Order" (1990) {Misconception (#2.6)} [Beverly Kern] <15>
- "Mann & Machine" (1992) {Billion Dollar Baby (#1.8)} [Sgt. Eve Edison] <2>
- "Mann & Machine" (1992) {Cold, Cold Heart (#1.9)} [Sgt. Eve Edison] <2>
- "Mann & Machine" (1992) {Mann's Fate (#1.6)} [Sgt. Eve Edison] <2>
- "Mann & Machine" (1992) {No Pain, No Gain (#1.3)} [Sgt. Eve Edison] <2>
- "Mann & Machine" (1992) {Prototype (#1.1)} [Sgt. Eve Edison] <2>
- "Mann & Machine" (1992) {The Dating Game (#1.2)} [Sgt. Eve Edison] <2>
- "Mann & Machine" (1992) {Torch Song (#1.5)} [Sgt. Eve Edison] <2>
- "Mann & Machine" (1992) {Truth or Consequences (#1.7)} [Sgt. Eve Edison] <2>
- "Mann & Machine" (1992) {Water, Water, Everywhere (#1.4)} [Sgt. Eve Edison] <2>
- "NYPD Blue" (1993) {I Love Lucy (#4.18)} [Lucinda 'Lucy' Hastings] <8>
- "Perversions of Science" (1997) {Given the Heir (#1.5)} [Lisa Gerou] <1>
- "South Beach" (1993) {Diamond in the Rough (#1.1)} [Kate Patrick] <1>
- "South Beach" (1993) {I Witness (#1.6)} [Kate Patrick] <1>
- "South Beach" (1993) {Pirates of the Caribbean (#1.2)} [Kate Patrick] <1>
- "South Beach" (1993) {School for Scandal (#1.7)} [Kate Patrick] <1>
- "South Beach" (1993) {Skin and bones (#1.4)} [Kate Patrick] <1>
- "South Beach" (1993) {Stake Out (#1.3)} [Kate Patrick] <1>
- "South Beach" (1993) {Wild Thing (#1.5)} [Kate Patrick] <1>
- "The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn" (1999) {(2001-07-09)} [Herself]
- "The Lyon's Den" (2003) {Ex (#1.6)} [Sandra Previn]
- "The Wild Thornberrys" (1998) {Iron Curtain (#1.9)} (voice) [Tourist #3]
- "Third Watch" (1999) {32 Bullets and a Broken Heart (#1.14)} [Treva]
- "Third Watch" (1999) {Officer Involved (#1.15)} [Treva]
- "Witchblade" (2001) {Agape (#2.3)} [Det. Sara 'Pez' Pezzini] <1>
- "Witchblade" (2001) {Apprehension (#1.9)} [Det. Sara 'Pez' Pezzini] <1>
- "Witchblade" (2001) {Consectatio (#2.4)} [Det. Sara 'Pez' Pezzini] <1>
- "Witchblade" (2001) {Conundrum (#1.2)} [Det. Sara 'Pez' Pezzini] <1>
- "Witchblade" (2001) {Convergence (#1.10)} [Det. Sara 'Pez' Pezzini] <1>
- "Witchblade" (2001) {Destiny (#2.2)} [Det. Sara 'Pez' Pezzini] <1>
- "Witchblade" (2001) {Diplopia (#1.3)} [Det. Sara 'Pez' Pezzini] <1>
- "Witchblade" (2001) {Emergence (#2.1)} [Det. Sara 'Pez' Pezzini] <1>
- "Witchblade" (2001) {Hierophant (#2.8)} [Det. Sara 'Pez' Pezzini] <1>
- "Witchblade" (2001) {Lagrimas (#2.7)} [Det. Sara 'Pez' Pezzini] <1>
- "Witchblade" (2001) {Legion (#1.5)} [Det. Sara 'Pez' Pezzini] <1>
- "Witchblade" (2001) {Maelstrom (#1.6)} [Det. Sara 'Pez' Pezzini] <1>
- "Witchblade" (2001) {Nailed (#2.6)} [Det. Sara 'Pez' Pezzini] <1>
- "Witchblade" (2001) {Palindrome (#2.11)} [Det. Sara 'Pez' Pezzini/Aras] <1>
- "Witchblade" (2001) {Parabolic (#2.10)} [Det. Sara 'Pez' Pezzini] <1>
- "Witchblade" (2001) {Parallax (#1.1)} [Det. Sara 'Pez' Pezzini] <1>
- "Witchblade" (2001) {Periculum (#1.7)} [Det. Sara 'Pez' Pezzini] <1>
- "Witchblade" (2001) {Sacrifice (#1.4)} [Det. Sara 'Pez' Pezzini] <1>
- "Witchblade" (2001) {Static (#2.5)} [Det. Sara 'Pez' Pezzini] <1>
- "Witchblade" (2001) {Thanatopis (#1.8)} [Det. Sara 'Pez' Pezzini] <1>
- "Witchblade" (2001) {Transcendence (#1.11)} [Det. Sara 'Pez' Pezzini] <1>
- "Witchblade" (2001) {Ubique (#2.12)} [Det. Sara 'Pez' Pezzini] <1>
- "Witchblade" (2001) {Veritas (#2.9)} [Det. Sara 'Pez' Pezzini] <1>
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- "Cult Times Magazine" (), July 2002, Iss. 82, pg. 20-23, by: Steven Eramo, "Butler Did It"
- "Wizard: The Comics Magazine" (USA), July 2000, Vol. 1, Iss. 106, pg. 40-43, by: Joe Yanarella, "Gloved Story"
- "GQ Magazine" (USA edition), 1997, Iss. September, by: James Ryan, "Butler Did It"
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- "Veronica" (Netherlands), 16 November 2002, Iss. 46, pg. 10, by: Klaas Kaptijn, "Yancy Butler Battle Babe"
- "Expose" (USA), July 2002, Iss. 69, pg. 38-42, by: Bryan Cairns, "Turn Back Time"
- "Femme Fatales" (USA), October 2000, Vol. 9, Iss. 6, pg. 8-12, by: Dan Scapperotti, "Yancy Butler--Witchblade: Cast in a Profusion of Sci-Fi Roles, The Juicy Genre Icon Discusses Her Transformation Into the Comic Book Babe."
- "Cinefantastique" (USA), October 2000, Vol. 32, Iss. 3, pg. 43, by: Dan Scapperotti, "Yancy Butler: From fembot to comic book crusader"
- "Wizard's Tomb Raider Special" (USA), July 2000, Vol. 1, Iss. 1, pg. 62-67, by: Joe Yanarella, "Shooting the Gauntlet, Role Call"
- "Wizard: The Comics Magazine" (USA), May 2000, Vol. 1, Iss. 104, pg. 68, by: Jim McLauchlin, "Witchblade explodes TNT"
- "Allure" (USA), March 1995, pg. 196, "Rising Stars"
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- "US Magazine" (USA), February 1998, by: Hot Zone, "Hot Zone: TV's Hot Cops"
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- "Wizard: The Comics Magazine" (USA), July 2000, Vol. 1, Iss. 106
- "Satelite" (Germany), 1996, Iss. 52.
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- Stage: Appeared in "How Sweet the Sound" (Playwright's Horizons).
- Interactive Multimedia: "Propaganda" CD-ROM (Virgin Interactive Entertainment).
- Audiobook: Narrated "Malice Domestic 3: High Heels in the Headliner", written by Wendy Hornsby and edited by Nancy Pickard.
- Audio Book: Narrated "Rattlesnake Crossing" by Judith A. Jance, 1998. ISBN 0787117323.
- Audio book: Narrated "We Could Do Worse: A Millenial Collection of Alternate Histories", Dove Entertainment, 1999. ISBN 0787119024
- Audio book: Narrated "Outlaw Mountain: A Joanna Brady Mystery" by Judith A. Jance. ISBN 0787119709 Abridged, ISBN 0787119733 Unabridged. Dove Entertainment, Inc., 1999.
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- Her unmistakable husky voice and big intense eyes.
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- [on shooting Witchblade with a injury] It was hard, but my attitude is, you're paying me, I'm yours. I'll go till I drop. My attitude is, you're paying me, I'm yours. I'll go till I drop.
- [When asked if she got any feedback from the comic book fans on her role in Witchblade] We have gotten great feedback from the comic book fans. We did that whole comic book tour circuit last summer, and the fans couldn't have been happier. There was definitely some pressure there because, unlike a lot of other comic book characters, my character had never had a voice. The first day you should have seen me. I was so nervous because these people had been living with this character for years, and I had to give Sara her first voice.
- [when asked if she likes being a TV star] Chubby Checker just asked for my autograph. That, and being a Jeopardy question, just made my entire career! I was worth $400.
- [when asked what roles she thought her fans most associated her with] Very action-oriented characters, which is not something that I sought out at all. Those roles just kind of graciously fell in my lap, which I'll ride for as long as I can. Keep kicking and blading people and stuff. But I think of films like Drop Zone with Wesley Snipes and films like Hard Target with Jean Claude Van Damme. I think that those are the kind of things that people are more familiar with. Sara Pezzini is different from those characters, however. I feel for her. A lot of stuff is going on. She's having a bit of a meltdown. I think it's wonderful that Ralph Hemecker is able to write and really construct a character like a jigsaw puzzle. She's not all hard and male-hating and not 'I'll annihilate anything that says good morning to me'. She is not just angry and bitter or somebody that's just fluffed up, we very much could've gone in that direction. So I'm liking this character more. I think it's an extension of everything that I've of worked for.
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- Daughter of 'Joe Butler' (qv), drummer for 'The Lovin' Spoonful' (qv).
- Took over a year off acting after the cancellation of _"Witchblade" (2001)_ (qv) in 2002 to regain her health. She returned in late 2003, having filmed an independent movie and a guest appearance on _"The Lyon's Den" (2003)_ (qv).
- In November 2003, she was ordered to enter a substance-abuse treatment program following her arrest for disorderly conduct after being found intoxicated and wandering in and out of traffic.
- Ranked #61 in Stuff magazine's "102 Sexiest Women In The World" (2002)
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