Actress Parker Posey's reign as "Queen of the Indies" may have peaked in the 1990s, but it appears to be far from over – she's appeared in at least one independent film per year since 1993, while making an increasing number of appearances in studio films over the years.

Born in Baltimore and raised in Mississippi, Posey moved to New York to attend SUNY Purchase (where she shared a room with actress Sherry Stringfield) in the late 1980s. Her breakout role, as daytime TV staple As the World Turns' Tess Shelby belied her lasting prominence in independent cinema, which began with 1993's Dazed and Confused. The following four years would see Posey in a whopping 19 films, including the surprise hit Party Girl (1995) – her first starring role. She eventually garnered the attention of more mainstream directors, acting in more popular (though critically-panned) films such as Blade: Trinity (2004) and Superman Returns (1996). Posey may be best known for her scene-stealing work in Christopher Guest's mockumentary-style films, playing such parts as the high-strung catalog fiend whose search for her dog's prized "busy bee" toy is one of the oft-quoted highlights of Best in Show (2000), and proud Dairy Queen employee Libby Mae Brown of Waiting for Guffman (1996). Rumor has it she was considered for the romantic lead in Speed – which, as we all know, she ultimately lost to Sandra Bullock.

In more recent years, Parker Posey has managed to stay relevant by earning an Independent Spirit Award nomination in 2007 for best lead female (in Zoe Cassavetes' Broken English. Her attempt at carrying a sitcom may have failed (RIP The Return of Jezebel James), but she's made notable appearances in Amy Poehler's generally-beloved Parks and Recreation (playing rival to Poehler's Leslie Knope) and critically-acclaimed The Good Wife.

Posey and her reportedly ill-mannered Bichon-Maltese Gracie have been a ubiquitous presence in lower-Manhattan for years. The author of this profile – having met Gracie some time in the summer of 2009 – found the rumors about her to be patently untrue. Posey turned heads in 2009 for withdrawing from an Off-Broadway play – This – because of Lyme disease, and, by year's end, claiming to have beaten the disease with homeopathic remedies. [Image via AP]