Lori Petty is an American actress, director, and screenwriter. This 59-year-old actress was born on October 14, 1963, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, United States. Petty began her acting career in the late 1980s and gained recognition for her roles in several films.
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One of her notable early roles was in the 1991 film “Point Break,” where she played the character Tyler Endicott, opposite Patrick Swayze and Keanu Reeves. She also appeared in the sports comedy film “A League of Their Own” (1992) alongside Tom Hanks and Geena Davis. For the younger generation, she is more popular for her role in the original Netflix series “Orange Is the New Black”.
Lori Petty starred in various film and television projects throughout her career. Some of her other notable films include “Tank Girl” (1995), “Prey for Rock & Roll” (2003), and “Broken Arrows” (2007). On television, aside from her notable participation in “Orange Is the New Black”, she also starred in the hit serial drama TV series “Prison Break”.
In addition to her acting career, Petty has also directed and written films. She directed the 2008 drama film “The Poker House,” which she also wrote. Her directorial work was well-received as it showcased her versatility as an artist.
Deemed one of America’s finest actresses, it didn’t come as a surprise that fans came poking into Petty’s personal life. Playing a gay role in the project that helped her gain widespread recognition made fans ask — is Lori Petty gay in real life? Read on for the answer to that question.
VOTE: What is Lori Petty’s Sexuality?
Lori Petty’s Sexuality: What Causes the Gay Rumors
The talks about Lori Petty’s sexuality started when she appeared in the second season of the Netflix hit series “Orange Is The New Black.” She played the role of the lesbian character Lolly Whitehill. Her performance on the show was well-received by the audience, thus, she made recurring appearances in the third, fourth, and seventh seasons. The actress gave life to the character so well that fans started to assume that, like the role she played in the series, she was also lesbian in real life.
Aside from making a notable impression with her “Orange Is The New Black” performance, the actress also took part in several movies with LGBT content such as “Tank Girl”, “A League Of Their Own”, and “Relax… It’s Just Sex”.
It must also be a huge factor that Petty loves to sport a tomboyish look with her hair cut really short. Having this tomboyish appearance on her made fans think that she was, indeed, a lesbian.
But is she? Let’s take a look at her romantic relationship to find out more.
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Lori Petty’s Relationships
The Orange Is the New Black actress has been known to keep her personal and professional lives separated. She always tries to keep her relationships away from the eyes of the public. Although it has been reported that Petty had been in several relationships with men in the past, information on her past romantic partners has been limited.
The only highly publicized relationship Petty had was with the renowned actor David Alan Grier. The two dated sometime in 1994. They have made several public appearances together. They would attend red carpet events as a couple and wouldn’t even shy away from showing some PDAs. Fans at one point thought they would last forever. Unfortunately, their romance was short-lived.
They never disclose the reason for their breakup to the public. They, however, remained close friends after they parted ways.
Petty had never dated anyone after the breakup. Or none that the public knows, at least. Although she had been rumored to John Wick actor after she said in an interview that Keannu Reeves, for her, was the sexiest man alive, it never goes beyond that.
The versatile actress was reportedly single as of writing. She once said in an interview that she wanted to focus on her acting career and that she never wanted to be branded as a bombshell or a sex symbol.
Petty also opened up about not being interested in becoming a mother. She said she couldn’t raise children since she is very busy and she needs to travel a lot. She, however, admitted that she was open to the idea of adoption or raising kids through surrogacy if the time comes that she wants kids.
Is Lori Petty Gay?
Despite the fact that Lori Petty was really secretive when it comes to her dating life and there is little information about her romantic relationships in the past, there was no substantial proof that points out that the veteran actress was lesbian. She may handle her lesbian roles really well and she may appear tomboyish, but the fact that she was never romantically linked to any women makes it safer to assume that she is straight.