Lori Petty

Lori Petty's squeaky, hoarse voice is difficult to mistake, but her physical confidence matters just as much. In Point Break (1991), her Tyler Endicott is the surfer teaching Keanu Reeves's character, which gives her something useful to do besides being distinctive. We warmed to her because that teaching role gives the brashness a purpose. She belongs in a film about people who know how to move, even when they are less convincing at explaining themselves.

Kathryn Bigelow builds Point Break around the attraction between Reeves's lawman and Patrick Swayze's surfer. Petty has to register alongside that relationship, and her directness is well suited to the task. The dialogue can be foolish, particularly when it reaches for spiritual significance, but the physical excitement is enough to earn our recommendation. Petty benefits from playing someone with a skill to pass on: Tyler's confidence has a basis we can understand without another speech about the meaning of surfing.

Penny Marshall then cast her as Kit Keller, a competitive pitcher, in A League of Their Own (1992). That is a sensible use of an actor who seems ready for an argument before anyone else has noticed a disagreement. The title role in Tank Girl (1995) puts her scrappy gusto at the centre, with less reliable results. Petty can look self-conscious when the job is simply to be outrageous, and the film's frenetic style does not help. Her willingness to throw herself into it is appealing, but the hyperactivity becomes tiring.

Later work took her through independent films and television guest appearances, before television gave her renewed visibility as Lolly Whitehill in Orange Is the New Black. The danger for such a recognisable performer is that the voice and attitude become the whole reason for the casting. There is more to do with Petty than ask her to be the oddest person present. Start with Point Break; Tank Girl asks for more patience.