A native of Portville, NY, actress Riki Lindhome attended Syracuse University and moved into professional assignments following graduation, initially with a spate of television roles (usually single or multi-episode guest turns) on series including Gilmore Girls and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Following a small supporting role as Hilary Swank's sister in Clint Eastwood's 2004 Best Picture sleeper Million Dollar Baby (Eastwood and Lindhome reteamed four years later for the period drama Changeling), the up-and-coming actress moved more squarely into teen-oriented work; assignments included the Dane Cook/Kate Hudson romantic comedy My Best Friend's Girl (2008) and the Wes Craven/Sean S. Cunningham slasher remake Last House on the Left (2009).