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Biography

Yancy Victoria Butler, simply known as "YB" to fans, 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 with a small appearance in the slasher thriller Savage Weekend. At 13, Yancy went on to study at New York's prominent HB Studios; meanwhile, she 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. After guest appearances on TV, including 1990s New York stalwart Law & Order, and featured roles in the short-lived series Mann and Machine (1992) and South Beach (1993), the husky-voiced Butler made her film debut opposite Jean-Claude Van Damme in John Woo's inaugural American effort, Hard Target (1993). Aided by her exotic good looks as well as her acting chops, Butler became the action babe du jour with subsequent starring roles in Drop Zone (1994) opposite Wesley Snipes and B-actioner Fast Money (1995). Breaking away from the genre, Butler joined the cast of the ill-received ballroom dance comedy Let It Be Me (1995) and played the titular psycho in B-thriller The Ex (1997). Butler got a potentially major career break when she was cast in distinguished TV producer Steven Bochco's 1997 TV police drama Brooklyn South, but the series failed to catch on with viewers; Butler returned to B-movies, including the thriller Witness Files (1998). Her father is Lovin' Spoonful drummer Joe Butler.