Kyra was born in New York and attended private schools. She made her professional acting debut, at 16, on the soap "Another World" (1964). A graduate of USC, Kyra pursued a career that includes Stage, Screen and Television. Kyra's reason for became an Actor is that it gives her the ability to be compassionate and to walk around in the shoes of others. Her first brush with stardom came in Born on the Fourth of July (1989) as Donna, the high school sweetheart of Tom Cruise. Two of her roles led to Golden Globe nominations - Miss Rose White (1992) (TV), and Something to Talk About (1995). She met her husband when they played in leads in the TV movie Lemon Sky (1988) (TV).