Her parents are Naomi Judd, who later became a country music singer and motivational speaker, and Michael Charles Ciminella, a marketing analyst for the horse racing industry.

[8] Starting in 1991, Judd appeared as Ensign Robin Lefler, a Starfleet officer, in two episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, "Darmok" and "The Game".

Believing that this role would shape the rest of her career, Judd was extremely nervous before the audition, nearly getting into a car accident en route.

The following year, she gained critical acclaim for her role as Harvey Keitel's estranged daughter in Wayne Wang's Smoke and as Val Kilmer's wife in Michael Mann's Heat.

[12] In 2002, Judd starred in Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, which performed well, and acted in the critically acclaimed film Frida.

[14] In 2004 she received praise and a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress, for her performance in De-Lovely, opposite Kevin Kline, who played Cole Porter.

In 2014, Judd was the narrator of the documentary film about Turkish preacher Fethullah Gülen, Love Is a Verb, directed by Terry Spencer Hesser.

[19][20] Starting in 2004, Judd was the advertising "face" of American Beauty,[21] an Estée Lauder cosmetic brand sold at Kohl's department stores, and of H. Stern jewelers.

[29] In February 2006, she entered a program at Shades of Hope Treatment Center in Buffalo Gap, Texas and stayed for 47 days.

Judd undertook postgraduate study, earning a mid-career MPA degree from Harvard Kennedy School in 2010.

In October 2017, she said the person was Harvey Weinstein, co-founder of Miramax, and said that the sexual harassment occurred during the filming of Kiss the Girls.

[45] At the Women in the World summit in April 2019, Judd addressed Georgia's six-week abortion ban, which had been passed in March 2019.

"[46] Judd has conducted humanitarian work that focuses on gender equality, pro abortion causes and the rights of women and girls.

In 2016, she was appointed a Goodwill Ambassador for UNFPA, the United Nations agency with responsibilities including sexual and reproductive health.

As of May 2018, she had visited UNFPA's projects for women and girls affected by humanitarian crises in Jordan,[47] Turkey, Ukraine,[48] and Bangladesh,[49] and its development work in India[50] and Sri Lanka.

[52] She is a member of the advisory board for Apne Aap Women Worldwide, an organization fighting sex-trafficking and inter-generational prostitution in India.

[54] Judd is active on the speakers' circuit, giving speeches about gender equality, abuse and humanitarian topics.

In 2009, she appeared in a one-minute video advertisement for the Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund, in which Judd condemned Alaska Governor Sarah Palin for supporting aerial wolf hunting.

Judd was honored November 10, 2009, as the recipient of the fourth annual USA Today Hollywood Hero, awarded for her work with PSI.

In the interview, Judd discussed her efforts to raise awareness about how conflict minerals fuel sexual violence in Congo.

During her trip, Judd visited hospitals for victims of sexual violence, camps for displaced persons, mines, and civil society organizations.

[63] In response, the conservative Super PAC American Crossroads released an attack ad against Judd in Kentucky.

[67][68] On July 26, 2016, Judd attended a Creative Coalition luncheon in support of DC Statehood that took place during the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.

Eleanor Holmes Norton, also included actors Elizabeth Banks, Tim Daly, Josh Gad, William Baldwin, and David Schwimmer.

[70] On July 12, 2024, Judd wrote an op-ed for USA Today calling on President Joe Biden to suspend his 2024 reelection campaign.

She wrote Biden was "incapable of countering Trump, while he, unchecked, gushed a firehose of galling lies" at the first presidential debate of the cycle in late June, 2024.