Advertised as "the face of the '80s," one-time model and Actors Studio-graduate Suzy Amis made her film bow in Fandango (1985). While making the film, Amis met her future husband Sam Robards, the son of Jason Robards, Jr. and Lauren Bacall. She followed Fandango with an off-Broadway appearance in Fresh Horses and next essayed an unprepossessing "goodie two-shoes" film role in The Big Town (1987). Despite having the least interesting assignment in that film, Amis managed to steal several scenes away from villainess Laura Dern. She further proved her acting mettle as the titular heroine of The Ballad of Little Jo (1993), portraying a young woman who passes herself off as a man to survive a harsh existence in the Old West. Unfortunately, although Amis earned a number of plaudits for her performance, the film all but disappeared at the box office. The actress turned up in lead and supporting roles in a number of varied films, including Rocket Gilbraltar (1988), Rich in Love (1993), The Usual Suspects (1995) — which cast her as the film's only substantial female character — and Titanic (1997), in which she played heroine Kate Winslet's great-granddaughter.