She is most recognised as Tiffany Valentine in the Child's Play franchise β , a role for which she is recognized as an "icon" in the horror film community.
She is known for her distinctive voice and comedic timing. She is the older sister of actress Meg Tilly. Tilly came to prominence when she received an Academy Award nomination for her portrayal of Olive Neal in Woody Allen 's film Bullets over Broadway.
She is also known for providing the voice of Bonnie Swanson on the animated television series Family Guy βpresent. Following her parents' divorce when she was five, Tilly was raised by her mother and stepfather, John Ward, on rural Texada Island , British Columbia. In , Tilly had small roles and had a recurring guest role on Hill Street Blues as Gina Srignoli, a mobster's widow who becomes romantically involved with detective Henry Goldblume.
She played Frasier Crane 's seductive-but-ditzy date Candi Pearson on an episode of the fourth season of Cheers and appeared as a similar character on the eleventh season of Frasier. She was also cast as a high-end prostitute on the short-lived comedy Key West , alongside Fisher Stevens.
Tilly's breakthrough film role was as a singing waitress in The Fabulous Baker Boys in a role that was written specially for her by Steve Kloves. Tilly starred in Bound , directed by The Wachowskis , which portrays a lesbian relationship her character has with Gina Gershon.
