Natasha Lyonne’s life – arrest, eviction, addiction and near-death experience

Natasha Lyonne’s character in Netflix series Russian Doll is forced to live her final night on a loop after dying – and it turns out the actress has had a fair few close-calls of her own.

The Hollywood star, who is also known for her roles in Orange Is The New Black and from the American Pie films, is riding the high of her glittering career, but chased highs of a different kind in the past.

The 46-year-old has struggled with drugs and had run-ins with the law, while also having major heart surgery than could’ve led to sudden death had it not been treated.

Now, as Russian Doll finally returns for season two, we take a look inside Natasha’s life.

Arrest and legal troubles

When Natasha was 22, back in 2001, she was arrested for an alleged drunk-driving incident after crashing into a road sign.

She was charged with careless driving, leaving the scene of an accident and driving under the influence and subsequently released on a $2,000 (£1,536) bond after eight hours in jail.

Natasha pleaded guilty and received six months of probation.

Then in 2005, when she was 26, an arrest warrant was issued for Natasha after she failed to appear in court for a hearing related to an alleged incident with neighbours.

According to Reuters, she had threatened to molest a neighbour’s dog.

She faced charges of criminal mischief, harassment and trespass after allegedly storming into a neighbour’s home and ripping a mirror off a wall.

A year later, she turned herself in at Manhattan Criminal Court, according to Reuters, and the charges were dropped after Natasha completed court-appointed rehab.

Eviction

Natasha was once the tenant of actor Michael Rapaport – known for roles in films such as Deep Blue Sea, Dr Dolittle 2 and drama series Prison Break.

It didn’t end well though and, in 2005, he evicted Natasha from the New York apartment she was renting from him.

He wrote in Jane Magazine: “People were going in and out of the apartment, [one of the tenants] was telling me about the late-night parties, and random dudes sprawled out on her sofa at all times.”

Michael claimed he found dead animals, faeces, broken glass and rubbish everywhere.

Natasha later said of the time: “At the time I didn’t understand, but now it’s like, if I owned a nice brownstone – and [someone[ was constantly moving pianos while listening to Richard Pryor CDs, and trying to figure out how to play Easy Like Sunday Morning on the piano for days at a time – I would potentially be p***ed too.”

She added to EW: “It’s the fallout of shenanigan-based behaviour.”

Drug problems

Natasha got involved with drugs during her teens and was kicked out of her Manhattan high school for selling marijuana.

Things eventually spiralled and she became addicted to opiates, which continued through her early acting career.

She was given a court-appointed rehab course in 2006 after an incident with her neighbours, which saw her stay out of jail.

And, during a hospital stay for a number of health issues, Natasha also received methadone treatment, which is commonly used with heroin addicts.

Natasha later told EW: “I was definitely as good as dead. A lot of people don’t come back. That makes me feel wary and self-conscious. I wouldn’t want to feel prideful about it.

“People really rallied around me and pulled me up by my f***ing bootstraps. There was a warrant for my arrest, which helped too.”

Near-death experience

Natasha has had a number of health issues in the past, including in 2005 when she was admitted to a Manhattan hospital under a pseudonym with hepatitis C, a heart infection and a collapsed lung.

Later, in 2012, the actress had open-heart surgery to correct damage which had been caused by the past infection.

Worryingly, it could have resulted in sudden death if it had been left untreated.

Luckily, she went on to make a recovery.

Love life

Natasha is believed to be single at the moment, but she has had a number of high-profile relationships in the past.

She dated actor Edward Furlong between 1998 and 1999, and Natasha told Harper’s Bazaar she was “crazy for him” at the time.

After that she dated actor Adam Goldberg between 2001 and 2004 after meeting on the set of Fast Sofa.

He had been in the car with her when she had been arrested for drink-driving.

In 2014, Natasha started dating Saturday Night Live star Fred Armisen.

They kept things low-key and out of the public eye, but Natasha confirmed they had broken up during an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.

She said: “I honestly think we broke up because I wanted a swimming pool.

“We love each other just about as much as two people can love each other and we’re still talking all the time, but Freddy doesn’t like a swimming pool.”

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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk