A native of
Green Lake, Wisconsin, where she was the
salutatorian of her 1983 high school graduating class, in 1985 Whirry was accepted to study at the
American Academy of Dramatic Arts, one of only 365 accepted out of 3,000 applicants and one of only 65 to graduate the 2-year program. While attempting to establish her career in New York, Whirry worked as a bartender, took a number of small bit roles and appeared in a commercial for
FedEx; the latter work finally allowed her to join the
Screen Actors Guild. Her first film role was in the action film
Out for Justice starring
Steven Seagal. Other films at the time included
Private Obsession and
Playback, a
Playboy production. In the late 1990s, she transitioned from erotic thrillers into a series of roles on mainstream network television and films, including action, sci-fi and horror genres. She had a recurring role as
Mike Hammer's secretary Velda in the television series
Mike Hammer, Private Eye and made guest appearances on such shows as
ER,
Felicity,
Seinfeld,
V.I.P.,
Murphy Brown,
Malcolm in the Middle and
Nash Bridges. She also had a small role in the
Jim Carrey film
Me, Myself & Irene (2000). In 2007, she appeared on a
BBC TV miniseries,
Nuclear Secrets, playing Kitty Oppenheimer, the wife of
Robert Oppenheimer. She occasionally performs with theater companies in Arizona, where she lives and has continued appearing in small roles in films, including the independent film
Raising Buchanan in 2019. ==Filmography==