Hedra Carlson

Hedra "Hedy" Carlson (real name Ellen Besch) is the villain of the 1992 movie, Single White Female. She is portrayed by Jennifer Jason Leigh.

When Alison "Allie" Jones posts an advert request a new room-mate - following her split with cheating boyfriend, Sam - a last possible candidate for the vacancy turns out to be Hedy (as Allie nicknames her).

After a successful interview, Allie eventually lets Hedra move in: however, things aren't as they seem with Hedy.

When Sam calls - hoping for reconciliation with Allie - Hedy erases the message he leaves on the answering machine. She later buys a puppy (that she calls Buddy) which she pretends is a stray, so she can bond Allie.

After Allie decides to go on a date with Sam, a moody Hedy sits alone in the apartment watching TV - and violently kicks Buddy away, when he sits by her feet, pining. Later, when Allie and Sam go out again, Hedy throws Buddy out of the window - where he dies, after hitting the pavement way below - and blames Sam, by making out that Buddy was able to jump off the balcony, because Sam was unable to fix a loose railing.

Allie later finds that Hedra has clothes that are identical to hers, in her wardrobe - and is appalled when Hedy's "surprise" for her turns out to be Hedy getting her hair redone to match Allie's. Hedy says that she did this, because she thinks of her and Allie as sisters.

After Mitchell Myerson (Allie's new boss) tells Allie that, if she doesn't do as he says, then he'll warn off future clients - before he then attempts to rape her - Hedy later learns about it, and phones Myerson. Pretending to be Allie, she threatens Myerson, by telling him that if he does anything, then he and his family "are fucked!".

Later, Allie finds a shoebox in Hedy's room, which contains letters that Sam wrote to her (that Hedy hid from her) and newspaper clippings - which reveal that not only is Hedy's real name Ellen Besch, but that her (Hedy's) twin sister drowned when they were nine years old.

Allie then decides to follow an oblivious Hedy to an underground sex club, where she witnesses Hedy pretending to be her. When Hedy arrives home, she overhears Allie confiding in her gay friend Graham about her fears about Hedy.

Furious, Hedy duct-tapes the air-vents (through which sound travels between Graham's apartment and Allie's apartment) and attacks Graham, after sneaking into his apartment.

Afterwards, she visits Sam (whilst pretending to be Allie) and forces herself on himself. When Sam decides to tell Allie about what happened, Hedy panics and kills him - by stabbing him through the eye, with a stiletto heel.

The next day, Hedy - who has been furiously cleaning the apartment - tells Allie that she is leaving. Allie sees the news report of Sam's death - and figures out the truth, before then trying to leave the apartment, as well.