Ashley was born in San Francisco in

Ashley was born in San Francisco in 1968. Her father left soon after she was born, and her mother was a struggling singer who moved so often that Ashley went to twelve different schools in thirteen years. When Ashley was 16, her mother and sister signed a contract with a large record company. They sold 15 million albums, which made Ashley "famous" while she was still studying at school. She was always independent, so the wanted to be an actor rather than follow in her mother's footsteps.