Lords, who is the middle of three sisters, was born and raised in Steubenville, Ohio. When she was 12, her mother, a schoolteacher, moved her daughters to Redondo Beach, Calif. At 18, Lords began studying at the famed Lee Strasberg Institute, and soon after, was cast in Roger Corman's feature film Not of This Earth, a science-fiction cult favorite. However, it was the campy film Cry Baby (directed by John Waters) that elevated Lords' legitimate profile among casting directors.

She pursued the role vigorously, and was added to an eclectic cast that included Johnny Depp, Iggy Pop and Ricki Lake. After the film's opening, Lords was approached with many offers for guest-starring TV roles, and she appeared in such series as MacGyver, Wiseguy, Superforce, Married ... with Children. Perhaps her most notable TV credits prior to Profiler were her recurring roles in Melrose Place (as Rikki, a cult leader) and in Roseanne. In her leisure time, Lords enjoys tennis, swimming, hiking and boxing (It's a good way to vent and still get a good workout!), and also likes gardening and working on her music. She contributes some of her time and energy to Children of the Night, a charitable organization dedicated to keeping underage children and teens off the streets of Hollywood. She resides in Los Angeles. Her birthday is May 7.