Coolidge had her breakthrough role in American Pie as Jeanine Stifler, or 'Stifler's mom', a boozed-up and sultry mom who seduces her son's classmate.

She played Paulette Bonafonté, the manicurist, in Legally Blonde, a role she reprised in the 2003 sequel.

Coolidge collaborated with Christopher Guest on Best in Show, playing Sherri Ann Cabot, a gold-digging dog owner.