Caitlin was born on August 16, 1953, in Whitefish Bay, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Growing up, she and her two older sisters turned their garage into a theatre. She made her formal stage debut at eight years old, playing Peter Pan in a Cumberland School summer production.
Caitlin's mother, a drama teacher, cast her in the role, and she later joined the North Shore Children's Theatre, a local professional touring company, at the age of 11. She played clarinet in the band at Whitefish Bay High School and was also a member of the choir.
At 17, Caitlin won a scholarship to the prestigious Juilliard School of Drama in New York City. During her four years at Juilliard, she studied under Oscar-winning actor John Houseman and performed in various classic roles, including Masha in "The Seagull," Doreen in "Tartuffe," Juliet in "Romeo and Juliet," and Esmeralda in "Camino Reef."
After graduating from Juilliard, Caitlin made her off-Broadway debut as Loretta in "Hot House" at the Chelsea Theatre. She then moved to Broadway to understudy the role of Elizabeth in "A Matter of Gravity," starring Katherine Hepburn.
Caitlin continued to work in theatre, television, and film, appearing in productions such as "Gogol" at the New York Shakespeare Festival, "A Christmas Carol" at Playwrights Horizon, and "White Marriage" at the Odyssey Theatre.
She also appeared in several television movies, including "Mark Twain's America" and "The Seeding of Sarah Burns." Caitlin's early film roles included "He Knows You're Alone" (1980) and "A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy" (1982).
She went on to appear in Woody Allen's films "Zelig" (1983),"The Purple Rose of Cairo" (1985),and "Three O'Clock High" (1987). Caitlin was also known for her television roles, including "Tales of the Gold Monkey" (1982) and "The Charmings" (1987).
In addition to her acting career, Caitlin created a company called "Caitlin" that markets perfumes she personally created. She continues to act, with her recent feature film being "Brooklyn Lobster" (2005). Caitlin lives on a horse farm outside New York City with her many pets, including dogs and horses.
