Bonnie Somerville
Encyclopedia
Bonnie Somerville is an American
actress and singer. As an actress, she has had roles in a number of movies and television series, most notably NYPD Blue
, Grosse Pointe
, Friends
, The O.C.
and Cashmere Mafia
.
, New York
. She started acting and singing at a young age, appearing in high school plays at Poly Prep Country Day School
in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. Somerville attended Boston College
as a Musical Theater major, and returned home upon completing her education in order to try acting professionally.
At 2am the morning of October 18, 2008, Somerville and her friend were leaving a party thrown by T-Mobile on Sunset Blvd in Hollywood, CA when a man approached her and demanded her purse. A struggle ensued, and her friend was shot in the lower back with a .22 caliber handgun. Somerville then gave up her purse, and the shooter fled. He has not yet been apprehended.
. Her first major role for television was for the lead in the CBS
miniseries
, Shake, Rattle and Roll: An American Love Story (1999), in which she also sang.
Somerville starred in the 2000 series Grosse Pointe
, and later played Rachel Hoffman, a colleague of Sandy Cohen
, in Season 1 of The O.C.
. She had a recurring role on the sitcom Friends
as Mona, dating Ross
in Season 8.
Somerville had a supporting role during the final season (2004–2005) of NYPD Blue
as Det. Laura Murphy. She appeared in 15 episodes.
In 2005, Somerville starred in a lead role in the short-lived sitcom Kitchen Confidential. She also starred with Lucy Liu
, Miranda Otto
and Frances O'Connor
in the short-lived 2008 ABC
dramedy Cashmere Mafia
.
She also guest-starred in CBS's Gary Unmarried
.
Somerville also appeared in the films Spider-Man 2
, Without a Paddle
, Bedazzled
, Shades of Ray
, The Ugly Truth
and Labor Pains
.
In June 2010, Somerville appeared in an episode of Royal Pains
.
at which point she assembled a band and got an agent. Somerville sang backup on Joshua Radin
's first record. Her song "Winding Road" was included on the soundtrack for the film Garden State
.
Somerville is currently a singer in the group Band from TV
with Greg Grunberg
, Bob Guiney
, James Denton
, Hugh Laurie
, Jesse Spencer
, Barry Sarna, Brad Savage
, Rich Winer, and Chris Kelley.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress and singer. As an actress, she has had roles in a number of movies and television series, most notably NYPD Blue
NYPD Blue
NYPD Blue is an American television police drama set in New York City, exploring the internal and external struggles of the fictional 15th precinct of Manhattan...
, Grosse Pointe
Grosse Pointe (TV series)
Grosse Pointe is an American television parody series which aired on the WB Network during the 2000-2001 television season. Created by Darren Star, it was a satire depicting the behind-the-scenes drama on the set of a television show, and was inspired in large part by Star's experiences as the...
, Friends
Friends
Friends is an American sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994 to May 6, 2004. The series revolves around a group of friends in Manhattan. The series was produced by Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
, The O.C.
The O.C.
The O.C. is an American teen drama television series that originally aired on the Fox television network in the United States from August 5, 2003, to February 21, 2007, running a total of four seasons...
and Cashmere Mafia
Cashmere Mafia
Cashmere Mafia is an American television dramedy which ran on ABC from January 6, 2008 to February 20, 2008. The series was created by Kevin Wade, who also served as executive producer alongside Darren Star, Gail Katz, Jeff Rake and Michael Pressman, with Susie Fitzgerald co-executive producing....
.
Personal life
Somerville was born and raised in BrooklynBrooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. She started acting and singing at a young age, appearing in high school plays at Poly Prep Country Day School
Poly Prep Country Day School
'Poly Prep Country Day School is headquartered in the Dyker Heights section of Brooklyn, New York. Initially founded as part of the Brooklyn Collegiate and Polytechnic Institute, Poly Prep now offers classes from the nursery grade to 12th grade, occupying buildings on two campuses...
in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. Somerville attended Boston College
Boston College
Boston College is a private Jesuit research university located in the village of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA. The main campus is bisected by the border between the cities of Boston and Newton. It has 9,200 full-time undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students. Its name reflects its early...
as a Musical Theater major, and returned home upon completing her education in order to try acting professionally.
At 2am the morning of October 18, 2008, Somerville and her friend were leaving a party thrown by T-Mobile on Sunset Blvd in Hollywood, CA when a man approached her and demanded her purse. A struggle ensued, and her friend was shot in the lower back with a .22 caliber handgun. Somerville then gave up her purse, and the shooter fled. He has not yet been apprehended.
Acting career
Somerville's first acting job was as an extra in the 1996 film City HallCity Hall (film)
City Hall is a 1996 film directed by Harold Becker. Al Pacino and John Cusack star as the Mayor of New York and his idealistic deputy mayor....
. Her first major role for television was for the lead in the CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
miniseries
Miniseries
A miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a television show production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...
, Shake, Rattle and Roll: An American Love Story (1999), in which she also sang.
Somerville starred in the 2000 series Grosse Pointe
Grosse Pointe (TV series)
Grosse Pointe is an American television parody series which aired on the WB Network during the 2000-2001 television season. Created by Darren Star, it was a satire depicting the behind-the-scenes drama on the set of a television show, and was inspired in large part by Star's experiences as the...
, and later played Rachel Hoffman, a colleague of Sandy Cohen
Sandy Cohen
Sanford "Sandy" Cohen is a fictional character on the FOX series The O.C., portrayed by Peter Gallagher.Sandy, a lawyer, raconteur, and son of Sophie Cohen, is married to Kirsten Cohen. Their eldest child, Seth, is something of a social misfit. Sandy's father left his mother when he was young and...
, in Season 1 of The O.C.
The O.C.
The O.C. is an American teen drama television series that originally aired on the Fox television network in the United States from August 5, 2003, to February 21, 2007, running a total of four seasons...
. She had a recurring role on the sitcom Friends
Friends
Friends is an American sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994 to May 6, 2004. The series revolves around a group of friends in Manhattan. The series was produced by Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
as Mona, dating Ross
Ross Geller
Ross Eustace Geller, Ph.D. is a fictional character on the popular U.S. television series Friends, portrayed by David Schwimmer. The character is noted for his geeky, lovable demeanor.- Origin :...
in Season 8.
Somerville had a supporting role during the final season (2004–2005) of NYPD Blue
NYPD Blue
NYPD Blue is an American television police drama set in New York City, exploring the internal and external struggles of the fictional 15th precinct of Manhattan...
as Det. Laura Murphy. She appeared in 15 episodes.
In 2005, Somerville starred in a lead role in the short-lived sitcom Kitchen Confidential. She also starred with Lucy Liu
Lucy Liu
Lucy Alexis Liu is an American actress and film producer. She became known for playing the role of the vicious and ill-mannered Ling Woo in the television series Ally McBeal , and has also appeared in several Hollywood films including Charlie's Angels, Chicago, Kill Bill, and Kung Fu Panda.-Early...
, Miranda Otto
Miranda Otto
Miranda Otto is an Australian actress. The daughter of actors Lindsay and Barry Otto and the sister of actress Gracie Otto, she began acting at age eighteen, and has performed in a variety of independent and major studio films....
and Frances O'Connor
Frances O'Connor
-Background:O'Connor was born in Wantage, Oxfordshire, England to a pianist mother and nuclear physicist father. When O'Connor was two, her family moved back to Perth, Western Australia. O'Connor was raised a Roman Catholic and attended the Mercedes College in Perth...
in the short-lived 2008 ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
dramedy Cashmere Mafia
Cashmere Mafia
Cashmere Mafia is an American television dramedy which ran on ABC from January 6, 2008 to February 20, 2008. The series was created by Kevin Wade, who also served as executive producer alongside Darren Star, Gail Katz, Jeff Rake and Michael Pressman, with Susie Fitzgerald co-executive producing....
.
She also guest-starred in CBS's Gary Unmarried
Gary Unmarried
Gary Unmarried was an American sitcom created by Ed Yeager, which ran on CBS from September 24, 2008 to March 17, 2010. The series focuses on a recently divorced couple sharing custody of their kids while starting new relationships...
.
Somerville also appeared in the films Spider-Man 2
Spider-Man 2
Spider-Man 2 is a 2004 American superhero film directed by Sam Raimi, written by Alvin Sargent and developed by Alfred Gough, Miles Millar, and Michael Chabon. It is the second film in the Spider-Man film franchise based on the fictional Marvel Comics character Spider-Man...
, Without a Paddle
Without A Paddle
Without a Paddle is a 2004 comedy film about three reunited childhood friends going on a trip up a remote river in order to search for the body of a long lost thief and his loot...
, Bedazzled
Bedazzled
Bedazzled is the title of two comic films:*Bedazzled *Bedazzled , a remake of the 1967 filmOther uses:* Bedazzled Records, a record label...
, Shades of Ray
Shades of Ray
Shades of Ray is a 2008 independent film written and directed by Jaffar Mahmood. The film stars Zachary Levi as a half-white, half-Pakistani man wrestling with his mixed identity while waiting for his white girlfriend to respond to his marriage proposal...
, The Ugly Truth
The Ugly Truth (film)
The Ugly Truth is a 2009 American romantic comedy film starring Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler. The film was released in North America on July 24, 2009, produced by Lakeshore Entertainment for Columbia Pictures .- Plot :...
and Labor Pains
Labor Pains
Labor Pains is a 2009 romantic comedy starring Lindsay Lohan, Luke Kirby, Cheryl Hines, Chris Parnell, Bridgit Mendler, and Kevin Covais. The film received a television premiere on ABC Family on July 19, 2009. It was originally scheduled to be released in theatres...
.
In June 2010, Somerville appeared in an episode of Royal Pains
Royal Pains
Royal Pains is a USA Network television series that premiered on June 4, 2009, starring Mark Feuerstein, Paulo Costanzo, Jill Flint and Reshma Shetty. The series is based in part on actual concierge medicine practices of independent doctors and companies...
.
Music career
Somerville was noticed by a modeling scout while waiting tables. At the age of 22, Bonnie moved to Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
at which point she assembled a band and got an agent. Somerville sang backup on Joshua Radin
Joshua Radin
Joshua Radin is an American recording artist, songwriter and actor. He was born and raised in Shaker Heights, Ohio, and is of Swedish, German, Polish, Russian, and Austrian descent. He studied drawing and painting at Northwestern University, following his college years with stints as an art...
's first record. Her song "Winding Road" was included on the soundtrack for the film Garden State
Garden State (soundtrack)
Garden State is the soundtrack album to the film Garden State. Compilation producer Zach Braff was awarded a Grammy Award for Best Compilation Soundtrack for a Motion Picture for his work on the album.- Album information :...
.
Somerville is currently a singer in the group Band from TV
Band From TV
Band from TV is a charity cover band, whose members are all actors from American television series, who donate the proceeds of their performances and recordings to the charities of their choice.-Band history:...
with Greg Grunberg
Greg Grunberg
Gregory Phillip "Greg" Grunberg is an American television actor. He is best known from starring as Matt Parkman on the NBC television series Heroes. Other notable roles included the characters Sean Blumberg on Felicity and Eric Weiss on Alias , both created and produced by childhood friend J. J...
, Bob Guiney
Bob Guiney
Robert "Bob" Guiney was a contestant on the first season of The Bachelorette and later, appeared as the bachelor in the fourth season of The Bachelor. He has hosted GSN Live from 2009 until the show's ending in 2011....
, James Denton
James Denton (actor)
James "Jamie" Thomas Denton, Jr. is an American film and television actor, best known for playing Mike Delfino in the television series Desperate Housewives.-Early life:...
, Hugh Laurie
Hugh Laurie
James Hugh Calum Laurie, OBE , better known as Hugh Laurie , is an English actor, voice artist, comedian, writer, musician, recording artist, and director...
, Jesse Spencer
Jesse Spencer
Jesse Gordon Spencer is an Australian actor and musician. He is best known for his current portrayal of Dr. Robert Chase on the medical drama House and for playing Billy Kennedy in the Australian soap-opera Neighbours....
, Barry Sarna, Brad Savage
Brad Savage
Brad Savage is an American actor best known for his role as Danny in the 1984 movie Red Dawn, for which he received a nomination for the Young Artist Award in the category "Best Young Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture Musical, Comedy, Adventure or Drama".-Biography:Brad Savage was born in...
, Rich Winer, and Chris Kelley.