Michelle Forbes
Encyclopedia
Michelle Renee Forbes Guajardo (born January 8, 1965), known professionally as Michelle Forbes, is an American actress who has built a career of work in television and independent film and has acted in productions in both the United States and in the United Kingdom. Forbes first gained attention from her dual role in daytime soap opera Guiding Light
, for which she received a Daytime Emmy Award
nomination. She has also been nominated for multiple Screen Actors Guild- and Saturn Award
s during her career.
Although she has appeared in significant roles in movies such as Escape from L.A.
, Kalifornia
and Swimming with Sharks
, Forbes is known for her recurring appearances on genre and drama shows such as Star Trek: The Next Generation
and her regular role as Dr. Julianna Cox
on Homicide: Life on the Street
during the 1990s, while building her career with recurring roles throughout the 2000s in Battlestar Galactica
, 24
, In Treatment
, Durham County
, Prison Break
and her series regular role as Maryann Forrester on True Blood
.
She is currently on the main cast of the AMC television series The Killing, for which she received a Primetime Emmy Award
nomination on July 14, 2011.
, Texas
, Forbes hoped to become a ballet dancer. She began receiving formal acting training at the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts
in Houston
. While on vacation in New York City
at the age of 16, she found herself auditioning for a film; although she was not selected, she signed with the William Morris Agency
and began her professional acting career. In 1987, at age 22, she landed the dual roles of Solita Carrera and Sonni Carrera Lewis on the daytime soap opera Guiding Light
. She performed on the show for two years, receiving a Daytime Emmy Award
nomination for her performance in 1990.
After this role, she continued in theater, which was an early love of hers, and began appearing in small guest roles on television to raise her profile. She went on to make guest appearances on a few other TV shows (including Star Trek: The Next Generation
and Father Dowling Mysteries
) before landing the recurring role of Ro Laren
, a fiery, yet reserved Bajoran
, towards the end of the run of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Her portrayal of disgraced Bajoran
Starfleet
officer Ensign Ro won her many fans among the genre community, and her character quickly became a favorite despite appearing in just eight episodes.
Rather than reprise the role of Ro for spin-off Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
, Forbes declined the offer for a primary role in that series and decided to focus on a career in films. She received praise, as well as a Saturn Award
nomination from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, for her performance as the photographer Carrie Laughlin in the 1993 thriller Kalifornia
. This was followed with the lead female role in the acclaimed 1994 black comedy Swimming with Sharks
, as well as supporting roles in such films as The Road Killers, Just Looking and John Carpenter
's 1996 science fiction/action sequel Escape from L.A.
She continued performing on television during this period, with guest spots on Seinfeld
, The Outer Limits
, as well as returning to Star Trek: The Next Generation to tie up the Ro Laren storyline in the series' penultimate episode.
Forbes returned to Guiding Light and reprise the role as Sonni Carrera from February 1994 until September of that same year. Forbes would not return until 2004.
In 1996, Forbes joined the cast of NBC
's popular police drama Homicide: Life on the Street
, playing chief medical examiner Julianna Cox
. She remained with the show for two years, then was let go as part of a major cast overhaul (the series would be canceled after one more season). However, she would reprise the role in the 2000 TV special Homicide: The Movie. That same year, Forbes became a regular on Wonderland
, an ABC
series, but it was pulled from the air after only two episodes. Forbes was next seen in a recurring role on the police drama The District
.
She was subsequently given roles in films such as 2001's Perfume
and 2002's American Girl
, as well as the 2001 British TV movie Messiah
(for which she studied British sign language
for a week) and its sequel installments: Messiah 2: Vengeance is Mine in 2002 and Messiah III in 2003. During the 2002–2003 TV season, Forbes played the recurring character of Lynne Kresge, the aide to the President of the United States
, on the second season of the action series 24
. Actor Dennis Haysbert
, who played President Palmer
, reportedly was a big Star Trek
fan and excited to work with her given her history with the show. She followed her role on 24 with a guest spot on Alias
, then went on to play Admiral Helena Cain
in three episodes of the re-imagining of the classic sci-fi series Battlestar Galactica, as well as starring in the TV movie Battlestar Galactica: Razor
. She followed this up with a recurring role as Agent Samantha Brinker on the drama Prison Break
and guest starred on Boston Legal
and Lost
.
Forbes starred as the lead in the adaptation of the comic-book Global Frequency, the single produced episode of which infamously leaked online
the following year, eight months after the series failed to be picked up by Warner Bros.
networks. This was the first instance of an unaired pilot episode leaking via P2P
and BitTorrent clients.
Forbes returned to British television screens with guest roles in both Holby City
and as a Mossad
agent in Waking The Dead
. In 2008, Forbes starred in two HBO drama series; In Treatment, portraying the wife of the central character, and in True Blood
as a Maenad
named Maryann Forrester. She reprised her semi-regular roles in both series in their respective second seasons in 2009, as well as joining the cast of the Canadian
psychological drama series Durham County
for its second season as Dr. Penelope Verity.
Forbes plays the role of Mitch Larsen in the U.S. television series The Killing, a 2011 remake of the Danish crime series Forbrydelsen (The Crime)
.
; the marriage ended in divorce. Afterward she dated fellow Homicide: Life on the Street
co-star Reed Diamond
for a period.
Guiding Light
Guiding Light is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest running drama in television and radio history, running from 1937 until 2009...
, for which she received a Daytime Emmy Award
Daytime Emmy Award
The Daytime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the Los Angeles-based Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American daytime television programming...
nomination. She has also been nominated for multiple Screen Actors Guild- and Saturn Award
Saturn Award
The Saturn Award is an award presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films to honor the top works in science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, television, and home video. The Saturn Awards were devised by Dr. Donald A. Reed in 1972, who felt that films within...
s during her career.
Although she has appeared in significant roles in movies such as Escape from L.A.
Escape from L.A.
Escape From L.A. is a 1996 film directed by John Carpenter. The sequel to the action film Escape from New York, the film follows former war hero Snake Plissken, played by Kurt Russell...
, Kalifornia
Kalifornia
Kalifornia is an American thriller/road film, directed by Dominic Sena and starring Brad Pitt, Juliette Lewis, David Duchovny, and Michelle Forbes. The film focuses on an aspiring writer and his photographer girlfriend who are traveling cross-country to research serial killers...
and Swimming with Sharks
Swimming with Sharks
Swimming With Sharks is a 1994 American comedy drama film, directed and written by George Huang.- Plot :...
, Forbes is known for her recurring appearances on genre and drama shows such as Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Roddenberry, Rick Berman, and Michael Piller served as executive producers at different times throughout the production...
and her regular role as Dr. Julianna Cox
Julianna Cox
Julianna Cox is a fictional chief medical examiner in the TV show Homicide: Life on the Street for seasons 5-6, played by actress Michelle Forbes....
on Homicide: Life on the Street
Homicide: Life on the Street
Homicide: Life on the Street is an American police procedural television series chronicling the work of a fictional version of the Baltimore Homicide Unit. It ran for seven seasons on NBC from 1993 to 1999, and was succeeded by a TV movie, which also acted as the de-facto series finale...
during the 1990s, while building her career with recurring roles throughout the 2000s in Battlestar Galactica
Battlestar Galactica (2004 TV series)
Battlestar Galactica is an American military science fiction television series, and part of the Battlestar Galactica franchise. The show was developed by Ronald D. Moore as a re-imagining of the 1978 Battlestar Galactica television series created by Glen A. Larson...
, 24
24 (TV series)
24 is an American television series produced for the Fox Network and syndicated worldwide, starring Kiefer Sutherland as Counter Terrorist Unit agent Jack Bauer. Each 24-episode season covers 24 hours in the life of Bauer, using the real time method of narration...
, In Treatment
In Treatment
In Treatment is an American HBO drama, produced and developed by Rodrigo Garcia, about a psychologist, 50-something Dr. Paul Weston, and his weekly sessions with patients, as well as those with his own therapist at the end of the week. The program, which stars Gabriel Byrne as Paul, debuted on...
, Durham County
Durham County (TV series)
Durham County is a one-hour Canadian dramatic television series produced by Back Alley Film Productions Ltd. and Muse Entertainment Enterprises...
, Prison Break
Prison Break
Prison Break is an American television serial drama created by Paul Scheuring, that was broadcast on the Fox Broadcasting Company for four seasons, from 2005 until 2009. The series revolves around two brothers; one has been sentenced to death for a crime he did not commit, and the other devises an...
and her series regular role as Maryann Forrester on True Blood
True Blood
True Blood is an American television series created and produced by Alan Ball. It is based on The Southern Vampire Mysteries series of novels by Charlaine Harris, detailing the co-existence of vampires and humans in Bon Temps, a fictional, small town in the state of Louisiana...
.
She is currently on the main cast of the AMC television series The Killing, for which she received a Primetime Emmy Award
Primetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American primetime television programming...
nomination on July 14, 2011.
Life and career
Born in AustinAustin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, Forbes hoped to become a ballet dancer. She began receiving formal acting training at the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts
High School for the Performing and Visual Arts
The High School for the Performing and Visual Arts is a secondary school located at 4001 Stanford Street in the Montrose district of Houston, Texas. The school is a part of the Houston Independent School District....
in Houston
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
. While on vacation in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
at the age of 16, she found herself auditioning for a film; although she was not selected, she signed with the William Morris Agency
William Morris Agency
WME is the largest talent agency in the world, with offices in Beverly Hills, New York City, Nashville, London, and Miami. WME represents elite artists from all facets of the entertainment industry, including motion pictures, television, music, theatre, publishing, and physical production...
and began her professional acting career. In 1987, at age 22, she landed the dual roles of Solita Carrera and Sonni Carrera Lewis on the daytime soap opera Guiding Light
Guiding Light
Guiding Light is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest running drama in television and radio history, running from 1937 until 2009...
. She performed on the show for two years, receiving a Daytime Emmy Award
Daytime Emmy Award
The Daytime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the Los Angeles-based Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American daytime television programming...
nomination for her performance in 1990.
After this role, she continued in theater, which was an early love of hers, and began appearing in small guest roles on television to raise her profile. She went on to make guest appearances on a few other TV shows (including Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Roddenberry, Rick Berman, and Michael Piller served as executive producers at different times throughout the production...
and Father Dowling Mysteries
Father Dowling Mysteries
Father Dowling Mysteries is an American television mystery series that appeared between November 30, 1987 and May 2, 1991. For its first season, the show was on NBC; it moved to ABC network for its last two seasons...
) before landing the recurring role of Ro Laren
Ro Laren
Ro Laren is a recurring fictional character on Star Trek: The Next Generation, played by Michelle Forbes.Ro Laren was also planned to be a main character in the two following Star Trek television shows, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager...
, a fiery, yet reserved Bajoran
Bajoran
In the Star Trek science-fiction franchise, the Bajorans are a humanoid extraterrestrial species native to the planet Bajor. They were first introduced in the 1991 episode "Ensign Ro" of Star Trek: The Next Generation and subsequently also featured in episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and...
, towards the end of the run of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Her portrayal of disgraced Bajoran
Bajoran
In the Star Trek science-fiction franchise, the Bajorans are a humanoid extraterrestrial species native to the planet Bajor. They were first introduced in the 1991 episode "Ensign Ro" of Star Trek: The Next Generation and subsequently also featured in episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and...
Starfleet
Starfleet
In the fictional universe of Star Trek, Starfleet or the Federation Starfleet is the deep-space exploratory, peacekeeping and military service maintained by the United Federation of Planets . It is the principal means by which the Federation conducts its exploration, defense, diplomacy and research...
officer Ensign Ro won her many fans among the genre community, and her character quickly became a favorite despite appearing in just eight episodes.
Rather than reprise the role of Ro for spin-off Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe...
, Forbes declined the offer for a primary role in that series and decided to focus on a career in films. She received praise, as well as a Saturn Award
Saturn Award
The Saturn Award is an award presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films to honor the top works in science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, television, and home video. The Saturn Awards were devised by Dr. Donald A. Reed in 1972, who felt that films within...
nomination from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, for her performance as the photographer Carrie Laughlin in the 1993 thriller Kalifornia
Kalifornia
Kalifornia is an American thriller/road film, directed by Dominic Sena and starring Brad Pitt, Juliette Lewis, David Duchovny, and Michelle Forbes. The film focuses on an aspiring writer and his photographer girlfriend who are traveling cross-country to research serial killers...
. This was followed with the lead female role in the acclaimed 1994 black comedy Swimming with Sharks
Swimming with Sharks
Swimming With Sharks is a 1994 American comedy drama film, directed and written by George Huang.- Plot :...
, as well as supporting roles in such films as The Road Killers, Just Looking and John Carpenter
John Carpenter
John Howard Carpenter is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, editor, composer, and occasional actor. Although Carpenter has worked in numerous film genres in his four-decade career, his name is most commonly associated with horror and science fiction.- Early life :Carpenter was born...
's 1996 science fiction/action sequel Escape from L.A.
Escape from L.A.
Escape From L.A. is a 1996 film directed by John Carpenter. The sequel to the action film Escape from New York, the film follows former war hero Snake Plissken, played by Kurt Russell...
She continued performing on television during this period, with guest spots on Seinfeld
Seinfeld
Seinfeld is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, lasting nine seasons, and is now in syndication. It was created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, the latter starring as a fictionalized version of himself...
, The Outer Limits
The Outer Limits (1995 TV series)
The Outer Limits is an American television series that originally aired on Showtime,the Sci Fi Channel and in syndication between 1995 and 2002...
, as well as returning to Star Trek: The Next Generation to tie up the Ro Laren storyline in the series' penultimate episode.
Forbes returned to Guiding Light and reprise the role as Sonni Carrera from February 1994 until September of that same year. Forbes would not return until 2004.
In 1996, Forbes joined the cast of NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's popular police drama Homicide: Life on the Street
Homicide: Life on the Street
Homicide: Life on the Street is an American police procedural television series chronicling the work of a fictional version of the Baltimore Homicide Unit. It ran for seven seasons on NBC from 1993 to 1999, and was succeeded by a TV movie, which also acted as the de-facto series finale...
, playing chief medical examiner Julianna Cox
Julianna Cox
Julianna Cox is a fictional chief medical examiner in the TV show Homicide: Life on the Street for seasons 5-6, played by actress Michelle Forbes....
. She remained with the show for two years, then was let go as part of a major cast overhaul (the series would be canceled after one more season). However, she would reprise the role in the 2000 TV special Homicide: The Movie. That same year, Forbes became a regular on Wonderland
Wonderland (TV series)
Wonderland was a short-lived and controversial 2000 ABC television drama directed by Peter Berg. It depicted daily life in a mental institution, from the perspectives of both the doctors and patients. Only two episodes aired on ABC during its original run in 2000...
, an 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...
series, but it was pulled from the air after only two episodes. Forbes was next seen in a recurring role on the police drama The District
The District
The District is a television police drama which aired on CBS from October 7, 2000 to May 1, 2004. The show followed the work and personal life of the chief of Washington, D.C.'s Police Department .-Premise:...
.
She was subsequently given roles in films such as 2001's Perfume
Perfume (2001 film)
Perfume is a 2001 film about the fashion industry in New York City.-Plot:Prior to a major show, the people involved find themselves embroiled in their own personal battles....
and 2002's American Girl
American Girl (film)
American Girl is a 2002 American film directed by Jordan Brady, starring Jena Malone, Michelle Forbes, Brad Renfro, Alicia Witt, and Erik von Detten. The film premiered on October 16, 2002 at the Austin Film Festival...
, as well as the 2001 British TV movie Messiah
Messiah (TV series)
Messiah is a British television drama series, broadcast on the BBC One network and produced in-house by BBC Northern Ireland, although the series itself is set in England. Made up of a series of occasional serials, the first, with two parts subtitled The First Killings & The Reckoning, was...
(for which she studied British sign language
British Sign Language
British Sign Language is the sign language used in the United Kingdom , and is the first or preferred language of some deaf people in the UK; there are 125,000 deaf adults in the UK who use BSL plus an estimated 20,000 children. The language makes use of space and involves movement of the hands,...
for a week) and its sequel installments: Messiah 2: Vengeance is Mine in 2002 and Messiah III in 2003. During the 2002–2003 TV season, Forbes played the recurring character of Lynne Kresge, the aide to the President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
, on the second season of the action series 24
24 (TV series)
24 is an American television series produced for the Fox Network and syndicated worldwide, starring Kiefer Sutherland as Counter Terrorist Unit agent Jack Bauer. Each 24-episode season covers 24 hours in the life of Bauer, using the real time method of narration...
. Actor Dennis Haysbert
Dennis Haysbert
Dennis Dexter Haysbert is an American film and television actor. He is known for portraying baseball player Pedro Cerrano in the Major League film trilogy, President David Palmer on the American television series 24, and Sergeant Major Jonas Blane on the drama series The Unit, as well as his work...
, who played President Palmer
David Palmer (24 character)
David Palmer, J.D. is a fictional President of the United States played by Dennis Haysbert as part of the television series 24. Palmer served as the show's second-most prominent protagonist, after Jack Bauer. Throughout the series, Palmer's ex-wife Sherry and brother Wayne are both key figures in...
, reportedly was a big Star Trek
Star Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
fan and excited to work with her given her history with the show. She followed her role on 24 with a guest spot on Alias
Alias (TV series)
Alias is an American action television series created by J. J. Abrams which was broadcast on ABC for five seasons, from September 30, 2001 to May 22, 2006...
, then went on to play Admiral Helena Cain
Helena Cain
Admiral Helena Cain is a fictional character in the reimagined science fiction television series Battlestar Galactica, portrayed by Michelle Forbes.-Youth:...
in three episodes of the re-imagining of the classic sci-fi series Battlestar Galactica, as well as starring in the TV movie Battlestar Galactica: Razor
Battlestar Galactica: Razor
Battlestar Galactica: Razor is a television film of the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica television series. It premiered in the United States on Sci Fi Channel, in Canada on the Space channel and in the United Kingdom on Sky One.-Production:...
. She followed this up with a recurring role as Agent Samantha Brinker on the drama Prison Break
Prison Break
Prison Break is an American television serial drama created by Paul Scheuring, that was broadcast on the Fox Broadcasting Company for four seasons, from 2005 until 2009. The series revolves around two brothers; one has been sentenced to death for a crime he did not commit, and the other devises an...
and guest starred on Boston Legal
Boston Legal
Boston Legal is an American legal dramedy created by David E. Kelley, which was produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television for the ABC...
and Lost
Lost (TV series)
Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...
.
Forbes starred as the lead in the adaptation of the comic-book Global Frequency, the single produced episode of which infamously leaked online
Internet leak
An Internet leak occurs when a party's confidential information is released to the public on the Internet. Various types of information and data can be, and have been, "leaked" to the Internet, the most common being personal information, computer software and source code, and artistic works such...
the following year, eight months after the series failed to be picked up by Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
networks. This was the first instance of an unaired pilot episode leaking via P2P
Peer-to-peer
Peer-to-peer computing or networking is a distributed application architecture that partitions tasks or workloads among peers. Peers are equally privileged, equipotent participants in the application...
and BitTorrent clients.
Forbes returned to British television screens with guest roles in both Holby City
Holby City
Holby City, stylised as Holby Ci+y, is a British medical drama television series that airs weekly on BBC One.The series was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a spin-off from the established BBC medical drama Casualty, and premiered on 12 January 1999...
and as a Mossad
Mossad
The Mossad , short for HaMossad leModi'in uleTafkidim Meyuchadim , is the national intelligence agency of Israel....
agent in Waking The Dead
Waking the Dead (TV series)
Waking the Dead is a British television police procedural crime drama series produced by the BBC featuring a fictional Cold Case Unit comprising CID police officers, a psychological profiler and a forensic scientist. A pilot episode aired in September 2000 and there have been a total of nine series...
. In 2008, Forbes starred in two HBO drama series; In Treatment, portraying the wife of the central character, and in True Blood
True Blood
True Blood is an American television series created and produced by Alan Ball. It is based on The Southern Vampire Mysteries series of novels by Charlaine Harris, detailing the co-existence of vampires and humans in Bon Temps, a fictional, small town in the state of Louisiana...
as a Maenad
Maenad
In Greek mythology, maenads were the female followers of Dionysus , the most significant members of the Thiasus, the god's retinue. Their name literally translates as "raving ones"...
named Maryann Forrester. She reprised her semi-regular roles in both series in their respective second seasons in 2009, as well as joining the cast of the Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
psychological drama series Durham County
Durham County (TV series)
Durham County is a one-hour Canadian dramatic television series produced by Back Alley Film Productions Ltd. and Muse Entertainment Enterprises...
for its second season as Dr. Penelope Verity.
Forbes plays the role of Mitch Larsen in the U.S. television series The Killing, a 2011 remake of the Danish crime series Forbrydelsen (The Crime)
The Killing (TV series)
The Killing is a BAFTA Award winning and Emmy nominated Danish crime TV series produced by Danmarks Radio. Each series follows the police investigation of one specific case, day by day, with a one-hour episode covering 24 hours of the investigation...
.
Personal life
She was married to Ross KettleRoss Kettle (actor)
Ross Kettle is an Emmy-award nominated actor, known for directing the play Soweto's Burning, and best known as Jeffrey Conrad in the NBC American television soap opera Santa Barbara.-Filmography:...
; the marriage ended in divorce. Afterward she dated fellow Homicide: Life on the Street
Homicide: Life on the Street
Homicide: Life on the Street is an American police procedural television series chronicling the work of a fictional version of the Baltimore Homicide Unit. It ran for seven seasons on NBC from 1993 to 1999, and was succeeded by a TV movie, which also acted as the de-facto series finale...
co-star Reed Diamond
Reed Diamond
Reed Edward Diamond is an American actor. He is best known for the role of Det. Mike Kellerman on Homicide: Life on the Street and the role of recurring character Laurence Dominic on Dollhouse...
for a period.
Cinema
| Year | Title | Role | Notes (All works are U.S. productions unless stated) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Loves Bites Love Bites (film) Love Bites is a 1993 comedy film starring 1980s pop star Adam Ant, Kimberly Foster, Roger Rose and Michelle Forbes... |
Nerissa | |
| Kalifornia Kalifornia Kalifornia is an American thriller/road film, directed by Dominic Sena and starring Brad Pitt, Juliette Lewis, David Duchovny, and Michelle Forbes. The film focuses on an aspiring writer and his photographer girlfriend who are traveling cross-country to research serial killers... |
Carrie Laughlin | Nomination for a Saturn Award for Best Actress | |
| 1994 | Swimming with Sharks Swimming with Sharks Swimming With Sharks is a 1994 American comedy drama film, directed and written by George Huang.- Plot :... |
Dawn Lockhard | |
| Roadflower Roadflower Roadflower also known as Road Flower or The Road Killers is a 1994 USA thriller/suspense starring ; Joseph Gordon-Levitt and David Arquette alongside familiar faces such as Josh Brolin, Christopher McDonald, John Pyper-Ferguson and the late Adrienne Shelly... |
Helen | ||
| 1995 | Just Looking Just Looking Just Looking is an American feature film from the year 1999. It starred Ryan Merriman, was directed by Jason Alexander and received a limited theatrical release.... |
Mary | |
| The Chosen One | The Mother | ||
| Black Day Blue Night Black Day Blue Night - Plot :A wife's husband is cheating on her. She decides to go on a road trip with her husband's other woman. While driving the two women pick up a hitchhiker. The man they pick up may be a robber and murderer on the run from the cops... |
Rinda Woolley | ||
| 1996 | Escape from L.A. Escape from L.A. Escape From L.A. is a 1996 film directed by John Carpenter. The sequel to the action film Escape from New York, the film follows former war hero Snake Plissken, played by Kurt Russell... |
Brazen | |
| 1998 | Dry Martini | Valeria | |
| 2000 | Bullfighter | Mary | |
| 2001 | Perfume Perfume (2001 film) Perfume is a 2001 film about the fashion industry in New York City.-Plot:Prior to a major show, the people involved find themselves embroiled in their own personal battles.... |
Francene | |
| 2002 | Confessions of an American Girl | Madge Grubb | |
| 2004 | Dandelion Dandelion (film) Dandelion is a 2004 film directed and co-written by Mark Milgard and stars Vincent Kartheiser , Taryn Manning , Arliss Howard , and Mare Winningham... |
Ms. Voss | |
| Al Roach: Private Investigator | Dede Dragonfly | Voice-over, animated feature | |
| 2009 | Diplomacy | U.S. Secretary of State | |
| 2010 | Highland Park | Sylvia |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes (All works are U.S. productions unless stated) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987–1989, 1994, 2004, 2009 | Guiding Light Guiding Light Guiding Light is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest running drama in television and radio history, running from 1937 until 2009... |
Dr. Sonni Carrera-Lewis | Multiple episodes |
| 1991 | Father Dowling Mysteries Father Dowling Mysteries Father Dowling Mysteries is an American television mystery series that appeared between November 30, 1987 and May 2, 1991. For its first season, the show was on NBC; it moved to ABC network for its last two seasons... |
Gym Instructor | 1 episode |
| Shannon's Deal Shannon's Deal Shannon's Deal is an American legal drama about a successful Philadelphia corporate lawyer named Jack Shannon who lost his family and his job to a compulsive gambling habit. It aired on NBC, originating as a high-rated two-hour television pilot on June 4, 1989, later becoming a regular series for... |
1 episode | ||
| Star Trek: The Next Generation Star Trek: The Next Generation Star Trek: The Next Generation is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Roddenberry, Rick Berman, and Michael Piller served as executive producers at different times throughout the production... |
Dara | 1 episode | |
| 1991–94 | Ensign / Lt. Ro Laren Ro Laren Ro Laren is a recurring fictional character on Star Trek: The Next Generation, played by Michelle Forbes.Ro Laren was also planned to be a main character in the two following Star Trek television shows, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager... |
8 episodes | |
| 1993 | Love Bites | Nerissa | film |
| 1994 | Seinfeld Seinfeld Seinfeld is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, lasting nine seasons, and is now in syndication. It was created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, the latter starring as a fictionalized version of himself... |
Julie | 1 episode |
| 1996 | The Outer Limits The Outer Limits (1995 TV series) The Outer Limits is an American television series that originally aired on Showtime,the Sci Fi Channel and in syndication between 1995 and 2002... |
Jamie Pratt | 1 episode |
| The Prosecutors | Dist. Atty. Rachel Simone | TV movie | |
| 1996–98 | Homicide: Life on the Street Homicide: Life on the Street Homicide: Life on the Street is an American police procedural television series chronicling the work of a fictional version of the Baltimore Homicide Unit. It ran for seven seasons on NBC from 1993 to 1999, and was succeeded by a TV movie, which also acted as the de-facto series finale... |
Dr. Julianna Cox | 32 episodes |
| 1998 | Brimstone Brimstone (TV series) Brimstone was a short-lived Fox television series, featuring a dead police detective whose mission is to return to Hell 113 spirits who have escaped to Earth. The series ran for only one partial season.... |
Assistant D.A. Julia Trent | 1 episode |
| 2000 | Homicide: The Movie | Dr. Julianna Cox | TV movie |
| The District The District The District is a television police drama which aired on CBS from October 7, 2000 to May 1, 2004. The show followed the work and personal life of the chief of Washington, D.C.'s Police Department .-Premise:... |
Helen York | 7 episodes | |
| Wonderland Wonderland (TV series) Wonderland was a short-lived and controversial 2000 ABC television drama directed by Peter Berg. It depicted daily life in a mental institution, from the perspectives of both the doctors and patients. Only two episodes aired on ABC during its original run in 2000... |
Dr. Lyla Garrity | 8 episodes (cancelled by 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... after 2 shows, remaining episodes broadcast by DirecTV DirecTV DirecTV is an American direct broadcast satellite service provider and broadcaster based in El Segundo, California. Its satellite service, launched on June 17, 1994, transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States, Latin America, and the Anglophone Caribbean. ... in 2008) |
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| 2001–04 | Messiah Messiah (TV series) Messiah is a British television drama series, broadcast on the BBC One network and produced in-house by BBC Northern Ireland, although the series itself is set in England. Made up of a series of occasional serials, the first, with two parts subtitled The First Killings & The Reckoning, was... |
Susan Metcalfe | 3 serial stories shown in multiple parts (UK production) |
| 2002 | Johnson County War Johnson County War The Johnson County War, also known as the War on Powder River, was a range war which took place in April 1892 in Johnson County, Natrona County and Converse County in the U.S. state of Wyoming... |
Rory Hammett | TV movie |
| Strong Medicine Strong Medicine Strong Medicine is a medical drama with a focus on feminist politics, health issues and class conflict. The television series aired on the Lifetime network from 2000 to 2006. It is distributed by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. The series was created and produced in part by comedienne and... |
Assistant District Attorney Jill Sorenson | 2 episodes | |
| Fastlane Fastlane (TV series) Fastlane is an American action/crime drama series that was broadcast on Fox from 2002 to 2003. On August 14, 2005 G4 began rebroadcasting the complete series. After finishing its initial run on the network, Fastlane stopped airing on G4... |
Lena | 1 episode | |
| 2002–03 | 24 24 (TV series) 24 is an American television series produced for the Fox Network and syndicated worldwide, starring Kiefer Sutherland as Counter Terrorist Unit agent Jack Bauer. Each 24-episode season covers 24 hours in the life of Bauer, using the real time method of narration... |
Lynne Kresge | 18 episodes |
| 2004 | Love is the Drug | Reena | 3 episodes (Irish production) |
| Global Frequency Global Frequency Global Frequency is an American comic book limited series published by Wildstorm Productions, created and written by Warren Ellis.It is a science fiction series set in the present day, consisting of single-issue, standalone stories. The series of twelve issues was published between October 2002 and... |
Miranda Zero | 1 unaired pilot, leaked online in 2005 | |
| 2005 | Alias Alias (TV series) Alias is an American action television series created by J. J. Abrams which was broadcast on ABC for five seasons, from September 30, 2001 to May 22, 2006... |
Dr. Maggie Sinclair | 1 episode |
| The Inside The Inside The Inside is an American crime drama television series created by Tim Minear and Howard Gordon and produced by Imagine Television. The Inside follows the work of the FBI's Los Angeles Violent Crimes Unit , a division dedicated to investigating particularly dangerous crimes. The Inside initially... |
Zoya Petikof | 1 episode | |
| 2005–06 | Battlestar Galactica Battlestar Galactica (2004 TV series) Battlestar Galactica is an American military science fiction television series, and part of the Battlestar Galactica franchise. The show was developed by Ronald D. Moore as a re-imagining of the 1978 Battlestar Galactica television series created by Glen A. Larson... |
Admiral Helena Cain Helena Cain Admiral Helena Cain is a fictional character in the reimagined science fiction television series Battlestar Galactica, portrayed by Michelle Forbes.-Youth:... |
3 episodes |
| Prison Break Prison Break Prison Break is an American television serial drama created by Paul Scheuring, that was broadcast on the Fox Broadcasting Company for four seasons, from 2005 until 2009. The series revolves around two brothers; one has been sentenced to death for a crime he did not commit, and the other devises an... |
Samantha Brinker | 7 episodes | |
| 2006 | Holby City Holby City Holby City, stylised as Holby Ci+y, is a British medical drama television series that airs weekly on BBC One.The series was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a spin-off from the established BBC medical drama Casualty, and premiered on 12 January 1999... |
Rhetta Slattery | 1 episode (UK production) |
| Boston Legal Boston Legal Boston Legal is an American legal dramedy created by David E. Kelley, which was produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television for the ABC... |
Juliette Monroe | 1 episode | |
| 2007 | Unthinkable | Jamie McDowell | TV movie |
| Battlestar Galactica: Razor Battlestar Galactica: Razor Battlestar Galactica: Razor is a television film of the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica television series. It premiered in the United States on Sci Fi Channel, in Canada on the Space channel and in the United Kingdom on Sky One.-Production:... |
Admiral Helena Cain Helena Cain Admiral Helena Cain is a fictional character in the reimagined science fiction television series Battlestar Galactica, portrayed by Michelle Forbes.-Youth:... |
TV movie | |
| 2007–08 | Waking the Dead Waking the Dead (TV series) Waking the Dead is a British television police procedural crime drama series produced by the BBC featuring a fictional Cold Case Unit comprising CID police officers, a psychological profiler and a forensic scientist. A pilot episode aired in September 2000 and there have been a total of nine series... |
Sarah | 3 episodes (UK production) |
| 2008 | Lost Lost (TV series) Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island... |
Karen Decker | 1 episode |
| 2008–09 | In Treatment In Treatment In Treatment is an American HBO drama, produced and developed by Rodrigo Garcia, about a psychologist, 50-something Dr. Paul Weston, and his weekly sessions with patients, as well as those with his own therapist at the end of the week. The program, which stars Gabriel Byrne as Paul, debuted on... |
Kate | 15 episodes (to date) |
| True Blood True Blood True Blood is an American television series created and produced by Alan Ball. It is based on The Southern Vampire Mysteries series of novels by Charlaine Harris, detailing the co-existence of vampires and humans in Bon Temps, a fictional, small town in the state of Louisiana... |
Maryann Forrester | 15 episodes | |
| 2009 | Durham County Durham County (TV series) Durham County is a one-hour Canadian dramatic television series produced by Back Alley Film Productions Ltd. and Muse Entertainment Enterprises... |
Dr. Pen Verrity | 6 episodes (to date) (Canadian production) |
| 2011 | The Killing | Mitch Larsen | 13 episodes |
Video games
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Half-Life 2 Half-Life 2 Half-Life 2 , the sequel to Half-Life, is a first-person shooter video game and a signature title in the Half-Life series. It is singleplayer, story-driven, science fiction, and linear... |
Dr. Judith Mossman | Voice-over |
| 2006 | Half-Life 2: Episode One Half-Life 2: Episode One Half-Life 2: Episode One is the first in a series of episodes that serve as the sequel for the 2004 first-person shooter video game Half-Life 2. It was developed by Valve Corporation and released on June 1, 2006. Originally called Half-Life 2: Aftermath, the game was later renamed to Episode One... |
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| 2007 | Half-Life 2: Episode Two Half-Life 2: Episode Two Half-Life 2: Episode Two is the second episode in a series of sequels to the 2004 first-person shooter video game Half-Life 2. It was developed by Valve Corporation in tandem with Episode One, the first game in the series, and released in Q4 2007 via Valve's Steam content distribution platform... |
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| 2009 | The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena is a science fiction first-person action game for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Mac OS X. The game is a sequel to The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay, which has been remade and has been included along with the Assault... |
Captain Gail Revas | Voice-over |
| 2011 | DC Universe Online DC Universe Online DC Universe Online or DCUO is an MMORPG by Sony Online Entertainment – Austin. Jim Lee serves as the game's Executive Creative Director, along with Carlos D'Anda, JJ Kirby, Oliver Nome, Eddie Nuñez, Livio Ramondelli, and Michael Lopez... |
Circe Circe (comics) Circe is a fictional character, a villainous sorceress and a major adversary of Wonder Woman appearing in DC Comics publications and related media. Based upon the Greek mythological character of the same name who imprisoned Odysseus in Homer's Odyssey, the comic book incarnation of Circe first... |
Voice-over |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Production | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Daytime Emmy Award Daytime Emmy Award The Daytime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the Los Angeles-based Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American daytime television programming... |
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series The Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series has been given every year at the Daytime Emmys since the 6th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards ceremony in 1979.... |
Guiding Light Guiding Light Guiding Light is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest running drama in television and radio history, running from 1937 until 2009... |
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| Soap Opera Digest Award | Outstanding Daytime Villainess | |||
| 1993 | Saturn Award Saturn Award The Saturn Award is an award presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films to honor the top works in science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, television, and home video. The Saturn Awards were devised by Dr. Donald A. Reed in 1972, who felt that films within... |
Best Actress | Kalifornia Kalifornia Kalifornia is an American thriller/road film, directed by Dominic Sena and starring Brad Pitt, Juliette Lewis, David Duchovny, and Michelle Forbes. The film focuses on an aspiring writer and his photographer girlfriend who are traveling cross-country to research serial killers... |
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| 2003 | Screen Actors Guild Award | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series | 24 24 (TV series) 24 is an American television series produced for the Fox Network and syndicated worldwide, starring Kiefer Sutherland as Counter Terrorist Unit agent Jack Bauer. Each 24-episode season covers 24 hours in the life of Bauer, using the real time method of narration... |
(shared with co-stars of 24) |
| 2010 | Saturn Award | Best Guest Starring Role in Television | True Blood True Blood True Blood is an American television series created and produced by Alan Ball. It is based on The Southern Vampire Mysteries series of novels by Charlaine Harris, detailing the co-existence of vampires and humans in Bon Temps, a fictional, small town in the state of Louisiana... |
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| Screen Actors Guild Award | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series | (shared with co-stars of True Blood) | ||
| 2011 | Primetime Emmy Award Emmy Award An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various... |
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series http://www.emmys.com/nominations/2011/Outstanding%20Supporting%20Actress%20In%20A%20Drama%20Series | The Killing | |
| Critics' Choice Television Award Critics' Choice Television Award A Critics' Choice Television Award is an accolade presented by the Broadcast Television Journalists Association . It was established in 2011, and its first ceremony was held on June 20, 2011 and streamed live on VH1.com.-History:... |
Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/ustv/news/a323404/in-full-critics-choice-television-awards-nominees.html |