You are not currently logged in. Login

Jeri Ryan

Jeri Lynn Ryan (born February 22, 1968) is an American actress, known primarily for her role as ex-borg 'Seven of Nine' in the TV series Star Trek: Voyager. Ryan currently plays Jessica Devlin on CBS's legal drama Shark. Ryan was born Jeri Lynn Zimmermann in Munich, Germany, the daughter of American parents Sharon, a social worker, and Gerhard Florian "Jerry" Zimmermann, a master sergeant in the United States Army. She has one older brother, Mark. As a military brat, Ryan grew up on military bases in Kansas, Maryland, Hawaii, Georgia, and Texas. When Ryan was eleven, the family settled in Paducah, Kentucky. After she graduated from high school in 1986 (as a National Merit Scholar), Ryan attended Northwestern University, where she was a member of the Alpha Phi sorority. In 1989, Ryan became Miss Illinois and was a preliminary swimsuit winner at the Miss America Pageant. She finished as the third runner-up to Miss America 1990, Debbye Turner. Ryan graduated from Northwestern in 1990 with a BA in Theatre. After college, she pursued acting full-time in Los Angeles. She made her acting debut in Who's the Boss? and followed that with guest-starring roles in TV shows like Melrose Place, Matlock, and The Sentinel as well as TV movies such as Co-Ed Call Girl. Her big break came when she won a regular role as an extraterrestrial investigator named Juliet Stuart on the TV show Dark Skies. The show was cancelled after one season, but the role had drawn the attention of the science-fiction community. In 1997, Ryan was cast to play Seven of Nine, a Borg drone freed from the collective on the science fiction series Star Trek: Voyager. The role drew her instant fame and her tight-fitting uniform made her a sci-fi sex symbol. Seven of Nine quickly became the focal character of a disproportionate number of episodes. Co-star Kate Mulgrew, who played Captain Janeway, was reportedly upset by the addition of Ryan's character. Rumors of on-set tensions escalated when, during contract renegotiations, Mulgrew suggested that Captain Janeway be killed off. Mulgrew refuted any rumors that she and Ryan were not getting along, claiming that she wanted to spend more time with her children. Ryan's addition to the cast also coincided with higher ratings and positive critical reviews of Voyager, partly attributed to the media hype over the alleged rivalry between Ryan and Mulgrew. Seven of Nine appeared on seven TV Guide covers in the USA. After Voyager ended in 2001, Ryan joined the cast of Boston Public in the role of Ronnie Cooke, a frustrated lawyer who quits to become a high school teacher. The show's producer, David E. Kelley, wrote the role specifically for her. The show was cancelled in 2004. Ryan has recently appeared in films, such as Down With Love. Ryan played Lydia in the independent film Men Cry Bullets, with a rave review for her performance from Roger Ebert. Jeri then starred in her first film lead in the indie comedy "The Last Man", playing the last woman on Earth, released by Lion's Gate. She also had a recurring role as Charlotte Morgan on The O.C. in the autumn of 2005 and guest-starred on David E. Kelley's Boston Legal in 2006. Ryan stars in the new CBS legal drama Shark, playing Los Angeles District Attorney Jessica Devlin opposite James Woods.

Page: 1

0 Comments

Please log in to post comments.

Don't have an account?
Please Register.