Deirdre Lovejoy

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Deirdre Lovejoy
Born (1962-06-30) June 30, 1962 (age 61)
Abilene, Texas, U.S.
EducationUniversity of Evansville (BFA)
New York University (MFA)
OccupationActress
Years active1983–present

Deirdre Lovejoy (born June 30, 1962)[1] is an American actress.

She is best known for her role as Assistant State's Attorney Rhonda Pearlman on HBO’s The Wire.[2] She is also known for her roles as serial killer Heather Taffet (aka "The Gravedigger") on the Fox series Bones[3] and White House Counsel Cynthia Panabaker on NBC's series The Blacklist.[4]

Early life[edit]

Lovejoy was born in Abilene, Texas.[5][6][7] Her father was in the Air Force and worked from Dyess Air Force Base.[7]

Lovejoy lived in Connecticut, then Pittsburgh, before moving with her mother to Elkhart, Indiana, while Lovejoy was still in the fourth grade.[4][7] Her mother, Marcia Fulmer, met her second husband in Elkhart and worked as Arts and Entertainment editor at The Elkhart Truth.[4][7][8] While in the fifth grade, Lovejoy played her first acting role as one of Big Daddy's grandchildren in an Elkhart Civic Theatre production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof in which her mother played the part of Mae (dubbed "Sister Woman").[4][7][8] Lovejoy subsequently appeared in several productions at the Elkhart Civic Theatre, often alongside her mother.[8]

In 1980 Lovejoy graduated from Elkhart Memorial High School.[4][8] In 1984 she graduated from the University of Evansville with a double major in Theater and Communications.[4][8] She also earned a Master of Fine Arts from the New York University Tisch School of the Arts three years later.[4][8]

Career[edit]

In 1990 Lovejoy appeared in her first television role as Rosemary Kennedy in the ABC mini-series The Kennedys of Massachusetts.[8] Throughout the 1990s and 2000s she appeared on such series as Law & Order, Seinfeld, Third Watch, Spin City, NYPD Blue, The West Wing, Cold Case and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.[9]

From 2002 to 2008 Lovejoy starred as Assistant State's Attorney Rhonda Pearlman on HBO’s The Wire.[2][4][6] From 2009 to 2011 she played the recurring role of the serial kidnapper and murderer Heather Taffet (aka "The Gravedigger") on the television series Bones. In 2011 Lovejoy also appeared in the role of the mother of a student in the film Bad Teacher starring Cameron Diaz.

Lovejoy has also guest starred or held recurring roles on such TV series as Lie to Me, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Criminal Minds, Body of Proof, Girls, Orange Is the New Black, American Gothic and Shameless.[4][2][3][10]

Lovejoy has also appeared in several Broadway productions, including Six Degrees of Separation (1990), Getting and Spending (1998), The Gathering (2001) and Nora Ephron’s Lucky Guy starring Tom Hanks (2013).[4][5]

In 2019, Lovejoy took part in Promethea in Prison, a theatrical project that involved a reading of the ancient Greek play Prometheus Bound. It featured an all-female cast that also included Sonja Sohn, one of Lovejoy's co-stars in The Wire.

Also in 2019, Lovejoy starred in a one-person play she wrote, titled Bird Elephant China.[4][5] The autobiographical play dealt with a series of unexplained seizures that Lovejoy experienced in 2009.[4][5] The seizures affected her memory and her ability to walk and talk for almost a year.[4][5] She also experienced hallucinations during this time.[4][5] Lovejoy has been seizure free since 2009.[4]

Filmography[edit]

Films[edit]

Year Title Role Notes
1996 Rescuing Desire Bookstore salesgirl
1998 Number One Jean Short film
1998 Sour Grapes Nurse Wells
1999 Random Hearts Officer Isabel
1999 The Talented Mr. Ripley Fighting neighbor
2000 Shaft Police Officer Uncredited
2001 My Sister's Wedding Beverly Modina
2001 Thirteen Conversations About One Thing Student teacher
2006 Step Up Nora's mom / Katherine Clark
2009 Gloria & Eric Gloria Short film
2009 The Stepfather Detective Tylar
2011 Bad Teacher Sasha's mother
2013 Killing Vivian Toaster Short film
2013 Lionhead Detective Lundgren
2014 Thirsty Doris Townsend
2016 Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk Denise Lynn
2017 The Post Debbie Regan
2017 Beauty Mark Pastor Hodges
2017 I Am Elizabeth Smart Wanda Barzee
2021 Spiked Chief Collins

Television[edit]

Year Title Role Notes
1990 The Kennedys of Massachusetts Rosemary Kennedy
1994 Law & Order Judith Crockit Episode: "Virtue"
1997 Law & Order CSU Technician Episode: "Thrill"
1998 Seinfeld Customer #3 Episode: "The Dealership"
1999 Trinity Karen Sealey Episode: "Breaking In, Breaking Out, Breaking Up, Breaking Down"
1999–2000 Spin City Reporter 3 episodes
2000 Perfect Murder, Perfect Town Detective Linda Arndt
2000–2001 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Hernandez 2 episodes
2001 Ed Ms. Tiana Diamond Episode: "Closure"
2002 Without a Trace Mrs. Kathy Peterson Episode: "In Extremis"
2002–2008 The Wire Asst. State's Attorney Rhonda Pearlman 60 episodes
2002 Law & Order: Criminal Intent Penny Halliwell Episode: "Malignant"
2003 Strong Medicine Taylor Episode: "Orders"
2003 Touched by an Angel Courtney Episode: "A Time for Every Purpose"
2003 Kingpin Unknown Episode: "Black Magic Woman"
2003 The Lyon's Den Ms. Felicity Easton Episode: "The Fifth"
2003 Judging Amy State Attorney Episode: "The Long Goodbye"
2004 NYPD Blue Michelle Foster Episode: "Chatty Chatty Bang Bang"
2004 The West Wing Lisa Wolfe 2 episodes
2005 Nip/Tuck Allie Tedesco Episode: "Hannah Tedesco"
2006 The Closer Melissa Langner Episode: "Heroic Measures"
2006 Numb3rs Daria Samson Episode: "Waste Not"
2006–2007 Close to Home Ellen Porter 2 episodes
2007 Cold Case Regie Kunze Episode: "Justice"
2008 Under Detective June-Mary Cavanaugh Television movie
2008 Shark Monica Wells Episode: "One Hit Wonder"
2008 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Penelope Fielding Episode: "Cold"
2008 Eli Stone A.D.A. Samantha Jarrells 2 episodes
2009 Lie to Me Holly Sando Episode: "Unchained"
2009 Saving Grace Linda Hall Episode: "What Would You Do?"
2009 Law & Order: Criminal Intent Agent Carmen Martino Episode: "Revolution"
2009 The Forgotten Zoe Jenks Episode: "Pilot"
2009 Medium Dr. Betty Messner 2 episodes
2009–2011 Bones Heather Taffet 3 episodes
2010 Outlaw Karen Rukheyser Episode: "In Re: Officer Daniel Hale"
2011 Criminal Minds Agent Jenny Bates Episode: "The Thirteenth Step"
2011 Brothers & Sisters Marissa Crandall Episode: "Father Unknown"
2011 The Protector Unknown Episode: "Affairs"
2012 Body of Proof Jeannie Morris 2 episodes
2012 Private Practice Sean Petrucci Episode: "Apron Strings"
2013 American Horror Story: Asylum Lana's host Episode: "Continuum"
2014 Girls Aunt Margo Episode: "Flo"
2014 Orange Is the New Black Chris Maser 2 episodes
2016 American Gothic Detective Linda Cutter 9 episodes
2016 Shameless Rita Smith 3 episodes
2016–2023 The Blacklist Cynthia Panabaker 23 episodes
2017 Bull Rebecca Whelan Episode: "A Business of Favors"
2017 Elementary Carrie Traub Episode: "Be My Guest"
2018 NCIS: New Orleans Claire McDermott Episode: "Mind Games"
2019 Raising Dion Charlotte Tuck Recurring role (7 episodes)
2020 Run Mary Dixie Episode: "F***"
2020 Manhunt: Deadly Games Defense attorney Episode: "Open Season"
2021 Law and Order: Special Victims Unit Dr. Mackie Episode: "Post-Graduate Psychopath” Season 22 Episode 14

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Today In History". Gettysburg Times. Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, United States. Associated Press. June 30, 2016. p. A4. Retrieved April 15, 2019 – via NewspaperArchive.com. Actress Deirdre Lovejoy is 54.
  2. ^ a b c Cobb, Kayla (July 6, 2016). "Deirdre Lovejoy Talks 'The Wire' And This Year's Murder-Filled Summer Drama, 'American Gothic'". Decider. New York City, New York, United States: New York Post. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
  3. ^ a b Phelan, Paige (October 24, 2014). "'The Wire': Where Are They Now". The Hollywood Reporter. Los Angeles, California, United States: Lynne Segall. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Lesar, Geoff (January 19, 2019). "Artist Spotlight: Actress Deirdre Lovejoy circles back to Bristol stage". The Goshen News. Goshen, Indiana, United States. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
  5. ^ a b c d e f "Elkhart Civic Theatre presents Deirdre Lovejoy's 'Bird Elephant China'". The Elkhart Truth. Elkhart, Indiana, United States. January 17, 2019. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
  6. ^ a b "Elkhart Civic Theatre presents masterclasses, play". South Bend Tribune. South Bend, Indiana, United States. January 6, 2019. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
  7. ^ a b c d e Staff, Charles (December 30, 1993). "Lovejoy's Odd Job". The Indianapolis News. Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. p. E1. Retrieved April 15, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g Kronemyer, Bob (January 7, 1992). "Elkhart-born actress keeping a busy pace". South Bend Tribune. South Bend, Indiana, United States. Retrieved April 15, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ Deirdre Lovejoy at IMDb
  10. ^ Jeffery, Morgan (September 22, 2011). "Deirdre Lovejoy lands 'Body of Proof' role". Digital Spy. London, United Kingdom. Retrieved April 15, 2019.

External links[edit]

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