Jennifer Lien
| Jennifer Lien | |
|---|---|
| Born | Jennifer Anne Lien August 1974 (age 41) Palos Heights, Illinois, U.S. |
| Education | Professional Children's School |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1990-2002 |
| Spouse(s) | Phil Hwang |
| Children | Jonah Hwang (b. 2002) |
Jennifer Anne Lien (born August 1974)[1] is an American former actress, best known for playing the alien Kes on the television series Star Trek: Voyager.
Contents
Early life[edit]
In a 1992 interview, Lien said: "My childhood was wild because I was very uncomfortable living where I lived (the South Side of Chicago). It was very industrial - if you didn’t fit in you got your ass kicked. I was just my own person, and I adopted this really tough skin because I had to if I wanted to survive. A lot of my friends were into drugs, and I saw a lot of them die."[2]
Career[edit]
Her first television appearance was in a bubblegum advertisement playing twins.[3] Her first appearance on a television series was playing a music academy student in an episode of Brewster Place starring Oprah Winfrey in 1990, the same year she provided her voice for the dubbed English language version of Baby Blood, a French horror film. Lien moved to New York in 1991 after she was cast in the role of Hannah Moore on the series Another World in 1991, where she attended and graduated the Professional Children's School while working on this series.[4]
In 1993, she was cast as Roanne in Phenom, a sitcom starring Judith Light. That year she also participated in the recording of Adam Sandler's comedy album They're All Gonna Laugh At You in which she played the part of the Valedictorian on the track "The Buffoon And The Valedictorian", as well as one of the daughters on the track "Oh, mom...".[5]
In 1994, she was cast as Kes on Star Trek: Voyager. Her character is Ocampan, a species in the Star Trek universe that lives for just 8 or 9 years, who joins the crew of the starship after it is stranded 75,000 light-years from Earth.[6] She was released from the series at the beginning of season 4, to allow the budget to bring on Jeri Ryan, who joined the cast as Seven of Nine. In 2000, Lien returned for a season 6 episode of Star Trek: Voyager titled "Fury", where she had input into the script.[7]
Richard Lutz wrote: "The character which best embodies the humane values embedded in Star Trek mythology is Kes, thanks in large part to Jennifer Lien, whose remarkable performance brought to life a beautiful child-like being (Ocampa) whose short lifespan and humanity remind us that the most important element in a life worth living is a loving connection with our fellow human beings."[8]
After Voyager, Lien appeared in the movie American History X as older sister Davina Vinyard alongside Edward Norton's character Derek Vinyard. In 1998, Lien appeared in SLC Punk! playing Sandy, the wild girlfriend of Matthew Lillard's character Stevo. She also voiced Agent "L" for the first three seasons of Men in Black: The Animated Series (1997-1999) and the first 7 episodes of the 2000 season.
Personal life[edit]
She is married to writer and filmmaker Phil Hwang; their first child, Jonah, was born on September 5, 2002.[9] Since the birth of her son, Lien has retired from acting and voice-over work; however, she was credited as executive producer on her husband's 2008 film Geek Mythology.[10]
In August 2010, Lien said she intended to work as a nutritionist after completing her studies.[7]
In July 2012, Lien was arrested in Harriman, Tennessee, for an alleged domestic assault.[11]
In April 2015, Lien was arrested in Harriman, Tennessee and charged with evading arrest, resisting arrest, reckless endangerment and aggravated assault in relation to an alleged speeding offence.[12]
In September 2015, Lien was arrested in Harriman, Tennessee for two counts of misdemeanor exposure after allegedly exposing herself to a child under the age of 13. During an argument with a neighbor (which reportedly started with Lien criticizing her neighbor's parenting skills after her children began crying),[13] Lien allegedly exposed her breasts and buttocks after being told to "mind her own business."[14] Lien reportedly threatened the police who arrested her.[13][14]
Filmography[edit]
Film[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Baby Blood | Yanka (voice) | Voice-over debut |
| 1998 | American History X | Davina Vinyard | |
| 1998 | Hoofboy | N/A | Short (18 min) |
| 1998 | The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride | Young Adult Vitani | Uncredited |
| 1998 | SLC Punk! | Sandy | |
| 2001 | Rubbernecking | Nurse |
Television[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Brewster Place | Music Academy Student | Episode: "One Small Step at a Time" |
| 1991–1992 | Another World | Hannah Moore | Unknown episodes |
| 1993–1994 | Phenom | Roanne | 22 episodes |
| 1994 | The Critic | Valerie Fox | Episode: "The Pilot" |
| 1995 | Inside the New Adventure: Star Trek - Voyager | Herself | TV special |
| 1995–2000 | Star Trek: Voyager | Kes | 68 episodes |
| 1996 | Duckman: Private Dick/Family Man | Movie Actress (voice) | Episode: "Apocalypse Not" |
| 1996 | The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest | Elise (voice) | Episode: "Eclipse" |
| 1996 | Star Trek: 30 Years and Beyond | Herself / Kes | TV special |
| 1997 | Superman | Inza Nelson (voice) | Episode: "The Hand of Fate" |
| 1997–2000 | Men in Black: The Series | Elle (voice) | 40 episodes |
| 1998 | Spawn | Merrick (voice) | Episode: "Hellzapoppin" |
| 2003 | Battle Force: Andromeda | Alora (voice, rumored) | 2 episodes |
Theater[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre 1992 | Androcles and the Lion | Lavinia | Illinois Theatre Center |
| Pre 1992 | Edmund | Glenna | Illinois Theatre Center |
| Pre 1992 | Emergency Room | Shiela Brooks | Illinois Theatre Center |
| Pre 1992 | Othello | Bianca | Illinois Theatre Center |
| Pre 1992 | The Tempest | Miranda | Illinois Theatre Center |
| Pre 1992 | Show Boat | N/A | Illinois Theatre Center |
| Pre 1992 | When You Comin' Back, Red Ryder? | Cheryl | Illinois Theatre Center |
References[edit]
- ^ Simpson, P.; Thomas, R. (March 2000). "Kes & Tell". Star Trek Monthly (#76): 28–32.
- ^ Reiner, Jonathan (18 August 1992). "She’s Only Just Begun". Soap Opera Weekly 3 (33): 33.
- ^ Eramo, Steven (December 1996). "Jennifer Lien - Nine Year Wonder". TV Zone (23): 18–21.
- ^ Giordana, Lucille (1992). "Growing Up Is Great". Daytime TV 23 (4): 39.
- ^ "Adam Sandler – They're All Gonna Laugh At You!". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2015-09-25.
- ^ "Kes". Startrek.com. Retrieved 2010-08-17.
- ^ a b "Star Trek Catching Up with Jennifer Lien". Startrek.com. 2010-08-09. Retrieved 2012-11-03.
- ^ Lutz, Richard (August 2015). "Social Cohesiveness" (PDF). Human Rights Coalition (Australia). Retrieved 2015-08-31.
- ^ "News". Jennifer-lien.com. Retrieved 2010-08-17.
- ^ "Jennifer Lien". Movies Non Stop. Retrieved 2015-09-26.
- ^ "Arrests.org". arrests.org. July 2012. Retrieved 2015-09-16.
- ^ "Roane County News". roanecounty.com. Retrieved 2015-08-04.
- ^ a b Stedman, Alex (2015-09-15). "'Star Trek: Voyager' Actress Jennifer Lien Arrested for Indecent Exposure". Variety. Retrieved 2015-09-15.
- ^ a b "Star Trek: Voyager’s 'Kes' charged with exposing herself to children in Harriman". WATE.com. Retrieved 2015-09-15.
External links[edit]
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