Harley Jane Kozak

Early life Kozak was born Susan Jane Kozak in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, the youngest of eight children to Dorothy ( Taraldsen), a music teacher, and Joseph Aloysius Kozak, an attorney. Her father died when she was one year old, after which her mother relocated the family to North Dakota.

Kozak attended the University of Nebraska–Lincoln for three semesters before relocating to New York City, where she worked as a waitress for ten years. The role went to Susanna Thompson. Also in 1996, Kozak portrayed a battered wife in a made-for-TV movie, Unforgivable, co-starring with John Ritter, and received praise for her "strong" performance. Kozak also appeared in "Cold Lazarus", a first-season episode of Stargate SG-1, as Sara O'Neill.

Writing Kozak has written five novels: Dating Dead Men (2004), Dating Is Murder : A Novel (2005), Dead Ex (2007), and A Date You Can't Refuse (2008), all of which feature greeting-card designer and amateur sleuth Wollie Shelley, a woman with very eccentric friends and family. The first three novels were published by Doubleday, a division of Random House, and the most recent was published by Broadway Books following the restructuring of Doubleday. Dating Dead Men won an Agatha Award, an Anthony Award, and a Macavity Award for best first novel. Kozak's fifth book is Keeper of the Moon, a paranormal romantic suspense novel.

Personal life Kozak lives in Los Angeles. She has been married twice: a brief union in the early 1980s and a second marriage from 1997 until 2007 to entertainment lawyer Gregory Aldisert, with whom she has three children.

Partial filmography Year Title Role Notes 1981–1982 Texas Brette Wheeler TV series 1982 The House on Sorority Row Diane 1983–1985 Guiding Light Annabelle Sims Reardon TV series 1985–1986 Santa Barbara Mary Duvall TV series 1988 Clean and Sober Ralston Receptionist 1988–1989 Knightwatch Barbara 'Babs' Shepard TV series 1989 When Harry Met Sally... Helen Hillson 1989 Parenthood Susan Buckman 1990 So Proudly We Hail Susan McCarran Television film 1990 Side Out Kate Jacobs 1990 Arachnophobia Molly Jennings 1991 Necessary Roughness Dr. Suzanne Carter 1991 The Taking of Beverly Hills Laura Sage 1991 All I Want for Christmas Catherine O'Fallon 1993 The Amy Fisher Story Amy Pagnozzi 1993–1994 Harts of the West Alison Hart TV series 1994 The Favor Kathy Whiting 1995 The Android Affair Karen Garrett Television film 1995 Magic in the Water Dr. Wanda Bell 1995 Charlie Grace Holly TV series 1995 Bringing up Jack Ellen McMahon TV series 1996 The Nerd Tanzie Boyd Television film 1996 Unforgivable Judy Hegstrom Television film 1996 A Friend's Betrayal Abby Hewitt Television film 1996 Titanic Bess Allison Miniseries 1997 Stargate SG-1 Sara O'Neill TV series 1997 Dark Planet Brendan 1997 The Lovemaster Karen 1997 The Outer Limits Prisoner 98843 TV series Episode: The Camp 1997–1998 You Wish Gillian Apple TV series 1998 Emma's Wish Joy Bookman Television film 2005 I Love the '80s 3-D Herself Documentary miniseries; Episode: "1989" 2009 The Red Queen Church Lady 2010 Vipers in the Grass Celia Bowman Short film 2015 I Spit on Your Grave III: Vengeance Is Mine Therapist 2015 A Kind of Magic Abby 2018 The Amaranth Holly 2019 More Beautiful for Having Been Broken Vivienne