Kate French

Kate French is an American actress and model. She is known for her role as Niki Stevens on The L Word.

Early life Kate French was born in Flemington, New Jersey and raised in Quogue on Long Island where she grew up surfing and sailing. Her parents, Joan (née Gocha) and Rob French were both fashion models with Ford Models in the 1980s.

Career Following in her parents' footsteps, French pursued a career in modeling up until her senior year of high school but always had a passion for acting. She first appeared on the big screen in 2006 with a small cameo role in the film Accepted. French's first appearance on the small screen was in 2006, when French starred alongside Tatum O'Neal in the prime-time telenova soap opera Wicked Wicked Games. In 2007 she landed her breakout role when she joined the cast of The L Word playing closeted lesbian actress, and girlfriend of Jenny Schecter, Niki Stevens, appearing in seasons 5 and 6. French also had a role in the teen drama series South of Nowhere as Sasha Miller, a love interest of Aiden Dennison. French then appeared in two episodes of the teen drama Gossip Girl as Elle, a mysterious nanny. In 2010 French had a recurring role as Renee on One Tree Hill and later had a recurring guest role as Riley Westlake in the Hawaii-set teen drama Beyond The Break. In 2009 French played a supporting role in the independent horror film Sutures and then had a leading role in the independent romantic comedy Language of a Broken Heart, which was selected for the Hollywood Film Festival in 2011. French featured in the rock musical film Girltrash: All Night Long, which was released in 2014.

In 2011, French starred alongside Jason Ritter in the short film, Atlantis, a romance film centered around two strangers who fall in love in the lead up to the final launch of the NASA Space Shuttle Atlantis. and had a leading role in the independent thriller The Red House. French also had a guest role on the television series Up All Night. In 2012, it was announced that French had a supporting role in the independent thriller Channeling. French had a minor role in the indie feminist film Farah Goes Bang directed by Meera Menon. French was attached to the psychological thriller Liquorice. She starred in 2014 in the drama horror film Echoes and was awarded Best Actress at FilmQuest Cthulhu for this role.

Other work In 2010, French appeared in television advertisements for Bud Light and 7 Up. In 2011, she appeared in advertisements for sunglasses brand Raen Optics. In 2012, French featured in a television commercial for car company GMC. Since 2018 she has appeared in Fansville, an episodic advertising campaign for Dr Pepper.

Personal life In her spare time, she enjoys surfing, sailing and hiking. On September 25, 2010, she married photographer Jon Johnson at her parents' estate in Quogue. She is sometimes featured in his work. They live in Los Angeles and have two children. French launched a surf culture-inspired jewelry line, Low Tide LA, in 2025.

Filmography

+ Television Year Title Role Notes 2006–2007 Wicked Wicked Games Brooke Crawford Telenovela; Supporting role; 50 episodes 2007–2008 South of Nowhere Sasha Miller "Spencer's New Girlfriend" (season 3: episode 4)"The Truth Hurts" (season 3: episode 5)"Fighting Crime" (season 3: episode 6)"Career Day" (season 3: episode 9)"Love and Kisses" (season 3: episode 12) 2008–2009 The L Word Niki Stevens / Jesse Recurring role; 15 episodes 2009–2012 Gossip Girl Elle "Carnal Knowledge" (season 2: episode 17)"The Age of Dissonance" (season 2: episode 18)"The Return of the Ring" (season 5: episode 24) 2009 CSI: Miami Rita "Chip/Tuck" (season 7: episode 21) 2009 Beyond the Break Riley Westlake "All Riled Up" (season 3: episode 11)"Would I Lie to You?" (season 3: episode 12)"Wronged" (season 3: episode 13)"Worked" (season 3: episode 14) 2009 One Tree Hill Renee Recurring role; 7 episodes 2011 Up All Night Jessie "Hiring and Firing" (season 1: episode 9) 2012 Cubicle Cowboy Vicki Overton PilotProducer 2013Major Crimes Jennifer O'Brien"Final Cut" (season 2: episode 1) 2013 The Education of Eddie & Mortimer Lacey PilotProducer 2020 Emergency Call Self "Crime Spree" (season 1: episode 4)