Laila Robins

Laila Robins (born March 14, 1959) is an American stage, film and television actress. She has appeared in films including Planes, Trains and Automobiles, An Innocent Man (1989), Live Nude Girls (1995), True Crime (1999), She's Lost Control (2014), Eye in the Sky (2015), and A Call to Spy (2019). Her television credits include regular roles on Gabriel's Fire, Homeland, and Murder in the First, playing Pamela Milton in the final season of The Walking Dead (2022), and Colonel Grace Mallory in The Boys (2019–2024) and Gen V (2023).

Early life and education Robins was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, the daughter of Latvian American parents and Brigita Švarca. She received her undergraduate degree at the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire and attended the Yale School of Drama, earning a master of fine arts. She then starred opposite Tom Selleck in the 1989 crime thriller An Innocent Man; Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael (1990); the sex comedy Live Nude Girls (1995) with Dana Delany and Kim Cattrall; and True Crime (1999). On the small screen, Robins co-starred with James Earl Jones in the ABC crime drama series Gabriel's Fire, from 1990 to 1991, and guest-starred on Law & Order, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Third Watch, Sex and the City, 30 Rock, and The Good Wife. She also played a younger version of Livia Soprano, the mother of mobster Tony Soprano, in two episodes of the HBO crime drama series The Sopranos.

In 2014, Robins starred as Martha Boyd, the U.S. ambassador to Pakistan, in the fourth season of Showtime drama series Homeland. The following year, she was a regular cast member in the TNT drama series Murder in the First, and in 2016–2017, she had a recurring role in Quantico. In 2018 she starred in the short-lived ABC drama series Deception. She had a recurring role as Katarina Rostova in season 7 of the NBC series The Blacklist from 2019 to 2021. She also had recurring roles in In Treatment, Bored to Death, Mr. Mercedes, Dr. Death and The Boys. In 2022, Robins joined the cast of AMC drama series The Walking Dead as Governor of the Commonwealth, Pamela Milton.

Theatre Robins appeared on Broadway as Lady Utterword in the Roundabout Theatre Company's revival of George Bernard Shaw's Heartbreak House (2006). Robins's other Broadway appearances were Frozen by Bryony Lavery (2004), The Herbal Bed by Peter Whelan (1998), and The Real Thing by Tom Stoppard (1985), directed by Mike Nichols. (Robins succeeded actress Glenn Close in the role).

Robins has appeared off-Broadway in Sore Throats by Howard Brenton, The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare, Mrs. Klein by Nicholas Wright (in which she also toured with Uta Hagen) (1995–1996), Burnt Piano by Justin Fleming, opposite Richard Thomas in Second Stage Theatre's Tiny Alice (2000). and The Film Society by Jon Robin Baitz, among others. She has also appeared in numerous regional theatre productions, such as the 1997 Fiftieth Anniversary production of A Streetcar Named Desire at the Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago. Robins also appeared as Cleopatra in Antony and Cleopatra at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis in 2002. Robins is also a frequent performer at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, where she has starred in Macbeth, Three Sisters and The Cherry Orchard.

Charles Isherwood, critic for The New York Times, assessed her stage work as Ariadne in George Bernard Shaw's Heartbreak House (2006) opposite Swoosie Kurtz as follows: "...this expert comic actress [Kurtz] may not fit the textbook definition of siren, as Hesione is called, but she may just be the most seductive woman on a New York stage right now...unless that nod goes to Ms. Robins, who locates the essence of her character's shallow allure in a languid, liquid strut and a smile both entrancing and devouring".

Robins has won or been nominated for several awards for her work including the Actors' Equity Foundation Joe A. Callaway Award (1995), for The Merchant of Venice, the 2012 Drama Desk Award, Outstanding Ensemble for Sweet and Sad, the Lucille Lortel Award nominations for Outstanding Featured Actress (2004) for Frozen and Outstanding Lead Actress (2007) for Sore Throats, the 1997 Joseph Jefferson Award Best Actress for A Streetcar Named Desire at The Steppenwolf Theatre, the Helen Hayes Award nomination, 1997 Supporting Performer, Non-Resident Production for Mrs. Klein, and the Drama League Award.

Robins is a guest instructor at HB Studio.

Personal life Robins has been in a relationship with the actor Robert Cuccioli since 2000. They co-starred in Macbeth at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey as Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, among other plays.

Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1987 Planes, Trains and Automobiles Susan Page Marty Ellis 1989 An Innocent Man Kate Rainwood 1990 Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael Elizabeth Zaks 1995 Live Nude Girls Rachel 1996 Female Perversions Emma 1997 Catherine 1999 True Crime Patricia Findley Oxygen Frances Hannon 2000 Drop Back Ten Viv 2001 Annabella Short film 2002 Searching for Paradise Barbara Mattei 2003 Happy End Irene 2004 Jailbait Mother 2006 Slippery Slope Michaela Stark Things That Hang from Trees Miss Millie Passenger Toddy Allen 2008 August Ottmar Peevo Mrs. Fenstermaker 2009 Welcome to Academia Deborah 2010 Multiple Sarcasms Lauren 2012 Dr. Tynan 2013 Blumenthal Cheryl Concussion Woman #3 Side Effects Banks partner #2 2014 She's Lost Control Irene 2015 Grey Lady The Duchess Valeria Shirley Short film Eye in the Sky Jillian Goldman 2016 Bernadette 2017 Island Zero Maggie Impossible Monsters Dean Gaslow 2018 The Rest of Us Dean Patterson 2019 A Call to Spy Pirani 2022 My Love Affair with Marriage Master of Ceremonies

Television Year Title Role Notes 1988 Cindy Claussen Episode: "The Last Campaign" 1989 Dream Breakers Phoebe TV film 1990–1991 Gabriel's Fire Victoria Heller Main role 1992 Trial: The Price of Passion Charm Blackburn TV film 1995 Rachel Episode: "Unlucky Star" 1996 Law & Order Diana Hawthorne Episode: "Trophy" 1997 Nothing Sacred Jeanne Cole Episode: "House of Rage" 1998 Law & Order Liann Crosby Episode: "Venom" 1999 Spenser: Small Vices Rita Fiore TV film Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Ellen Travis Episode: "A Single Life" 1999–2001 Young Livia Soprano 2 episodes 2000 Third Watch Sharon Reiner Episode: "Journey to the Himalayas" 2001 Witchblade Dominique Boucher 2 episodes Law & Order: Criminal Intent Kit Sternman Episode: "Enemy Within" 2004 Sex and the City Audra Clark Episode: "The Cold War" 2006 Nora Paxton 4 episodes 2009 30 Rock Gloria Baird Episode: "St. Valentine's Day" All My Children Claire Williams 3 episodes In Treatment Tammy Meswick Recurring role 2009–2010 Bored to Death Priscilla Antrem Recurring role 2010 God in America Anne Hutchinson Episode: "A New Adam/A New Eden" Paige Burchfield Episode: "Bad Girls" 2011 Damages Catherine's Doctor 1 episode Too Big to Fail Christine Lagarde TV film Blue Bloods Mrs. Lee Episode: "Friendly Fire" Person of Interest Anja Kohl Episode: "Foe" 2012 Dark Horse Miranda Teras TV film 2013 Onion News Empire Helena Zweibel 2014 Ruth Castman That Hopey Changey Thing Marian Apple Sweet and Sad TV miniseries Regular Singing Homeland Martha Boyd Main role (season 4); 12 episodes 2015 Murder in the First Jamie Nelson Main role (season 2); 12 episodes 2016–2017 Quantico General Katherine Richards Guest; 2 episodes 2017 Mr. Mercedes Charlotte Gibney Guest; 3 episodes2018 Deception Special Agent Deakins Main role; 13 episodes New Amsterdam Mrs. Ryland Episode: "Every Last Minute" 2019–2021 The Blacklist Katarina Rostova Guest (season 6); recurring role (seasons 7–8) 2019 The Handmaid's Tale Pamela Joy Episode "Useful" Bull Colleen McCandless Episode: "The Good One" 2019–2024 The Boys Colonel Grace Mallory Recurring role, 13 episodes 2021 The Equalizer CIA Director Suri Nance Episode: "The Milk Run" Dr. Death Amy Piel Recurring role, 5 episodes 2022 The Walking Dead Pamela Milton Main role, 15 episodes 2023 Accused Anne Carlson Episode: "Billy's Story" The Crowded Room Susie Recurring role, 3 episodes American Horror Stories Lee Episode: "Organ" Gen V Colonel Grace Mallory Episode: "Sick" 2025 Law & Order Megan Stratton Episode: "Folk Hero" 2026 CIA Joanne Kerkering Episode: "Broken Glass"

Stage The Real Thing (1985) ...Annie (Replacement); Plymouth Theatre (Broadway) Summer and Smoke (1986) ...Alma Winemiller; Williamstown Theatre Festival (Williamstown, MA) Bloody Poetry (1987) ...Mary Shelley; Manhattan Theatre Club (Off-Broadway) The Film Society (1988) ...Nan Sinclair; Second Stage Theatre/McGinn-Cazale Theatre (Off-Broadway) The Lady from the Sea (1988) ...Cast; Baltimore Center Stage (Baltimore, MD) Maids of Honor (1990) ...Monica Bowlin; WPA Theatre (Off-Broadway) The Extra Man (1992) ...Laura; Manhattan Theatre Club (Off-Broadway) The Women (1993) ...Cast; Hartford Stage Company (Hartford, CT) The Merchant of Venice (1995) ... Portia; Joseph Papp Public Theater/Anspacher Theatre (Off-Broadway) Mrs. Klein (1996) ...Melitta; National Tour Mrs. Klein (1995) ... Melitta; Lucille Lortel Theatre (Off-Broadway) Skylight (1997) ...Kyra Hollis; Mark Taper Forum (Los Angeles, CA) A Streetcar Named Desire (1997) ...Blanche du Bois; Steppenwolf Theatre Company (Chicago, IL) The Herbal Bed (1998) ...Susanna Hall; Eugene O'Neill Theatre (Broadway) Fool for Love (1999) ...May; McCarter Theatre (Princeton, NJ) Tiny Alice (2000) ...Cast; Second Stage Theatre (Off-Broadway) Hedda Gabler (2000) ... Hedda Gabler; Guthrie Theater (Minneapolis, MN) Burnt Piano (2001) ...Karen; HB Playwrights Theatre (Off-Broadway) Three Sisters (2001) ...Masha; New Jersey Shakespeare Theatre (Madison, NJ) Antony and Cleopatra (2002) ...Cleopatra; Guthrie Theater (Minneapolis, MN) Resurrection Blues (2002) ...Emily; Guthrie Theater (Minneapolis, MN) Fiction (2003) ...Linda; McCarter Theatre (Princeton, NJ) King John (2003) ... Constance; New Jersey Shakespeare Theater (Madison, NJ) Macbeth (2004) ...Lady Macbeth; The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey (Madison, NJ) Frozen (2004) ...Agnetha; Circle in the Square Theatre (Broadway) Frozen (2004) ... Agnetha; MCC Theater (Off-Broadway) Heartbreak House (2006) ...Lady Utterwood; American Airlines Theatre (Broadway) A Street Car Named Desire (2008) The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey (Madison, NJ) Noises Off (2009) The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey (Madison, NJ) The Dance of Death (2013) The Red Bull Theater (New York, NY) The Lion in Winter (2016) Guthrie Theatre (Minneapolis, MN)