Meredith Eaton

Meredith Hope Eaton Gordon (sometimes credited as Meredith Eaton-Gilden; born August 26, 1974) is an American actress. She is known for portraying the attorney Emily Resnick on the CBS television series Family Law (in which she was the first female with dwarfism to fill a regular role in an American prime time series), for her recurring role as Bethany Horowitz on the ABC series Boston Legal, and for her lead role as Matilda "Matty" Webber on the CBS series MacGyver.

Early life Eaton was born on Long Island, New York, to a clinical social worker mother and an administrative law judge father. She attended Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York, where she was an active member of the Delta Phi Epsilon sorority; she graduated in 1996 with a degree in interdisciplinary studies, minoring in theater. In June 2007, she was named by Hofstra University as their Alumnus of the Month.

Acting career Eaton, right, at the premiere of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, May 2007. (Pictured with Martin Klebba.) Eaton's acting career began in 1999 when she attended an open casting call for the comedy film Unconditional Love. Despite its being her first audition, she won out over 500 women from Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom to be cast in the role of Maudey Beasley.

Unconditional Love was not released until 2002. Her performance was seen by Paul Haggis, who created the role of Emily Resnick for her on Family Law.

In 2006, she joined the cast of Boston Legal as Bethany Horowitz, a love interest to William Shatner's character Denny Crane. The role was written specifically for her by David E. Kelley.

Eaton has portrayed Carol Wilson, a recurring character on CBS' NCIS for over 6 seasons and its spin-off NCIS: New Orleans, an immunologist who works for the CDC and is a friend of forensic scientist Abby Sciuto. In 2013, Meredith starred opposite Christopher Walken and Bill Nighy in David Hare's Turks & Caicos. In 2016, Eaton became a series regular on the CBS show MacGyver. She plays Matilda "Matty" Webber, MacGyver's boss and the new director of operations at The Phoenix Foundation.

Personal life Eaton earned a master's degree in clinical psychology from the Derner Institute of Advanced Psychological Studies at Adelphi University, where she achieved a 4.0 grade point average. She would later credit her training in psychology for giving her a better ability to understand character dynamics in preparing for acting roles.

Filmography

Film Year Title Role Notes 2002 Unconditional Love Maudey Beasley 2009 Balls Out: Gary the Tennis Coach Mrs. Tuttle 2011 Paranormal Activity 3 Woman 2013 Paranoia Hospital Nurse #3 2014 Veronica Mars Receptionist Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones Covena Kendra Post-production Television Year Title Role Notes 2001 NYPD Blue Stella Kensington Episode: "Family Ties" Dharma & Greg Kate Episode: "Pride & Prejudice" 2001–2002 Family Law Emily Resnick Main role 2002 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Melanie Grace Episode: "A Little Murder" 2003 Mr. Ambassador Melody TV film 2006 House Maddy Ralphean Episode: "Merry Little Christmas" 2006–2008 Boston Legal Bethany Horowitz Recurring role 2007 Without a Trace Brenda Spivak Episode: "Claus and Effect" 2008 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Jocelyn Miller Episode: "Inconceivable" 2009–2024 NCIS Carol Wilson 5 episodes 2014 Turks & Caicos Clare Clovis TV film NCIS: New Orleans Carol Wilson Episode: "Carrier" 2015 Battle Creek Meredith Oberling Recurring role 2017–2021 MacGyver Matilda "Matty" Webber Main role