Michelle Forbes

Michelle Renee Forbes Guajardo (born January 8, 1965) is an American actress who has appeared on television and in independent films. She is a Saturn Award winner with three nominations.

Forbes first garnered attention for her dual role in the daytime soap opera Guiding Light, for which she received a Daytime Emmy Award nomination. She is known for her recurring appearances on genre and drama shows, including Ensign Ro Laren in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Picard, and her regular role as medical examiner Julianna Cox on Homicide: Life on the Street during the 1990s. She played recurring roles throughout the 2000s in Battlestar Galactica, 24, In Treatment, Durham County, Prison Break and her series regular role as Maryann Forrester on True Blood. She has appeared in significant roles in films such as Escape from L.A., Kalifornia, Swimming with Sharks and Columbus.

She starred in the 2011–2012 AMC television series The Killing, for which she received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination. On June 18, 2019 it was announced that Forbes would join USA Network's action drama series Treadstone, a prequel/sequel to the Bourne franchise.

Early life Forbes was born in Austin, Texas, of Mexican American heritage.

Forbes hoped to become a ballet dancer. She began receiving formal acting training at the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Houston. While on vacation in New York City at the age of 16, she found herself auditioning for a film; although she was not selected, she signed with the William Morris Agency and began her professional acting career.

Career

In 1987, at age 22, Forbes landed the contract role of Sonni Carrera Lewis on the daytime soap opera Guiding Light. The role was expanded to a dual role, with a second character, Solita Carrera, added. Forbes was a cast member for three years and in 1990 earned a Daytime Emmy Award nomination for her performance. She then continued in theater and began appearing in small guest roles on television to raise her profile. She went on to make guest appearances on a few other TV shows before landing the recurring role of Ensign Ro Laren in Star Trek: The Next Generation.

The producers of Star Trek: The Next Generation invited Forbes to reprise Ro in the spin-off series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine but Forbes declined the offer and decided to focus on a career in films. She received praise, as well as a Saturn Award nomination from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, for her performance as photographer Carrie Laughlin in the 1993 thriller Kalifornia. This was followed with the lead female role in the 1994 black comedy Swimming with Sharks as well as supporting roles in films such as Roadflower, Just Looking (1995), and John Carpenter's 1996 science fiction/action sequel Escape from L.A.

She continued performing on television during this period, with guest spots on Seinfeld, The Outer Limits and Star Trek: The Next Generation, to which she returned to tie up the Ro Laren storyline in the series' penultimate episode.

In 1995, she played one of the leads in J. S. Cardone's crime thriller Black Day Blue Night, alongside Mia Sara and Gil Bellows. The reviews for Black Day Blue Night were positive. Without breaking new grounds, they highlighted its strengths as a well-executed, low-budget noir with engaging performances. Greg Evans of Variety liked the film and of Forbes performance he said that it was "compellingly hard-bitten" and "outdistance the material."

In 1996, Forbes joined the cast of NBC's popular police drama Homicide: Life on the Street, playing chief medical examiner Julianna Cox. She remained with the show for two years then was let go as part of a major cast overhaul (the series was canceled after one more season). However, she reprised her role in the 2000 TV special Homicide: The Movie.

That same year, Forbes became a regular on the ABC series Wonderland but it was pulled from the air after only two episodes. Forbes was next seen in a recurring role on the police drama The District.

She was subsequently given roles in films such as 2001's Perfume and 2002's American Girl as well as the 2001 British television film Messiah (for which she studied British sign language for a week) and its sequel installments: Messiah 2: Vengeance is Mine in 2002 and Messiah III in 2003. During the 2002–2003 TV season, Forbes played the recurring character of presidential aide Lynne Kresge on the second season of the action series 24.

She followed her role on 24 with a guest spot on Alias then went on to play Admiral Helena Cain in three episodes of the re-imagining of the classic sci-fi series Battlestar Galactica as well as appearing in the television film Battlestar Galactica: Razor. She followed this up with a recurring role as Agent Samantha Brinker on the drama Prison Break and guest starred on Boston Legal and Lost.

Forbes starred as the lead in the adaptation of the comic-book Global Frequency, the single produced episode of which leaked online the following year, eight months after the series failed to be picked up by Warner Bros. networks.

Forbes returned to British television screens with guest roles in both Holby City and as a Mossad agent in Waking the Dead. In 2008, Forbes starred in two HBO drama series; In Treatment, portraying the wife of the central character, and in True Blood as a Maenad named Maryann Forrester.

She reprised her semi-regular roles in both series in their respective second seasons in 2009 as well as joining the cast of the Canadian psychological drama series Durham County for its second season as Dr. Penelope Verity.

Forbes played the role of Mitch Larsen in the American television series The Killing, a 2011 remake of the Danish crime series Forbrydelsen. Forbes appeared as Retro Girl in the TV series Powers. She also landed a prominent supporting role in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2.

Forbes subsequently played Valerie Edwards in the TV series Berlin Station that aired on Epix from 2016 to 2019. Her character was a no-nonsense administrator who serves as a Berlin Station Internal branch chief.

She appeared in the first season of the ABC drama Big Sky as matriarch Margaret Kleinsasser followed by her appearance as Dr. Veronica Fuentes in the fourth season of New Amsterdam.

In 2023 Forbes reprised her role of Ro Laren in the 3rd season of Star Trek: Picard where the character was eventually killed by the Changelings in episode 5 "Imposters"

Personal life

Forbes had been a vegetarian since her teenage years and became a vegan in 2011.

Filmography

Film Year Title Role Notes 1993 Love Bites Nerissa 1993 Kalifornia Carrie Laughlin Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Actress 1994 Swimming with Sharks Dawn Lockhard 1994 Roadflower Helen 1995 Just Looking Mary 1995 The Chosen One The Mother 1995 Black Day Blue Night Rinda Woolley 1996 Escape from L.A. Lieutenant Brazen 1998 Dry Martini Valeria 2000 Bullfighter Mary 2001 Perfume Francene 2002 American Girl Madge Grubb 2004 Dandelion Ms. Voss 2004 Al Roach: Private Investigator Dede Dragonfly Voice role 2009 Diplomacy US Secretary of State 2013 Highland Park Sylvia 2013 The Hunters Jordyn Flynn 2015 The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 Lieutenant Jackson 2017 Columbus Maria 2017 Gemini Jamie 2017 Say You Will Janis Nimitz 2017 The Honor FarmUncredited

Television Year Title Role Notes 1987–1989 Guiding Light Dr. 'Sonni' Carrera-Lewis Unknown episodesNominated—Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series 1991 Father Dowling Mysteries Gym Instructor Episode: "The Fugitive Priest Mystery" 1991 Shannon's Deal Maren Episode: "The Inside Man" 1991 Star Trek: The Next Generation Dara Episode: "Half a Life" 1991–1994 Star Trek: The Next Generation Ensign Ro Laren Recurring role (Seasons 5–7) 1994 Seinfeld Julie Episode: "The Big Salad" 1996 The Outer Limits Jamie Pratt Episode: "A Stitch in Time" 1996 The Prosecutors District Attorney Rachel Simone TV movie 1996–1998 Homicide: Life on the Street Dr. Julianna Cox Main cast (Seasons 5–6)Nominated— Viewers for Quality Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Quality Drama Series 1998 Brimstone Assistant District Attorney Julia Trent Episode: "Executioner" 2000 The District Helen York Recurring role (Season 1) 2000 Homicide: Life Everlasting Dr. Julianna Cox TV movie 2000 Wonderland Dr. Lyla Garrity Main cast 2001–2004 Messiah Susan Metcalfe Main cast (Series 1–3) 2002 Strong Medicine Assistant District Attorney Jill Sorenson 2 episodes 2002 Jackson County War Rory Hammett TV movie 2002 Fastlane Lena Episode: "Get Your Mack On"; uncredited 2002–2003 24 Lynne Kresge Recurring role (Season 2)Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series 2004 Love is the Drug Reena 3 episodes 2004 Global Frequency Miranda Zero Unsold pilot 2005 Alias Dr. Maggie Sinclair Episode: "Another Mister Sloane" 2005 The Inside Zoya Petikof Episode: "Thief of Hearts" 2005–2006 Battlestar Galactica Admiral Helena Cain Recurring role (Season 2) 2005–2006 Prison Break Samantha Brinker Recurring role (Season 1) 2006 Boston Legal Juliette Monroe Episode: "The Nutcrackers" 2007 Unthinkable Jamie McDowell TV movie 2007 Battlestar Galactica: Razor Admiral Helena Cain TV movie 2007–2008 Waking the Dead Sarah 3 episodes 2008 Lost Karen Decker Episode: "There's No Place Like Home: Part 1" 2008–2009 In Treatment Kate Weston Main cast (Season 1) 2008–2009 True Blood Maryann Forrester Recurring role (Seasons 1–2)Satellite Award for Best Cast – Television SeriesNominated—Saturn Award for Best Guest Starring Role on TelevisionNominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series 2009 Durham County Dr. Pen Verrity Main cast (Season 2) 2011–2012 The Killing 'Mitch' Larsen Main cast (Seasons 1–2)Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress on TelevisionNominated—Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama SeriesNominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama SeriesNominated—Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film 2013 Chicago Fire Gail McLeod Recurring role (Season 2) 2014 Orphan Black Dr. Marian Bowles Recurring role (Season 2) 2014 Rake Lucy Marks Episode: "Jury Tamperer" 2015 Powers Janis Sandusky / Retro Girl Main cast (Season 1) 2015 The Returned Helen Goddard Recurring role 2016–2019 Berlin Station Valerie Edwards Main cast 2019 Grey's Anatomy Vicki Ann Rudin Episode: "Silent All These Years" 2019 Treadstone Ellen Becker Main cast 2021 Big Sky Margaret Kleinsasser Recurring role (Season 1) 2021–2022 New Amsterdam Dr. Veronica Fuentes Recurring role (Season 4) 2023 Star Trek: Picard Commander Ro Laren Episode: "Imposters"

Video games Year Title Voice role 2004 Half-Life 2 Dr. Judith Mossman 2006 Half-Life 2: Episode One Dr. Judith Mossman 2007 Half-Life 2: Episode Two Dr. Judith Mossman 2009 The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena Captain Gail Revas 2011 DC Universe Online Circe2017 Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus Zofia Blazkowicz TBA Star Trek: Shadow Frontier Ro Laren

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryProductionResult 1990 Daytime Emmy Award Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Guiding Light 1990 Soap Opera Digest Award Outstanding Daytime Villainess Guiding Light 1993 Saturn Award Best Actress Kalifornia 2003 Screen Actors Guild Award Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series 24 2010 Saturn Award Best Guest Starring Role in Television True Blood 2010 Screen Actors Guild Award Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series True Blood 2011 Primetime Emmy Award Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series The Killing 2011 Critics' Choice Television Award Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series The Killing 2011 Saturn Award Best Supporting Actress in Television The Killing 2023 Hollywood HCA Award Best Guest Actress in a Drama Series Star Trek: Picard