Patricia Charbonneau

Patricia Charbonneau (born April 19, 1959) is an American actress, perhaps best known for playing the part of Cay Rivvers in Desert Hearts, her first film role, for which she was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead.

Early life Charbonneau was born in Valley Stream, New York on Long Island, the youngest of 10 children. Her father is French and her mother is Austrian. She graduated in 1977 from Valley Stream Central High School, which she attended with fellow actors Steve Buscemi and Steve Hytner. She later attended Boston University as a theater major, and left after a month to take a position with the Lexington Conservatory Theatre company in the Catskills.

Early work At age 19, Charbonneau moved to New York City. She appeared in New York in the Lexington Conservatory Theatre production of The Revengers, a rock opera adaptation by William C. Sandwick and Philip Soltanoff at Playwrights Horizons, alongside Sofia Landon Geier. She also studied with noted acting teacher Fred Kareman and worked in smaller roles, including a part with the New York City Opera. In 1982, as a member of the Actors Theatre of Louisville, she originated the role of Lea in My Sister in this House by Wendy Kesselman, a part that she also played Off-Broadway, helping to launch her film and television career.

Desert Hearts In 1985, Charbonneau made her film debut in Donna Deitch's film Desert Hearts, at a time when it was still considered a risk to portray a lesbian in a romantic drama, complete with a lengthy love scene. She told The Associated Press, "Kissing Helen [Shaver, her costar] wasn't the hard part, really. The hard part was walking out on the set naked and just standing there." Two days before shooting began, she found out that she was pregnant with her first child,

Other notable work In the following year she appeared in Michael Mann's Manhunter (based on the novel Red Dragon) and then played Anna, the lead, in Call Me (1988), which also featured fellow Valley Streamer Buscemi. The same year, she was featured in the crime drama/action movie Shakedown. Her television work began with a 1986 NBC pilot C.A.T. Squad and continued with dozens of appearances, including HBO's Tales from the Crypt; Crime Story; The Equalizer; Wiseguy; Murder, She Wrote; Matlock; New York Undercover; and Law & Order: Criminal Intent. In the 1990 film RoboCop 2, she played the role of Linda Garcia. Despite the character's prominence in the movie's plot, her name is never spoken, and the role was not listed in the credits; observant fans were able to determine the character's name by noticing that she wore a name tag. In 1995, she starred in Mission Critical, a Legend Entertainment sci-fi adventure game. She played one of James Garner's daughters in the 1999 CBS made-for-TV film One Special Night, which featured Julie Andrews.

In March 2007, Charbonneau joined the faculty of the Hudson Valley Academy of Performing Arts in West Taghkanic, New York where she teaches an acting workshop for children and teens.

Personal life Charbonneau met musician Vincent Caggiano in 1978, and they married in 1982. She was pregnant with their only child, a daughter, during the filming of Desert Hearts.

Filmography

Movies

Year Title Role Notes 1983 MysteryDisc: Many Roads to Murder Tracey Lowe Direct-to-video 1985 Desert Hearts Cay Rivvers 1986 Manhunter Mrs. Sherman 1988 Shakedown Susan Cantrell Call Me Anna 1990 Brain Dead Dana Martin RoboCop 2 Robocop Tech Linda Garcia Uncredited 1991 K2 Jackie Metcalf 1996 Portraits of a Killer Carolyn Price 1998 Kiss the Sky Franny 1999 The Arrangement Marion Markel She's All That Lois Siler California Myth Barbara 2008 100 Feet Frances

Television

YearTitleRole Notes 1986 C.A.T. Squad Nikki Blake TV movie 1986–1987 Crime Story Inger Thorson Recurring role (season 1) 1987 The Equalizer Sally Stevens Episode: "High Performance" Spenser: For Hire Linda Shannon Episode: "Mary Hamilton" 1988 Disaster at Silo 7 Kathy Fitzgerald TV movie 1988–1989 Wiseguy Carole Sternberg Recurring role (season 2) 1989 Unsub Lucille Episode: "Silent Stalker" Matlock Madeline 'Maddy' Medford Episode: "The Con Man" Desperado: Badlands Justice Emily Harris TV movie 1990 Booker Clara Episode: "Who Framed Roger Thornton?" Midnight Caller Dakota Roberts Episode: "Three for the Money" 1991 Murder, She Wrote Diana Sterling Episode: "From the Horse's Mouth" Father Dowling Mysteries Laurie Kidd Episode: "The Malibu Mystery" The Owl Danny Santerre TV movie Captive Karen TV movie 1992 The Commish Catherine Belzer Episode: "Sex, Love and Kerosene" Tales from the Crypt Ellen Renfield Episode: "Strung Along" 1993 Renegade Janet Episode: "Vanished" Walker, Texas Ranger Robin Henley Episode: "Storm Warning" 1994 Viper Ella Keats Episode: "Wheels of Fire" 1995 Extreme Sheriff Lynn Roberts Episode: "Pilot" seaQuest DSV Elaine Morse 2 episodes 1996 Kindred: The Embraced Camilla Episode: "Bad Moon Rising" 1997 Profiler Barbara Chapin Episode: "Shattered Silence" New York Undercover Jennifer Lewis Episode: "School's Out" Diagnosis Murder Fed. Marshal Monica Shattuck Episode: "Deadly Games" 1998 Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction Woman Driving Episode: "Bright Lights" 1999 One Special Night Lori TV movie 2000 Strange World Episode: "Age of Reason" 2001 Law & Order: Criminal Intent Sydney Markham Episode: "The Extra Man" 2002 Law & Order Janet Naiman Episode: "Oxymoron" 2008 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Paige Beddles Episode: "Streetwise"

Video games

Year Title Role 1995 Mission Critical Lieutenant Commander Tran