Carrie Preston
| Carrie Preston | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Preston in 2016 | |
| Born |
June 21, 1967 Macon, Georgia, U.S. |
| Education | University of Evansville (BFA 1990), Juilliard School (Diploma 1994) |
| Occupation | Actress, director, producer |
| Years active | 1995–present |
| Spouse(s) | Michael Emerson (m. 1998) |
| Website | CarriePreston.com |
Carrie Preston (born June 21, 1967)[1] is an American actress, producer and director. She is known for her work on the television series True Blood, Person of Interest, Crowded and The Good Wife. Preston received critical acclaim for her portrayal of Elsbeth Tascioni on CBS's acclaimed drama series The Good Wife. For her work on the show Preston received two nominations for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series winning once.
Early life and education
Preston was born and raised in Macon, Georgia. Her mother is an artist and art therapist, and her father is a geo-technical engineer. She began performing in community theater shows at age 8, and by age 12 she had begun her own front-yard theater company with other neighborhood kids.[2] Her brother is actor John G. Preston. Both are graduates of Central High School in Macon, Georgia.
She earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Evansville (1990), followed by an acting diploma from the Juilliard School's Drama Division[3][4] (Group 23: 1990–1994).[5]
Career
Preston has worked with her husband, actor Michael Emerson, on a number of projects. Emerson played Ben Linus on television's Lost, and Preston was a guest star in episode 20 of season 3, "The Man Behind the Curtain" as Ben's mother Emily in flashback scenes, though she and Emerson never shared scenes together. The couple were featured in the 2004 comedy film Straight-Jacket and the 2008 feature film, Ready? OK!. She appeared in several episodes of Person of Interest as Grace Hendricks, the former fiancée of Emerson's character, Harold Finch.
Preston is co-owner of the production company Daisy 3 Pictures with James Vasquez and Mark Holmes. For seven seasons she played Arlene Fowler on True Blood.[6] On July 31, 2010, Carrie Preston and her husband, Michael Emerson, read A. R. Gurney's Love Letters, which was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for Drama, at the Charleston Stage. They performed it as a fundraiser for the South Carolina's theatre. The reading was followed by a brief "Question and Answer" session.
Preston had a recurring role playing Elsbeth Tascioni, an eccentric but extremely effective trial lawyer on CBS's The Good Wife. [7] First introduced in season one and recurring on seasons three through seven the character was a fan favorite, and Preston won the 2013 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for her work on the show.
On September 6, 2013, it was announced that Preston signed on to play a recurring character in the second season of the Kevin Bacon-led thriller, The Following. She portrayed Judy, a prostitute and ill-fated groupie of Joe Carroll. The show's second season premiered in January 2014.[8] After cancellation Preston appeared in a number of films as a supporting character. Including several critically acclaimed films such as Doubt and Duplicity. Where she starred alongside stars such as Meryl Streep, Viola Davis, and Clive Owen.
In 2015 she landed a leading role on NBC shorted live comedy series Crowded where she starred opposite Patrick Warburton. During which time she also appeared on the final season of The Good Wife for which she earned her second nomination Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for her work on the show. Preston was originally slated for a 4 episode arc but due to commitments on her new show she was only able to appear in one episode.
In August 2016 it was announced that Preston had landed a role in a TNT pilot entitled Claws.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Just a Friend | Mint Jennifer | |
| 1997 | My Best Friend's Wedding | Mandy Newhouse | |
| 1997 | The Journey | Laura Singh | |
| 1997 | For Richer or Poorer | Rebecca Yoder | |
| 1998 | Mercury Rising | Emily Lang | |
| 1999 | Guinevere | Patty | |
| 1999 | Cradle Will Rock | VTA – Administrator | |
| 2000 | Woman Wanted | Monica | |
| 2000 | The Legend of Bagger Vance | Idalyn Greaves | |
| 2004 | Straight-Jacket | Sally Stone | |
| 2004 | The Stepford Wives | Barbara | |
| 2005 | Transamerica | Sydney Schupak | |
| 2007 | Lovely by Surprise | Marian Walker | |
| 2007 | Towelhead | Evelyn Vuoso | |
| 2008 | Ready? OK! | Andy Dowd | |
| 2008 | Vicky Cristina Barcelona | Sally | |
| 2008 | Doubt | Christine Hurley | |
| 2009 | Duplicity | Barbara Bofferd | |
| 2009 | That Evening Sun | Ludie Choat | |
| 2010 | Virginia | Betty | |
| 2011 | A Bag of Hammers | Lynette Patterson | |
| 2011 | Sironia | Grace | |
| 2012 | Vino Veritas | Claire | |
| 2012 | Who's Afraid of Vagina Wolf? | Chloe / Angel Tits | |
| 2013 | Beneath the Harvest Sky | Kim | |
| 2014 | 5 Flights Up | Miriam Carswell | |
| 2016 | Equity | Compliance Officer Abby | |
| 2017 | To the Bone | Filming |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Cutty Whitman | Sheriff | TV film |
| 1997 | Union Square | Jester | Episode: "Michael's First Stand" |
| 1998 | Five Houses | Unknown | TV film |
| 1998 | Significant Others | Patti Pasternak | Episode: "My Left Kidney" |
| 1998 | Grace & Glorie | Charlene Stiles | TV film |
| 1999 | Spin City | Gayle | Episode: "Carter & Stuart & Bennett & Deirdre" |
| 1999 | Sex and the City | Madeline Dunn | Episode: "The Chicken Dance" |
| 2001 | Emeril | B.D. Benson | 10 episodes |
| 2003 | Good Morning, Miami | Kiera Donahue | Episode: "The Slow and the Furious" |
| 2003 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Megan Colby | Episode: "Zoonotic" |
| 2004 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Doreen Whitlock | Episode: "Magnificat" |
| 2004 | Wonderfalls | Sister Katrina | Episode: "Wound-Up Penguin" |
| 2004 | Hope & Faith | Sally Jones | Episode: "Queer as Hope" |
| 2005 | Numb3rs | Vicky Sites | Episode: "Dirty Bomb" |
| 2005 | The Inside | Kelly Comack | Episode: "Pre-Filer" |
| 2006 | Arrested Development | Jan Eagleman | Episode: "Fakin' It" |
| 2006 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Lena Copeland | Episode: "Bedfellows" |
| 2007 | Lost | Emily Linus | Episode: "The Man Behind the Curtain" |
| 2007 | Desperate Housewives | Lucy Lindquist | Episode: "You Can't Judge a Book by Its Cover" |
| 2008–14 | True Blood | Arlene Fowler | 76 episodes |
| 2009 | Private Practice | Yvonne Pierce | Episode: "Do the Right Thing" |
| 2010 | Hell's Kitchen | Herself | Episode: "12 Chefs Compete Part 1" |
| 2010–16 | The Good Wife | Elsbeth Tascioni | 14 episodes |
| 2011 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Bella Zane | Episode: "Educated Guess" |
| 2012 | Royal Pains | Jackie Van Ark | Episode: "Hurts Like a Mother" |
| 2012–16 | Person of Interest | Grace Hendricks | 7 episodes |
| 2014 | The Following | Judy Lang | 3 episodes |
| 2014 | Getting On | Denya Thorp | Episode: "The 7th Annual Christmas Card Competition" |
| 2015 | Happyish | Debbie Dubonte | 10 episodes |
| 2016 | Crowded | Martina Moore | 13 episodes |
| 2016 | Grace and Frankie | Krystle | Episode: "The Goodbyes" |
| 2017 | Claws | Pilot |
Stage
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Indiscretions | Madeleine (Standby) | Ethel Barrymore Theatre |
| 1995 | The Tempest | Miranda | Broadhurst Theatre |
| 1997 | Antony and Cleopatra | Octavia the Younger | The Public Theater |
| 1998 | Freedomland | Polly Underfinger | Playwrights Horizons |
| 2000 | Straight-Jacket | Sally Stone | Playhouse 91 |
| 2000 | She Stoops to Conquer | Kate Hardcastle | Center Stage |
| 2001 | Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? | Honey | Guthrie Theater |
| 2001 | Chaucer in Rome | Sarah | Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater |
| 2002 | Boys and Girls | Shelly | Duke on 42nd Street |
| 2002 | No Foreigners Beyond This Point | Paula Wheaton | Center Stage |
| 2004–05 | The Rivals | Julia Melville | Vivian Beaumont Theater |
| 2005 | Cycling Past the Matterhorn | Amy | Harold Clurman Theater |
| 2005 | Hamlet | Ophelia | McCarter Theatre Center |
| 2006 | Festen | Mette | Music Box Theatre |
| 2010 | Love Letters | Melissa Gardner | Charleston Stage |
Other works
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 29th and Gay | Director, executive producer, editor |
| 2007 | Feet of Clay | Director, executive producer |
| 2008 | Ready? OK! | Executive producer |
| 2008 | Girl Talk | Director |
| 2012 | That's What She Said | Director, producer |
Awards and nominations
References
- ↑ Carrie Preston at the Internet Movie Database
- ↑ "Carrie Preston". Movies & TV. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 2013-10-16.
- ↑ "About Carrie Preston". CarriePreston.com. Retrieved April 4, 2012.
- ↑ "Carrie Preston". TV Guide. Retrieved April 4, 2012.
- ↑ "Alumni News". The Juilliard School. May 2008. Archived from the original on 2011-11-11.
- ↑ Eramo, Steven. Actress Goes Through Transformation on "True Blood", Newsarama.com, November 7, 2008; retrieved June 25, 2011.
- ↑ "Filmography by TV series for Elsbeth Tascioni (Character) from "The Good Wife" (2009)". Retrieved January 15, 2013.
- ↑ "The Following Casting Scoop: True Blood's Carrie Preston to Guest Star as Joe Carroll's Groupie". E!. Retrieved 4 February 2014.
External links
- Carrie Preston at the Internet Movie Database
- Carrie Preston at the Internet Broadway Database
- Carrie Preston at the Internet Off-Broadway Database