Jeri Ryan

Photo of Jeri Ryan

Biography

An Army brat who grew up around the world, she entered beauty pageants to pay for her tuition to Northwestern University and, as Miss Illinois, won fourth place in the 1990 Miss America pageant. Quickly earning TV credits on every imaginable show, Ryan found firm footing with a role on the UFO conspiracy drama "Dark Skies" (NBC, 1996-97). The experience sent her down the sci-fi path, where she broke through as the recovering Borg Seven of Nine …
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Job Title

Actor

Born

Jeri Lynn Zimmerman on February 22, 1968 in Germany

Career Milestones

Modeled briefly while attending college

Moved to Los Angeles and pursued acting full-time

1987

First film role was a small part in "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" (role was cut from final print)

1989

Won Miss Illinois beauty pageant and competed for the title of Miss America in 1990 (placed third runner-up)

1991

Made TV-movie debut in "Nightmare in Columbia County" (CBS)

1991

Made her acting debut in "Who's the Boss?" (ABC)

1993

Acted in NBC movie "In the Line of Duty: Ambush at Waco"

1996

Landed a regular role as the extraterrestrial investigator Juliet Stuart on NBC's "Dark Skies"

1996

Made radical departure when she guest-starred in two episodes of "Melrose Place" (Fox) as a lesbian actress who endured a staged marriage to a gay bridegroom

1997

Joined cast of "Star Trek: Voyager" (UPN) as Seven of Nine, a young female Borg

2000

Acted in "Wes Craven's Dracula 2000"

2000

Had cameo role as herself (being interviewed by Larry King) in "Disney's The Kid"

2001

Joined the cast of "Boston Public" (Fox) as Veronica Cooke, a frustrated lawyer who quits the bar to become a high-school teacher

2002

First film lead, playing the last woman left on Earth in the indie comedy "The Last Man"

2003

Featured in the romantic comedy "Down with Love" starring Renée Zellweger and Ewan McGregor

2005

Joined the cast of "The O.C." (Fox) as a recovering alcoholic who befriends Kirsten

2006

Co-starred in the CBS legal drama "Shark" as Los Angeles County District Attorney Jessica Devlin

2006

Guest-starred as Courtney Reece on David E. Kelley's "Boston Legal" (ABC)

2009

Had a recurring role on the TNT drama "Leverage" as a con woman