Gail O'Grady facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Gail O'Grady
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O'Grady at the 46th Primetime Emmy Awards in 1994
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| Born |
Gail Ann O'Grady
January 23, 1963 |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1986–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Richard Dasko
(m. 1981; div. 1983)Jeffrey Byron
(m. 1990; div. 1991)Severin Wunderman
(m. 1991; div. 1992)Steve Fenton
(m. 1995; div. 1996)Anthony J. Pellegrino
(m. 1998; div. 2000)John Stamatakis
(m. 2004; div. 2008) |
Gail Ann O'Grady (born January 23, 1963) is an American actress and producer. She is famous for her roles on television. You might know her as Donna Abandando in the police show NYPD Blue. She also played Helen Pryor in the drama series American Dreams. Gail O'Grady has starred in many TV movies and has been nominated for a big award called the Primetime Emmy Award three times.
Contents
Early Life and Start in Acting
Gail O'Grady was born in Detroit, Michigan, on January 23, 1963. Her parents are Jim and Jan O'Grady. She grew up in Wheaton, Illinois, and finished high school there in 1981.
Before becoming a well-known actress, Gail started her career as a model. She also appeared in several TV commercials. One famous commercial showed her with actor Michael J. Fox. In 1986, she moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting full-time.
Becoming a TV Star
Gail O'Grady began her acting journey with small guest roles on TV shows. She often played characters who were a bit mischievous. Her first movie role was in the romantic comedy She's Having a Baby in 1988. She also appeared in two episodes of the ABC drama China Beach.
Breakthrough Role in NYPD Blue
Gail's first big role was as Donna Abandando in the police drama NYPD Blue. She played the squad secretary from 1993 to 1996. Her performance earned her an Emmy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for three years in a row! In 1995, she and the rest of the cast won a Screen Actors Guild Award. This award is given to the best group of actors in a drama series.
After NYPD Blue, Gail tried to start her own comedy show called The Gail O'Grady Project. However, the show was not picked up by any TV networks.
Starring in TV Movies
After leaving NYPD Blue, Gail O'Grady became a popular face in television movies. She starred in many films for channels like Lifetime. Some of her notable TV movies include The Three Lives of Karen (1997) and Two of Hearts (1999). She also appeared in movies like Celtic Pride (1996) and That Old Feeling (1997).
American Dreams and Other Series
From 2002 to 2005, Gail played Helen Pryor in the NBC series American Dreams. This show was about an American family living in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, during the 1960s. The series ran for three seasons.
In 2005, Gail was the main actress in the ABC comedy Hot Properties. She also had guest roles on popular shows like Two and a Half Men and Boston Legal. In Boston Legal, she played a judge named Gloria Weldon. She also starred in the Hallmark Channel movie All I Want for Christmas in 2007.
Later TV Appearances
Gail O'Grady continued to appear in many TV series. She had regular roles in Hidden Palms (2007) and Hellcats (2010-2011). In Hellcats, she played Wanda Perkins, the mother of the main character.
She also had guest roles on many well-known shows. These include Desperate Housewives, Monk, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, The Mentalist, and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. From 2014 to 2015, she had a big recurring role on the ABC show Revenge. More recently, in 2019, she starred in the Lifetime movie Identity Theft of a Cheerleader. She also appeared in Criminal Minds from 2018 to 2023.
Personal Life
Gail O'Grady has one son.
Images for kids
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Gail O'Grady at the 46th Primetime Emmy Awards in 1994
See also
In Spanish: Gail O'Grady para niños
