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Jeri Ryan
A photograph of Jeri Ryan in 2019; a white woman with a red top and long blond hair and a wide smile
Ryan in 2019
Born
Jeri Lynn Zimmermann

(1968-02-22) February 22, 1968 (age 56)
Education Northwestern University (BA)
Occupation Actress
Years active 1991–present
Known for Star Trek: Voyager
Boston Public
Shark
Body of Proof
Star Trek: Picard
Spouse(s)
  • (m. 1991; div. 1999)
  • Christophe Émé
    (m. 2007)
Children 2

Jeri Lynn Ryan (née Zimmermann; born February 22, 1968) is an American actress best known for her role as the former Borg drone Seven of Nine in Star Trek: Voyager (1997–2001), for which she was nominated four times for a Saturn Award and won in 2001. She reprised her role as Seven of Nine in Star Trek: Picard (2020–2023), for which she won another Saturn Award.

She is also known for her role as Veronica "Ronnie" Cooke on Boston Public (2001–2004), and as a regular on the science fiction series Dark Skies (1997) and the legal drama series Shark (2006–2008). In 2009 she guest-starred on the series Leverage as Tara Cole. From 2011 to 2013, she starred as Dr. Kate Murphy in the ABC drama series Body of Proof, and from 2016 to 2019, she appeared as Veronica Allen on the Amazon Prime series Bosch.

Early life

Ryan was born Jeri Lynn Zimmermann on February 22, 1968, in Munich, West Germany, the daughter of Gerhard Florian "Jerry" Zimmermann, a master sergeant in the U.S. Army, and his wife Sharon, a social worker. She has one older brother, Mark. Ryan grew up on Army posts in Kansas, Maryland, Hawaii, Georgia and Texas.

When she was 11, her father retired from the Army and the family settled in Paducah, Kentucky. She graduated from Lone Oak High School in 1986 as a National Merit Scholar, and then attended Northwestern University, where she was a member of the Alpha Phi sorority. She graduated from Northwestern in 1990 with a bachelor's degree in theatre.

In 1989, Ryan was chosen as Miss Illinois. She competed in the Miss America 1990 pageant, where she finished as third runner-up, winning the preliminary swimsuit competition and singing "On My Own" from Les Misérables for her talent.

Career

Jeri Ryan 2014
Ryan in 2014

After college, Ryan pursued acting full-time in Los Angeles. She made her acting debut in Who's the Boss?, and followed that with guest-starring roles in television series such as Melrose Place, Matlock, and The Sentinel as well as TV movies.

She had a regular role as extraterrestrial investigator Juliet Stuart on the television series Dark Skies, which was cancelled after one season.

In 1997, Ryan was chosen for a role on the science fiction series Star Trek: Voyager as Seven of Nine, a Borg drone who was freed from the Borg's collective consciousness. When she joined the cast in season four, ratings increased 60%.

She appeared in Wes Craven's Dracula 2000. After Voyager ended in 2001, Ryan joined the cast of Boston Public as Veronica "Ronnie" Cooke, a frustrated lawyer who becomes a high school teacher. David E. Kelley, the series' producer, wrote the role specifically for her. The series ended in 2004.

Ryan appeared in the romantic-comedy film Down with Love and as Lydia in the independent film Men Cry Bullets. Her first film lead was in The Last Man as the last woman left on Earth.

In 2005 she had a role in a TV pilot titled Commuters, a suburban version of Desperate Housewives. She had a recurring role as Charlotte Morgan on The O.C. in 2005, and she guest-starred as Courtney Reece on David E. Kelley's Boston Legal in 2006. Ryan then co-starred in the legal drama Shark as Los Angeles County District Attorney Jessica Devlin alongside series lead James Woods, but she did not return for episodes aired after the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike; she was credited in all four episodes. CBS cancelled the broadcast of the series after its season-two finale.

She guest-starred as defense attorney Patrice La Rue on the April 7, 2009, episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, her first role since giving birth to her daughter Gisele. Ryan next had a seven-episode role on the drama Leverage in season 2 as a grifter named Tara Cole, filling in while series regular Gina Bellman was on maternity leave.

She was in Kevin Tancharoen's short film Mortal Kombat: Rebirth as Sonya Blade. Although originally a film, it was marketed as a web series, with previews scheduled to appear online in June 2010. The web series Mortal Kombat: Legacy officially launched in March 2011.

Ryan was a regular in the series Body of Proof, which premiered on March 29, 2011.

Ryan continued to appear in guest roles on genre television series, including the science fiction series Warehouse 13 as Marine Major Amanda Lattimer, ex-wife of the series' male lead character Pete Lattimer, in the episode "Queen for a Day". She made a return guest appearance on the drama Leverage in season 4, episode 13 as grifter Tara Cole, in the episode "The Girls' Night Out Job". She also appeared for a multi-episode arc in season 1 of the science fiction series Helix. She was next seen in the series Star Trek: Picard, reprising her role as Seven of Nine.

Personal life

Jeri Ryan by Brian Wilkins (2010)
Ryan at the 2010 Las Vegas Star Trek convention in Nevada

In 1990, while dealing blackjack at a charity event, Ryan met investment banker and future Republican political candidate Jack Ryan. They married on June 15, 1991, in Wilmette, Illinois. They had a son, Alex, on August 15, 1994. Jeri commuted between Los Angeles and Wilmette during their marriage. They divorced on August 27, 1999. A few years after she joined the Voyager cast, Ryan began dating Star Trek: Voyager producer Brannon Braga.

According to statements she has made in interviews, Ryan's main hobby is gourmet cooking. While starring in Boston Public, she moonlighted on weekends in the kitchen of the Los Angeles restaurant The House. In 2003, Ryan met French chef Christophe Émé at a chef's charity event. They eventually began a relationship, and Émé moved in with Ryan and her son Alex in their home in San Fernando Valley. In February 2005, Ryan, a "lifelong Francophile", opened—in partnership with Émé—the restaurant Ortolan. Located on Third Street in Los Angeles, California, it served French food with a modern interpretation. The two have appeared on Iron Chef America, where Émé and one sous-chef challenged Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto and his two sous-chefs. The restaurant is seen in season 2, episode 26 of Boston Legal as Denny Crane (William Shatner) and Alan Shore (James Spader) discuss the arrival of Courtney Reece (Ryan) at "her favorite restaurant." Despite its success, the restaurant was hit hard by the Great Recession and closed in December 2010.

Ryan and Émé married in the Loire Valley, France on June 16, 2007. In March 2008, she gave birth to a daughter in Los Angeles.

Notable awards and nominations

Year Award Category Nominated work Result Ref
1998 Saturn Awards Best Genre TV Actress Star Trek: Voyager Nominated
1999 Saturn Awards
Golden Satellite Award Best Actress – Drama Series Won
2000 Saturn Awards Best Best Genre TV Supporting Actress Nominated
2001 Saturn Awards Best Supporting Actress on Television Won
2021 Saturn Awards Best Guest Performance in a Television Series Star Trek: Picard Nominated
2023 Astra TV Awards Best Supporting Actress in a Streaming Drama Series Won
2024 Saturn Awards Best Supporting Actress in a Television Series Won
Critics' Choice Super Awards Best Actress in a Science Fiction/Fantasy Series Nominated

Filmography

Film

Year Film Role Notes
1999 Men Cry Bullets Lydia
2000 Last Man, TheThe Last Man Sarah
2000 Disney's The Kid Larry King guest
2000 Dracula 2000 Valerie Sharpe Alternate title: Wes Craven Presents: Dracula 2000
2003 Down with Love Gwendolyn
2010 Mortal Kombat: Rebirth Sonya Blade Short film
2019 Devil's Revenge Susan
TBA Unplugged C.J. Skye Voice role; in production

Television films

Year Film Role Notes
1991 Nightmare in Columbia County Dawn Elizabeth Smith Alternate title: Victim of Beauty
1992 Flash III: Deadly Nightshade Felicia Kane
1992 Just Deserts Nicole
1993 In the Line of Duty: Ambush in Waco Rebecca
1996 Co-ed ... Kimberley
1996 Pier 66 Beth Saunders
2005 Commuters, TheThe Commuters Anne
2010 Dead Lines Sophie Fyne
2010 Secrets in the Walls Rachel Easton
2016 Against the Wild: Survive the Serengeti Jennifer Croft

Television series

Year Show Role Notes
1991 Who's the Boss? Pam Episode: "The Unsinkable Tony Micelli"
1991 Flash, TheThe Flash Felicia Kane Episode: "The Deadly Nightshade"
1991 Top of the Heap Tyler Episode: "The Marrying Guy"
1991 Nurses Lisa Episode: "Mother, Jugs, and Zach"
1991 Reasonable Doubts Rachel Beckwith Episode: "Graduation Day"
1993 Jackie Thomas Show, TheThe Jackie Thomas Show Pauline Yardley Episode: "Jackie and the Model"
1993 Matlock: The Fatal ... Carrie Locke 2 episodes
1994 Time Trax Lauren Sanders Episode: "Out for Blood"
1995 Murder, She Wrote Maura Episode: "Death n' Denial"
1995 Charlie Grace Claire Episode: "Designer Knock-Off"
1996 Client, TheThe Client Jennifer Episode: "The Morning After"
1996 Melrose Place Valerie Madison 2 episodes
1996 Diagnosis: Murder Melissa Farnes Episode: "Murder by the Book"
1997 Dark Skies Juliet Stewart 8 episodes
1997–2001 Star Trek: Voyager Seven of Nine 100 episodes
Satellite Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama
Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress on Television
Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Actress on Television (1998–1999)
Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress on Television
1999 Sentinel, TheThe Sentinel Alexis Barnes 2 episodes
1999 Dilbert Seven of Nine alarm clock (voice) Episode: "The Gift"
2001–2004 Boston Public Ronnie Cooke 59 episodes
2004–2011 Two and a Half Men Sherri 3 episodes
2005 O.C., TheThe O.C. Charlotte Morgan 7 episodes
2006 Boston Legal Courtney Reese 2 episodes
2006–2009 Iron Chef America Herself 2 episodes
2006–2008 Shark Jessica Devlin 34 episodes
2009 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Patrice Larue 3 episodes
2009–2011 Leverage Tara Cole 8 episodes
2010 Psych Dr. Kim Phoenix Episode: "The Head, the Tail, the Whole ... Episode"
2011 Law & Order: Criminal Intent Naomi Halloran Episode: "Boots on the Ground"
2011 Mortal Kombat: Legacy Sonya Blade 2 episodes
2011–2012 Warehouse 13 Major Amanda Lattimer 2 episodes
2011–2013 Body of Proof Kate Murphy 42 episodes
2014–2017 Major Crimes Linda Rothman 3 episodes
2014 Helix Constance Sutton 2 episodes
2015 NCIS Rebecca Chase Episode: "Check"
2015 Arrow Jessica Danforth Episode: "The Candidate"
2016–2019 Bosch Veronica Allen 12 episodes
2020–2023 Star Trek: Picard Seven of Nine 25 episodes
Astra TV Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Streaming Drama Series
Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress on Television
Nominated—Critics' Choice Super Award for Best Actress in a Science Fiction/Fantasy Series
Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Guest Starring Role on Television
2020 The Ready Room Herself 2 episodes
2020 MacGyver Gwendolyn Hayes 3 episodes
2023 Dark Winds Rosemary Vines 4 episodes

Video games

Year Title Role Notes
2001 Star Trek: Voyager – Elite Force Seven of Nine Voice role (in patch 1.2 and the Expansion Pack)
2014, 2020 Star Trek Online Seven of Nine Voice role

See also

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