Alexandra Kristin Powers is an American former

actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a Character (arts), character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek ...

Early life

Powers was born in New York City. She grew up in an 'artsy, liberal environment' on both coasts with her divorced parents. Her father teaches acting. She said in an interview that her parents "encouraged me to find my own truth". Commenting on her faith, she stated "I pray whenever I feel sad. And I believe that whatever is right will work out." In that same interview, she said that her father was Roman Catholic and her mother

Katharyn Powers Katharyn Michaelian Powers is a television writer who wrote for several television series from the 1970s through the 1990s. Among the series she has written episodes for are '' Charlie's Angels'', ''Fantasy Island'', ''Airwolf'' and ''Stargate SG ...

was interested in

metaphysics Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that studies the fundamental nature of reality, the first principles of being, identity and change, space and time, causality, necessity, and possibility. It includes questions about the nature of conscio ...

. Powers' mother wrote for television programs including ''Fantasy Island'' and ''Charlie's Angels''. At the age of six, Powers announced her intentions to become an actress.

Career

Powers appeared in various television and films roles including '' Cast a Deadly Spell'', ''

21 Jump Street ''21 Jump Street'' is an American police procedural television series that aired on the Fox network and in first run syndication from April 12, 1987, to April 27, 1991, with a total of 103 episodes. The series focuses on a squad of youthful-loo ...

'', and ''

Dead Poets Society ''Dead Poets Society'' is a 1989 American drama film directed by Peter Weir, written by Tom Schulman, and starring Robin Williams. Set in 1959 at the fictional elite conservative boarding school Welton Academy, it tells the story of an English t ...

''. In the film '' Rising Sun'', Powers portrayed a

prostitute Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-penet ...

who attempted to seduce the character played by actor

Wesley Snipes Wesley Trent Snipes (born July 31, 1962) is an American actor, film producer, and martial artist. His prominent film roles include '' Major League'' (1989), ''New Jack City'' (1991), ''White Men Can't Jump'' (1992), ''Passenger 57'' (1992), '' R ...

. She also had a recurring role on the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

legal drama ''

L.A. Law ''L.A. Law'' is an American legal drama television series that ran for eight seasons on NBC, from September 15, 1986, to May 19, 1994. Created by Steven Bochco and Terry Louise Fisher, it centers on the partners, associates and staff of a Los ...

''. She portrayed "Dusty Brown" in the NBC

miniseries A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. , the popularity of miniseries format h ...

''A Matter of Justice''. On being successfully cast in the NBC program ''Tonya and Nancy'', Powers commented, "In a lot of ways, it's the role of the year". For the program, she received ice-skating lessons from Dody Teachman, former coach to

Tonya Harding Tonya Maxene Price (née Harding; born November 12, 1970) is an American former figure skater, retired boxer and a reality television personality. Born in Portland, Oregon, Harding was raised primarily by her mother, who enrolled her in ice ska ...

. In a review for ''

The Orlando Sentinel The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is the primary newspaper of Orlando, Florida, and the Central Florida region. It was founded in 1876 and is currently owned by Tribune Publishing Company. The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is owned by parent company, ''Tribune Pu ...

'', Powers received a positive reception, "It should be said that Powers, the Christian lawyer on L.A. Law, is a dead ringer for Tonya ... and that she delivers a convincing performance."

Personal life

In the late 1990s she became a Scientologist, and by 2000 had married Gavin Potter and joined the Sea Organization, the religious order of the Church of Scientology. Powers previously said she did not adhere to any religion: "I've sort of looked and searched. I was a

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

for about six months." She was married to actor

Barry Sherman Bernard Charles "Barry" Sherman, (February 25, 1942 – December 13, 2017) was a Canadian businessman and philanthropist who was chairman and CEO of Apotex Inc. With an estimated net worth of US$3.2 billion at the time of his death, accor ...

in December 1993. Powers lamented, "I have to take my ring off when I go to work. And that makes me sad, because I put the ring on and I don't want to ever have to take it off."

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Powers, Alexandra Living people American child actresses American film actresses American television actresses Actresses from New York City Former Buddhists People from Manhattan American Scientologists 20th-century American actresses Year of birth missing (living people)