Kirsten Nelson (born October 3, 1970) is an American actress and director best known for her role as police chief

Karen Vick Karen C. Vick (née Dunlap) is a character on the American comedy detective drama ''Psych'' played by Kirsten Nelson. Fictional biography According to Head Detective Carlton Lassiter's weblog, Vick replaced Police Chief John Fenich upon his retir ...

on the TV series '' Psych''.

Early life and education

Kirsten Nelson was born in

Enid, Oklahoma Enid ( ) is the ninth-largest city in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. It is the county seat of Garfield County. As of the 2020 census, the population was 51,308. Enid was founded during the opening of the Cherokee Outlet in the Land Run of 1893, a ...

and raised in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. Nelson grew up playing the piano and singing, and has said "I wanted to be a concert pianist at Carnegie Hall, that is what I wanted to do from really early on." Nelson graduated from

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

Career

Nelson was a founding member of Chicago's Roadworks Theatre Ensemble before moving to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

in 1995. She is known for her starring role as Police Chief

on '' Psych''. Nelson's career includes roles in '' Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' (as Lorraine), '' The O'Keefes'' (as Ellie O'Keefe), ''

Baby's Day Out ''Baby's Day Out'' is a 1994 American adventure comedy film directed by Patrick Read Johnson and written by John Hughes, who also produced the film. Starring Joe Mantegna, Lara Flynn Boyle, Joe Pantoliano, and Brian Haley. The plot centers on ...

'', '' The Fugitive'', ''

Frasier ''Frasier'' () is an American television sitcom that was broadcast on NBC for 11 seasons. It premiered on September 16, 1993, and ended on May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey, and David Lee (as Grub ...

'', '' Ally McBeal'', ''

The West Wing ''The West Wing'' is an American serial political drama television series created by Aaron Sorkin that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1999, to May 14, 2006. The series is set primarily in the West Wing of the White Hous ...

'', ''

Just Shoot Me! ''Just Shoot Me!'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on NBC from March 4, 1997, to November 26, 2003, with a total of 145 half-hour episodes spanning seven seasons. The show was created by Steven Levitan, the show's executive ...

'' and ''

Boy Meets World ''Boy Meets World'' is an American coming-of-age sitcom created by Michael Jacobs and April Kelly that aired on ABC for seven seasons between September1993 and May2000. The series centers on Cory Matthews (Ben Savage) and his friends and fami ...

''. Most recently, she played Danielle Bishop on '' K.C. Undercover''.

Personal life

Nelson is an ELCA

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...

. She is married and has two children.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nelson, Kirsten Actresses from Chicago Northwestern University alumni Living people Actresses from Oklahoma 1970 births Actors from Enid, Oklahoma 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Christians Christians from Illinois American television actresses