Kathryn Elsbeth Erbe is an American

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 ...

. She is best known for her role as

Alexandra Eames Alexandra "Alex" Eames is a fictional character within the ''Law & Order'' universe portrayed by Kathryn Erbe. Eames first appears on '' Law & Order: Criminal Intent'' as a detective partnered with Robert Goren (Vincent D'Onofrio). Following the e ...

on ''

Law & Order: Criminal Intent ''Law & Order: Criminal Intent'' is an American police procedural Drama (film and television), drama television series set in New York City, where it was also primarily produced. Created and Executive producer#Motion pictures and television, p ...

'', a spin-off of ''

Law & Order ''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment, launching the '' Law & Order'' franchise. ''Law & Order'' aired its entire run on NBC, premiering on ...

'', and

Shirley Bellinger Shirley Bellinger, played by Kathryn Erbe in the HBO series '' Oz'', is a fictional character who was first presented in the related book ''OZ: Behind These Walls: The Journal of Augustus Hill''. She is based on child murderer Susan Smith.< ...

in the

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...

series '' Oz''.

Early life

Erbe was born in

Newton, Massachusetts Newton is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is approximately west of downtown Boston. Newton resembles a patchwork of thirteen villages, without a city center. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, the population of Ne ...

, the daughter of Elsbeth and Richard Erbe. Her father is a research geneticist. She graduated from

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

(NYU) in 1989.

Career

While an undergraduate student at NYU, Erbe was cast as the daughter of

Lynn Redgrave Lynn Rachel Redgrave (8 March 1943 – 2 May 2010) was an English actress. She won two Golden Globe Awards throughout her career. A member of the Redgrave family of actors, Lynn trained in London before making her theatrical debut in 1962. By ...

's character on the sitcom ''

Chicken Soup Chicken soup is a soup made from Chicken (food), chicken, simmered in water, usually with various other ingredients. The classic chicken soup consists of a clear broth, chicken broth, often with pieces of chicken or vegetables; common addition ...

''. She later became a member of

Steppenwolf Theatre Company Steppenwolf Theatre Company is a Chicago theatre company founded in 1974 by Terry Kinney, Jeff Perry, and Gary Sinise in the Unitarian church on Half Day Road in Deerfield, Illinois and is now located in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood on ...

and has starred in many of their productions, including ''

A Streetcar Named Desire ''A Streetcar Named Desire'' is a play written by Tennessee Williams and first performed on Broadway on December 3, 1947. The play dramatizes the experiences of Blanche DuBois, a former Southern belle who, after encountering a series of person ...

'', ''

Curse of the Starving Class ''Curse of the Starving Class'' is a play by Sam Shepard, considered the first of a series on family tragedies. Some critics consider it part of a Family Trilogy that includes ''Buried Child'' (1979) and '' True West'' (1980).Simard, Rodney. “Ame ...

'', and ''

The Grapes of Wrath ''The Grapes of Wrath'' is an American realist novel written by John Steinbeck and published in 1939. The book won the National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize for fiction, and it was cited prominently when Steinbeck was awarded the Nobel Prize ...

'', which ran for six months and won the 1990

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cer ...

for Best Play. Erbe earned a Tony Award nomination in 1991 for her portrayal of Mary in '' The Speed of Darkness''. Erbe starred in such films as ''

What About Bob? ''What About Bob?'' is a 1991 American black comedy film directed by Frank Oz and starring Bill Murray and Richard Dreyfuss. Murray plays Bob Wiley, a troubled patient who follows his self-centered psychotherapist Dr. Leo Marvin (Dreyfuss) on v ...

'', '' Stir of Echoes'', '' Rich in Love'', and the independent films ''Dream with the Fishes'', ''Love from Ground Zero'', and ''Entropy''. She played opposite

David Caruso David Stephen Caruso (born January 7, 1956) is a retired American actor and producer, best known for his roles as Detective John Kelly on the ABC crime drama ''NYPD Blue'' (1993–94) and Lieutenant Horatio Caine on the CBS series ''CSI: Miami ...

in '' Kiss of Death''. She portrayed

on the

series '' Oz'', including a scene in which she did full frontal nudity, to critical acclaim. She made a guest appearance on '' Homicide: Life on the Street'' in 1997. From 2001 to early 2010, she starred as Detective

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 ...

USA Network USA Network (simply USA) is an American basic cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. It was originally launched in 1977 as Madison ...

series ''

'', alongside

Vincent D'Onofrio Vincent Philip D'Onofrio (; born June 30, 1959) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is known for his supporting and leading roles in both film and television. He has been nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award. His roles include Private Leonar ...

. In 2010, both Erbe and D'Onofrio left ''Criminal Intent''. Erbe signed on to reprise the role of Detective Eames for the eight-episode final season of the series, joining Vincent D'Onofrio, who had already signed up to return as Detective

Robert Goren Robert Goren is a fictional character featured in the NBC-USA Network police procedural and legal drama television series ''Law & Order: Criminal Intent,'' portrayed by Vincent D'Onofrio. Goren is a detective investigator first grade for the Ma ...

. She has reprised the role in guest appearances on '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit''. In 2014, Erbe appeared in an episode of ''

Last Week Tonight A last is a mechanical form shaped like a human foot. It is used by Shoemaking, shoemakers and cordwainers in the manufacture and repair of shoes. Lasts typically come in pairs and have been made from various materials, including hardwoods, cas ...

'' parodying her role on ''Law & Order: Criminal Intent''. She also recently played Fay Ambrose, the wife of Detective Harry Ambrose, in the

's '' The Sinner''.

Personal life

Erbe was married to actor

Terry Kinney Terry Kinney (born January 29, 1954) is an American actor and theater director, and is a founding member of the Steppenwolf Theatre Company, with John Malkovich, Laurie Metcalf, Gary Sinise, and Jeff Perry. Kinney is best known for his role as E ...

, who also starred in ''Oz'', from 1993 until their divorce in 2006. Together they have two children, a daughter, Maeve, and a son, Carson.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Erbe, Kathryn People from Newton, Massachusetts 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Actresses from Boston Actresses from Massachusetts American film actresses American stage actresses American television actresses Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute alumni Living people Tisch School of the Arts alumni Steppenwolf Theatre Company players 1965 births