Lanei Chapman (born January 23, 1973) 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 has appeared primarily in guest appearances on episodes of various television series, and may be best known for her role as Lt. Vanessa Damphousse in the single 1995–96 season of the series '' Space: Above and Beyond''.

Career

Chapman first appeared on television at the age of 13 in a

Kentucky Fried Chicken KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) is an American fast food restaurant chain headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, that specializes in fried chicken. It is the world's second-largest restaurant chain (as measured by sales) after McDonald's, with 2 ...

commercial. She went on to appear in a number of films and television shows, including ''

White Men Can't Jump ''White Men Can't Jump'' is a 1992 American sports comedy film written and directed by Ron Shelton. It stars Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson as streetball hustlers. The film was released in the United States on March 27, 1992, by 20th Century ...

'', ''

Seinfeld ''Seinfeld'' ( ) is an American television sitcom created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld. It aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, over nine seasons and List of Seinfeld episodes, 180 episodes. It stars Seinfeld as Jerry Seinfeld ( ...

'', ''

The Wonder Years ''The Wonder Years'' is an American coming-of-age story, coming-of-age situation comedy, comedy/Drama (film and television), drama television series created by Neal Marlens and Carol L. Black, Carol Black. It ran on American Broadcasting Company ...

'' and ''

China Beach ''China Beach'' is an American war drama television series set at an evacuation hospital during the Vietnam War. The title refers to My Khe beach in the city of Đà Nẵng, Vietnam, nicknamed "China Beach" in English by American and Australia ...

''. She made her

science fiction television Science fiction first appeared in television programming in the late 1930s, during what is called the Golden Age of Science Fiction. Special effects and other production techniques allow creators to present a living visual image of an imaginary ...

debut in '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' as Ensign Sariel Rager, a recurring character who served as a conn officer in numerous episodes, though she only received an on-screen credit for speaking parts in four episodes. She made her debut in the series '' Space: Above and Beyond'' during the pilot episode, playing main cast character Lt. Vanessa Damphousse. While filming the pilot and the early part of the series, Chapman was on a leave of absence from a post-graduate film production program at the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...

. She initially auditioned with Randy Stone, senior vice-president of talent and casting at

Twentieth Century Fox Television 20th Television (formerly 20th Century Fox Television, 20th Century-Fox Television, and TCF Television Productions, Inc.) is an American television production company that is a division of Disney Television Studios, part of The Walt Disney Com ...

, and then two days later with

David Nutter David Nutter (born 1960) is an American television and film director and television producer. He is best known for directing pilot episodes for television. In 2015, he received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series ...

, the director of the pilot. By her own admission, the character did not have a great deal to do in that initial two-part episode, so much so that when she was required to audition, the lines she read were from a different character as they had not yet developed Damphousse. The writers took elements of Chapman's own experiences and backstory and wrote it into the new character's as they were developing her. The series was cancelled after one season, despite an organized fan campaign to renew it.

Personal life

Chapman is a graduate of

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native A ...

with a

degree Degree may refer to: As a unit of measurement * Degree (angle), a unit of angle measurement ** Degree of geographical latitude ** Degree of geographical longitude * Degree symbol (°), a notation used in science, engineering, and mathematics ...

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

. She had originally chosen to major in Drama, but switched part-way through after discovering the extent of the foreign language program at the college. She also wrote a short play while there, called ''Home Run'', which she sent to actress

Chip Fields Chip Fields, sometimes credited as Chip Hurd or Chip Fields-Hurd, is an American singer, actress, television director, and producer who has appeared in popular films, television shows, and Broadway theatre. She is best known for portraying Lyne ...

to appear in and assist Chapman in directing. She is also a qualified teacher in California, and for a short time taught

kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cent ...

until she chose to pursue acting full-time.

Filmography

* ''

Thief Theft is the act of taking another person's property or services without that person's permission or consent with the intent to deprive the rightful owner of it. The word ''theft'' is also used as a synonym or informal shorthand term for some ...

'' ** episode "In the Wind" (as Lanai Chapman) ... ** episode "No Direction Home" (as Lanai Chapman) ... as Sheronda Jones * ''

Dense Density (volumetric mass density or specific mass) is the substance's mass per unit of volume. The symbol most often used for density is ''ρ'' (the lower case Greek letter rho), although the Latin letter ''D'' can also be used. Mathematically ...

'' (2004) ... as Yvette * ''

The Division ''The Division'' is an American police procedural drama television series created by Deborah Joy LeVine starring Bonnie Bedelia. The series focuses on a team of female detectives and police officers in the San Francisco Police Department. The ...

'' ** episode "Wish You Were Here" (as Lanai Chapman) ... as Prosecutor ** episode "Beyond the Grave" (as Lanai Chapman) ... as District Attorney * ''

The District ''The District'' is an American crime drama and police procedural television series which aired on CBS from October 7, 2000, to May 1, 2004. The show followed the work and personal life of the chief of Washington, D.C.'s police department. Pre ...

'' ... as Jenny McClure ** episode "Goodbye, Jenny" ** episode "Drug Money" * ''

Judging Amy ''Judging Amy'' is an American legal drama television series that was telecast from September 19, 1999, through May 3, 2005, on CBS. This TV series starred Amy Brenneman and Tyne Daly. Its main character (Brenneman) is a judge who serves in a ...

'' ... as Winnie Van Exel ** episode "The Frozen Zone" (as Lanai Chapman) ** episode "Between the Wanting and the Getting (as Lanai Chapman) ** episode "Everybody Falls Down" (as Lanai Chapman) * ''

Rat Race A rat race is an endless, self-defeating, or pointless pursuit. The phrase equates humans to rats attempting to earn a reward such as cheese, in vain. It may also refer to a competitive struggle to get ahead financially or routinely. The term is ...

'' (2001) ...as Merrill Jennings * ''C-16: FBI'' ... as Angela Robinson ** episode "My Brother's Keeper" ** episode "The Art of War" * '' The Pretender'' ** episode "Under the Reds" ... as Julie Thorton * '' Space: Above and Beyond'' ... as Lt. Vanessa Damphousse ** episode " ...Tell Our Moms We Done Our Best" ** episode " And If They Lay Us Down To Rest..." ** episode " Sugar Dirt" ** episode " Stardust" ** episode " R&R ** episode " Pearly" ** episode " Dear Earth" ** episode "

Toy Soldiers A toy soldier is a miniature figurine that represents a soldier. The term applies to depictions of uniformed military personnel from all eras, and includes knights, cowboys, American Indians, pirates, samurai, and other subjects that involve ...

" ** episode " The Angriest Angel" ** episode " Never No More" ** episode " Level of Necessity" ** episode " Who Monitors the Birds?" ** episode " The River of Stars" ** episode " Choice or Chance" ** episode " Hostile Visit" ** episode " The Enemy" ** episode "

Eyes Eyes are organs of the visual system. They provide living organisms with vision, the ability to receive and process visual detail, as well as enabling several photo response functions that are independent of vision. Eyes detect light and conve ...

" ** episode "

Ray Butts Joseph Raymond Butts (September 22, 1919 – April 20, 2003) was an American inventor and engineer best known for designing several devices that influenced the evolution of electrified music, in particular those used with the electric guitar. Mos ...

" ** episode "

Mutiny Mutiny is a revolt among a group of people (typically of a military, of a crew or of a crew of pirates) to oppose, change, or overthrow an organization to which they were previously loyal. The term is commonly used for a rebellion among member ...

" ** episode "

Pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they a ...

" * ''The Secrets of Lake Success'' ... as Melanie Jones * ''

'' ... as Sid Fields' Housekeeper ** episode "

The Pilot, Part 2 "The Pilot" is the two-part season finale episode of season four of '' Seinfeld'', comprising the season's 23rd and 24th episodes (63rd and 64th episodes in the series). It first aired on May 20, 1993. This two-part episode aired at an earlier t ...

" ** episode " The Old Man" * '' The Jacksons: An American Dream'' (1992) TV Mini Series... Played Katherine's sister, Hattie. * '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' ... as Ensign Sariel Rager, a conn officer of the ''Enterprise''-D ** silently played the role in numerous episodes, only received an on-screen speaking credit in four episodes ** episode "

Schisms A schism ( , , or, less commonly, ) is a division between people, usually belonging to an organization, movement, or religious denomination. The word is most frequently applied to a split in what had previously been a single religious body, suc ...

" ** episode "

Relics In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains of a saint or the personal effects of the saint or venerated person preserved for purposes of veneration as a tangi ...

" ** episode "

Night Terrors Night terror, also called sleep terror, is a sleep disorder causing feelings of panic or dread and typically occurring during the first hours of stage 3–4 non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep and lasting for 1 to 10 minutes. It can last long ...

" ** episode " Galaxy's Child" * ''

Martin Martin may refer to: Places * Martin City (disambiguation) * Martin County (disambiguation) * Martin Township (disambiguation) Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Austral ...

'' ** episode "Things I Do for Love" (voice) ... as Caller #1 * ''

'' (1992) ... as Lanei * ''

'' ** episode "Kodachrome" ... as Miss Shaw * ''

The Importance of Being Earnest ''The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People'' is a play by Oscar Wilde. First performed on 14 February 1895 at the St James's Theatre in London, it is a farcical comedy in which the protagonists maintain fictitious ...

'' (1992) ... as Cecily * ''

'' ** episode "Souvenirs" ... as Glitter * ''A Mother's Courage: The Mary Thomas Story'' (1989) ... Mary (16 years)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Chapman, Lanei 1973 births African-American actresses American educators American film actresses American television actresses Dartmouth College alumni Living people 21st-century African-American people 21st-century African-American women 20th-century African-American people 20th-century African-American women