Merrin Melissa Dungey (born August 6, 1971) is an American film and television actress, known for her roles on the television series ''
The King of Queens
''The King of Queens'' is an American television sitcom that ran on CBS from September 21, 1998, to May 14, 2007, a total of nine seasons and 207 episodes. The series was created by Michael J. Weithorn and David Litt, who also served as the show ...
'', ''
Alias
Alias may refer to:
* Pseudonym
* Pen name
* Nickname
Arts and entertainment Film and television
* ''Alias'' (2013 film), a 2013 Canadian documentary film
* ''Alias'' (TV series), an American action thriller series 2001–2006
* ''Alias the ...
'', ''
Malcolm in the Middle'', ''
Summerland'', ''
Conviction
In law, a conviction is the verdict reached by a court of law finding a defendant guilty of a crime. The opposite of a conviction is an acquittal (that is, "not guilty"). In Scotland, there can also be a verdict of " not proven", which is cons ...
'', ''
The Resident'' and ''
The Fix''. She also appeared as
Ursula on ''
Once Upon a Time
"Once upon a time" is a stock phrase used to introduce a narrative of past events, typically in fairy tales and folk tales. It has been used in some form since at least 1380 (according to the ''Oxford English Dictionary'') in storytelling in t ...
''. Since March 2022, Dungey plays series regular Kam in ''
Shining Vale
''Shining Vale'' is an American comedy horror television series created by Jeff Astrof and Sharon Horgan. The series stars Courteney Cox, Greg Kinnear, Sherilyn Fenn, Mira Sorvino, Merrin Dungey, and Judith Light. It premiered on Starz on Mar ...
''.
Early life and education
Dungey was born and raised in
Sacramento, California
)
, image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg
, mapsize = 250x200px
, map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...
,
[
* a "Born on August 6, 1971, in Sacramento, California..." — Pg. 125, ¶ 3.
* b "After graduating from Rio Americano High School in 1989..." — Pg. 126, ¶ 3.] the younger daughter of Don Dungey, a general services manager and Judith Dungey. As a child she was active in ballet and dance as well as piano. Dungey was also an accomplished ice skater. Dungey graduated in 1989 from
Rio Americano High School
Rio Americano High School, colloquially known as Rio, is a public high school in Arden-Arcade, California, just outside Sacramento, serving students in grades 9 through 12 as part of the San Juan Unified School District. Rio Americano students co ...
in Sacramento, California. After high school Dungey earned a degree of
Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...
from
UCLA
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California ...
in 1993. Dungey has a sister,
Channing Dungey
Channing Nicole Dungey (born March 14, 1969) is an American television executive and the first black American president of a major broadcast television network. In 2020, she was announced as the new chairwoman and CEO of Warner Bros. Television ...
who was president of
ABC Entertainment
The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) is an American commercial broadcast television network. It is the flagship property of the ABC Entertainment Group division of The Walt Disney Company. The network is headquartered in Burbank, Calif ...
and is the CEO of
Warner Bros. Television Studios
Warner Bros. Television Studios (operating under the name Warner Bros. Television; formerly known as Warner Bros. Television Division) is an American television production and distribution studio of the Warner Bros. Television Group division of ...
.
Career
Dungey had small roles in Hollywood films such as ''
EDtv
''EDtv'' is a 1999 American satirical comedy film directed by Ron Howard. An adaptation of the Quebecois film ''Louis 19, King of the Airwaves (Louis 19, le roi des ondes)'' (1994), it stars Matthew McConaughey, Jenna Elfman, Woody Harrelson, ...
'' and ''
Deep Impact'' and on television series such as ''
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
Austr ...
,'' before landing the recurring role of
Kelly Palmer on the CBS television series ''
The King of Queens
''The King of Queens'' is an American television sitcom that ran on CBS from September 21, 1998, to May 14, 2007, a total of nine seasons and 207 episodes. The series was created by Michael J. Weithorn and David Litt, who also served as the show ...
'', in which she starred from 1999 to 2007.
She appeared in each season of the series except for the 2002–03 season. Dungey is also well known for her role as
Francie Calfo
Francine "Francie" Calfo is a fictional character on the television series ''Alias,'' portrayed by Merrin Dungey from 2001–03 and again in 2006. Initially the best friend of lead character Sydney Bristow ( Jennifer Garner), Francie is murdered ...
on the drama series ''
Alias
Alias may refer to:
* Pseudonym
* Pen name
* Nickname
Arts and entertainment Film and television
* ''Alias'' (2013 film), a 2013 Canadian documentary film
* ''Alias'' (TV series), an American action thriller series 2001–2006
* ''Alias the ...
''
from 2001 to 2003, as well as making an appearance on the 2006
series finale episode ''
All the Time in the World''. She also had a recurring role on the
FOX
Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush'').
Twelve sp ...
sitcom ''
Malcolm in the Middle'' as Stevie's mother, Kitty Kenarban.
At one point in 2001 Dungey was appearing in all three shows (''The King of Queens'', ''Malcolm in the Middle'', and ''Alias'') at the same time.
Dungey portrayed Susannah in the WB drama series ''
Summerland'' from 2004 to 2005. She has also guest-starred on various TV series including ''
Living Single
''Living Single'' is an American television sitcom created by Yvette Lee Bowser that aired for five seasons on the Fox network from August 22, 1993, to January 1, 1998. The show centered on the lives of six friends who shared personal and profes ...
'', ''
ER'', ''
Murphy Brown'', ''
Seinfeld'', ''
Friends'', ''
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 ...
'', ''
Babylon 5
''Babylon 5'' is an American space opera television series created by writer and producer J. Michael Straczynski, under the Babylonian Productions label, in association with Straczynski's Synthetic Worlds Ltd. and Warner Bros. Domestic Tele ...
'', and ''
Curb Your Enthusiasm''. Dungey appeared in two episodes of ''
Grey's Anatomy
''Grey's Anatomy'' is an American medical drama television series that premiered on March 27, 2005, on ABC as a mid-season replacement. The series focuses on the lives of surgical interns, residents, and attendings as they develop into s ...
'' that served as a
backdoor pilot
A television pilot (also known as a pilot or a pilot episode and sometimes marketed as a tele-movie), in United States television, is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a television network or other distri ...
for ''
Private Practice Private practice may refer to:
*Private sector practice
**Practice of law
In its most general sense, the practice of law involves giving legal advice to clients, drafting legal documents for clients, and representing clients in legal negotiati ...
'',
but was replaced by actress
Audra McDonald
Audra Ann McDonald (born July 3, 1970) is an American actress and singer. Primarily known for her work on the Broadway stage, she has won six Tony Awards, more performance wins than any other actor, and is the only person to win in all four act ...
for the series.
Dungey guest-starred on the ABC sitcoms ''
Surviving Suburbia
''Surviving Suburbia'' is an American sitcom television series starring Bob Saget and Cynthia Stevenson that aired on American Broadcasting Company (ABC) from April 6 to August 7, 2009. The series originally aired at 9:30 PM Eastern/8:30  ...
'' starring
Bob Saget
Robert Lane Saget (May 17, 1956 – January 9, 2022) was an American stand-up comedian, actor, and television host. Saget played Danny Tanner on the ABC sitcom ''Full House'' (1987-1995), and reprised the role for its Netflix sequel '' Fulle ...
, ''
Better Off Ted
''Better Off Ted'' is an American satirical sitcom series, created by Victor Fresco, who also served as the show's executive producer. The series ran on the ABC network from March 18, 2009, to January 26, 2010.
''Better Off Ted'' focuses on t ...
'' starring
Portia de Rossi
Portia Lee James DeGeneres (born Amanda Lee Rogers; 31 January 1973), known professionally as Portia de Rossi, is an Australian-American former actress. She played Nelle Porter on the American drama series '' Ally McBeal'' (1998–2002), for w ...
, ''
Castle'' starring
Nathan Fillion
Nathan Fillion (; born March 27, 1971) is a Canadian-American actor. He played the leading roles of Captain Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds on '' Firefly'' and its film continuation '' Serenity'', and Richard Castle on '' Castle''. , he was starring as J ...
,
and HBO's ''
Hung
Hung may refer to:
People
* Hung (surname), various Chinese surnames
* Hùng king, a king of Vietnam
People with the given name Hung include:
* Hung Huynh, Vietnamese-American chef, winner of the third season of the television show ''Top Chef''
...
'' starring
Thomas Jane
Thomas Jane (born Thomas Elliott III; February 22, 1969) is an American actor. He is known for appearing in the films Padamati Sandhya Ragam (1987), ''Boogie Nights'' (1997), '' Deep Blue Sea'' (1999), '' The Punisher'' (2004), '' The Mist'' ( ...
. She portrayed Ellie on the
Nick at Nite television series ''
Hollywood Heights'' in 2012
and had a recurring role as Alissa Barnes on ABC's ''
Betrayal
Betrayal is the breaking or violation of a presumptive contract, trust, or confidence that produces moral and psychological conflict within a relationship amongst individuals, between organizations or between individuals and organizations. ...
'' in 2013.
In 2014 she appeared in a featured role opposite
Pierce Brosnan in ''
Some Kind of Beautiful
''Some Kind of Beautiful'' (Canadian title: ''How to Make Love Like an Englishman'', UK title: ''Lessons in Love'', European title: '' Teach Me Love'') is a 2014 American romantic comedy film written by Matthew Newman, directed by Tom Vaughan, a ...
''. Also in 2014 she began portraying the recurring roles of
Ursula on ABC's ''
Once Upon a Time
"Once upon a time" is a stock phrase used to introduce a narrative of past events, typically in fairy tales and folk tales. It has been used in some form since at least 1380 (according to the ''Oxford English Dictionary'') in storytelling in t ...
''
and Sharon Jeffords on ''
Brooklyn Nine-Nine''. Dungey played investigator Maxine Bohen on the ABC legal drama ''
Conviction
In law, a conviction is the verdict reached by a court of law finding a defendant guilty of a crime. The opposite of a conviction is an acquittal (that is, "not guilty"). In Scotland, there can also be a verdict of " not proven", which is cons ...
'' from October 2016 to May 2017.
In September 2017, she joined the cast of the medical drama ''
The Resident'' as Claire Thorpe.
Dungey next appeared as C.J. Bernstein in the ABC legal drama ''
The Fix''.
In February 2021, Dungey was cast in the series regular role of Kam in the
Starz series ''
Shining Vale
''Shining Vale'' is an American comedy horror television series created by Jeff Astrof and Sharon Horgan. The series stars Courteney Cox, Greg Kinnear, Sherilyn Fenn, Mira Sorvino, Merrin Dungey, and Judith Light. It premiered on Starz on Mar ...
''. The series premiered in March 2022, and was later picked up for a second season in May 2022.
Personal life
In May 2007, Dungey married Matthew Drake in a
mariachi-style wedding ceremony in
Cancun, Mexico. She gave birth to their first daughter in June 2008, and a second daughter in 2011. Dungey and Drake separated in 2018 and divorced in 2021.
Filmography
Film
Television
References
External links
*
PopGurls 20 Questions with Merrin Dungey
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dungey, Merrin
1971 births
Living people
Actresses from Sacramento, California
University of California, Los Angeles alumni
African-American actresses
American television actresses
American film actresses
20th-century American actresses
21st-century American actresses
UCLA Film School alumni
20th-century African-American women
20th-century African-American people
21st-century African-American women
21st-century African-American people