Michelle Renee Forbes Guajardo (born January 8, 1965) is an American actress who has appeared on television and in independent films. Forbes gained attention for her dual role in daytime soap opera ''
Guiding Light
''Guiding Light'' (known as ''The Guiding Light'' before 1975) is an American radio and television soap opera. It is listed in ''Guinness World Records'' as the third longest-running drama in television in American history. ''Guiding Light'' a ...
'', for which she received a
Daytime Emmy Award
The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York–based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences ...
nomination. She is also a
Saturn Award
The Saturn Awards are American awards presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. The awards were created to honor science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, but have since grown to reward other films be ...
winner with three nominations.
Forbes is known for her recurring appearances on genre and drama shows such as Ensign
Ro Laren
Ro Laren is a fictional character appearing on a recurring basis in the fifth, sixth, and seventh seasons of the American science fiction television series '' Star Trek: The Next Generation''. Portrayed by Michelle Forbes, she is a member ...
in ''
Star Trek: The Next Generation'' and her regular role as medical examiner
Julianna Cox
Julianna Cox is a fictional character in the TV show ''Homicide: Life on the Street'' for seasons 5-6, played by actress Michelle Forbes.
Cox was introduced in the season five episode "M.E., Myself, and I," returning to her hometown to take a pos ...
on ''
Homicide: Life on the Street'' during the 1990s, while building her career with recurring roles throughout the 2000s in ''
Battlestar Galactica
''Battlestar Galactica'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Glen A. Larson. The franchise began with the Battlestar Galactica (1978 TV series), original television series in 1978, and was followed by a short-run sequel se ...
'', ''
24'', ''
In Treatment
''In Treatment'' is an American drama television series for HBO, produced and developed by Rodrigo Garcia, based on the Israeli series '' BeTipul'' ( he, בטיפול), created by Hagai Levi, Ori Sivan and Nir Bergman.
The series is about a ...
'', ''
Durham County'', ''
Prison Break
''Prison Break'' is an American serial (radio and television), serial drama television show, television series created by Paul Scheuring for Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox. The series revolves around two brothers, Lincoln Burrows (Dominic Purce ...
'' and her series regular role as Maryann Forrester on ''
True Blood
''True Blood'' is an American fantasy horror drama television series produced and created by Alan Ball. It is based on ''The Southern Vampire Mysteries'', a series of novels by Charlaine Harris. A reboot is currently in development.
The serie ...
''. She has appeared in significant roles in movies such as ''
Escape from L.A.
''Escape from L.A.'' (stylized on-screen as ''John Carpenter's Escape from L.A.'') is a 1996 American Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, post-apocalyptic action film co-written, co-scored, and directed by John Carpenter, co-written and p ...
'', ''
Kalifornia
''Kalifornia'' is a 1993 American road thriller film directed by Dominic Sena, in his feature film directorial debut. It stars Brad Pitt, Juliette Lewis, David Duchovny, and Michelle Forbes. The film tells the story of a journalist (Duchovny) a ...
'', ''
Swimming with Sharks
''Swimming with Sharks'' (also known as ''The Boss'' and ''Buddy Factor'') is a 1994 American black comedy / thriller drama film written and directed by George Huang and starring Kevin Spacey, Frank Whaley and Michelle Forbes.
Plot
Buddy Acker ...
'' and ''
Columbus
Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to:
* Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer
* Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio
Columbus may also refer to:
Places ...
''.
She starred in the 2011–2012
AMC
AMC may refer to:
Film and television
* AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain
* AMC Networks, an American entertainment company
** AMC (TV channel)
** AMC+, streaming service
** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company
*** ...
television series ''
The Killing'', for which she received a
Primetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...
nomination. On June 18, 2019 it was announced that Forbes would join USA Network's
action
Action may refer to:
* Action (narrative), a literary mode
* Action fiction, a type of genre fiction
* Action game, a genre of video game
Film
* Action film, a genre of film
* ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford
* ''Action'' (1980 fil ...
drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...
series ''
Treadstone
''Treadstone'' is an American action drama television series, connected to and based on the ''Bourne'' film series. A "special preview" of the pilot aired on USA Network on September 24, 2019, ahead of its October 15, 2019, premiere. The ser ...
'', a prequel/sequel to the
Bourne franchise
Bourne may refer to:
Places UK
* Bourne, Lincolnshire, a town
** Bourne Abbey
** Bourne railway station
* Bourne (electoral division), West Sussex
* Bourne SSSI, Avon, a Site of Special Scientific Interest near Burrington, North Somerset
* Bour ...
.
Early life
Forbes was born in
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...
, of
Mexican American heritage.
Forbes hoped to become a ballet dancer. She began receiving formal acting training at the
High School for the Performing and Visual Arts
Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (Kinder HSPVA, HSPVA or PVA) is a secondary school located at 790 Austin Street in the downtown district of Houston, Texas. The school is a part of the Houston Independent School Distri ...
in
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
. While on vacation in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
at the age of 16, she found herself auditioning for a film; although she was not selected, she signed with the
William Morris Agency
The William Morris Agency (WMA) was a Hollywood-based talent agency. It represented some of the best known 20th-century entertainers in film, television, and music. During its 109-year tenure it came to be regarded as the "first great talent ag ...
and began her professional acting career.
Career
In 1987, at age 22, Forbes landed the dual roles of Solita Carrera and Sonni Carrera Lewis on the daytime soap opera ''
Guiding Light
''Guiding Light'' (known as ''The Guiding Light'' before 1975) is an American radio and television soap opera. It is listed in ''Guinness World Records'' as the third longest-running drama in television in American history. ''Guiding Light'' a ...
''. She performed on the show for two years, receiving a
Daytime Emmy Award
The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York–based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences ...
nomination for her performance in 1990. After this role, she continued in theater, which was an early love of hers, and began appearing in small guest roles on television to raise her profile. She went on to make guest appearances on a few other TV shows (including ''
Star Trek: The Next Generation'' and ''
Father Dowling Mysteries'') before landing the recurring role of Ensign
Ro Laren
Ro Laren is a fictional character appearing on a recurring basis in the fifth, sixth, and seventh seasons of the American science fiction television series '' Star Trek: The Next Generation''. Portrayed by Michelle Forbes, she is a member ...
, a fiery, yet reserved
Bajoran
The Bajorans (variously pronounced , , ) are a fictional species in the science-fiction '' Star Trek'' franchise. They are a humanoid extraterrestrial species native to the planet Bajor, who have a long-standing enmity with the Cardassians, o ...
, in ''Star Trek: The Next Generation''.
The producers of ''Star Trek'' invited Forbes to reprise Ro in the spin-off series ''
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'', but Forbes declined the offer and decided to focus on a career in films.
She received praise, as well as a
Saturn Award
The Saturn Awards are American awards presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. The awards were created to honor science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, but have since grown to reward other films be ...
nomination from the
Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films
Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films is an American non-profit organization established in 1972 dedicated to the advancement of science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, television, and home video. The Academy is headquarter ...
, for her performance as photographer Carrie Laughlin in the 1993 thriller ''
Kalifornia
''Kalifornia'' is a 1993 American road thriller film directed by Dominic Sena, in his feature film directorial debut. It stars Brad Pitt, Juliette Lewis, David Duchovny, and Michelle Forbes. The film tells the story of a journalist (Duchovny) a ...
''. This was followed with the lead female role in the 1994 black comedy ''
Swimming with Sharks
''Swimming with Sharks'' (also known as ''The Boss'' and ''Buddy Factor'') is a 1994 American black comedy / thriller drama film written and directed by George Huang and starring Kevin Spacey, Frank Whaley and Michelle Forbes.
Plot
Buddy Acker ...
'', as well as supporting roles in such films as ''The Road Killers'', ''Just Looking'' and
John Carpenter
John Howard Carpenter (born January 16, 1948) is an American filmmaker, actor, and composer. Although he worked in various film genres, he is most commonly associated with horror, action, and science fiction films of the 1970s and 1980s. He ...
's 1996 science fiction/action sequel ''
Escape from L.A.
''Escape from L.A.'' (stylized on-screen as ''John Carpenter's Escape from L.A.'') is a 1996 American Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, post-apocalyptic action film co-written, co-scored, and directed by John Carpenter, co-written and p ...
''
She continued performing on television during this period, with guest spots on ''
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 Outer Limits'', and ''Star Trek: The Next Generation'', to which she returned to tie up the Ro Laren storyline in the series'
penultimate episode.
In 1996, Forbes joined the cast of
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
's popular police drama ''
Homicide: Life on the Street'', playing chief medical examiner
Julianna Cox
Julianna Cox is a fictional character in the TV show ''Homicide: Life on the Street'' for seasons 5-6, played by actress Michelle Forbes.
Cox was introduced in the season five episode "M.E., Myself, and I," returning to her hometown to take a pos ...
. She remained with the show for two years, then was let go as part of a major cast overhaul (the series would be canceled after one more season). However, she would reprise her role in the 2000 TV special ''Homicide: The Movie''.
That same year, Forbes became a regular on ''
Wonderland'', an
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
series, but it was pulled from the air after only two episodes. Forbes was next seen in a recurring role on the police drama ''
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 ...
''.
![Michelle Forbes at True Blood premiere party](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/eb/Michelle_Forbes_at_True_Blood_premiere_party.jpg)
She was subsequently given roles in films such as 2001's ''
Perfume
Perfume (, ; french: parfum) is a mixture of fragrant essential oils or aroma compounds (fragrances), fixatives and solvents, usually in liquid form, used to give the human body, animals, food, objects, and living-spaces an agreeable scent. Th ...
'' and 2002's ''
American Girl'', as well as the 2001 British TV movie ''
Messiah
In Abrahamic religions, a messiah or messias (; ,
; ,
; ) is a saviour or liberator of a group of people. The concepts of ''mashiach'', messianism, and of a Messianic Age originated in Judaism, and in the Hebrew Bible, in which a ''mashiach'' ...
'' (for which she studied
British sign language
British Sign Language (BSL) is a sign language used in the United Kingdom (UK), and is the first or preferred language among the Deaf community in the UK. Based on the percentage of people who reported 'using British Sign Language at home' on ...
for a week) and its sequel installments: ''Messiah 2: Vengeance is Mine'' in 2002 and ''Messiah III'' in 2003. During the 2002–2003 TV season, Forbes played the recurring character of presidential aide Lynne Kresge on the second season of the action series ''
24''.
She followed her role on ''24'' with a guest spot on ''
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 ...
'', then went on to play Admiral Helena Cain in three episodes of the re-imagining of the classic sci-fi series ''Battlestar Galactica'', as well as appearing in the TV movie ''
Battlestar Galactica: Razor''. She followed this up with a recurring role as Agent
Samantha Brinker on the drama ''
Prison Break
''Prison Break'' is an American serial (radio and television), serial drama television show, television series created by Paul Scheuring for Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox. The series revolves around two brothers, Lincoln Burrows (Dominic Purce ...
'' and guest starred on ''
Boston Legal
''Boston Legal'' is an American legal drama and comedy drama television series created by former lawyer and Boston native David E. Kelley, produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television for ABC. The series aired from October 3, 2004, t ...
'' and ''
Lost
Lost may refer to getting lost, or to:
Geography
*Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland
* Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US
History
*Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...
''.
Forbes starred as the lead in the adaptation of the comic-book ''
Global Frequency
''Global Frequency'' is an American comic book Limited series (comics), limited series created and written by Warren Ellis and published by Wildstorm, Wildstorm Productions, an imprint of DC Comics.
It is a science-fiction series set in the prese ...
'', the single produced episode of which infamously
leaked online the following year, eight months after the series failed to be picked up by Warner Bros. networks.
Forbes returned to British television screens with guest roles in both ''
Holby City
''Holby City'' (stylised on-screen as HOLBY CIY) is a British medical drama television series that aired weekly on BBC One. It was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a spin-off from the established BBC medical drama ''Casualty'', and pr ...
'' and as a
Mossad
Mossad ( , ), ; ar, الموساد, al-Mōsād, ; , short for ( he, המוסד למודיעין ולתפקידים מיוחדים, links=no), meaning 'Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations'. is the national intelligence agency ...
agent in ''
Waking the Dead''. In 2008, Forbes starred in two HBO drama series; ''In Treatment'', portraying the wife of the central character, and in ''
True Blood
''True Blood'' is an American fantasy horror drama television series produced and created by Alan Ball. It is based on ''The Southern Vampire Mysteries'', a series of novels by Charlaine Harris. A reboot is currently in development.
The serie ...
'' as a
Maenad
In Greek mythology, maenads (; grc, μαινάδες ) were the female followers of Dionysus and the most significant members of the Thiasus, the god's retinue. Their name literally translates as "raving ones". Maenads were known as Bassarids, ...
named Maryann Forrester.
[Biography]
TV.com
She reprised her semi-regular roles in both series in their respective second seasons in 2009, as well as joining the cast of the Canadian psychological drama series
''Durham County'' for its second season as Dr. Penelope Verity.
Forbes played the role of Mitch Larsen in the US television series
''The Killing'', a 2011 remake of the Danish crime series
''Forbrydelsen''. Forbes appeared as Retro Girl in the TV series ''
Powers''. She also landed a prominent supporting role in ''
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2''.
Forbes subsequently played Valerie Edwards in the TV series ''
Berlin Station'' that aired on
Epix
Epix (pronounced ''epics'' and stylized as P) is an American premium cable and satellite television network owned by the Epix Entertainment LLC subsidiary of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), a subsidiary of Amazon's MGM Holdings, Inc. The channel's pr ...
from 2016 to 2019. Her character was a no-nonsense administrator who serves as a Berlin Station Internal Branch Chief.
In January 2021, it was announced that she would join the cast of the
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
drama ''
Big Sky'' as matriarch Margaret Kleinsasser.
Personal life
Forbes married actor
Ross Kettle in 1990; the marriage ended in divorce.
Forbes has been a vegetarian since she was a teenager and became
vegan
Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal product—particularly in diet—and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. An individual who follows the diet or philosophy is known as a vegan. Di ...
in 2011.
Filmography
Film
Television
Video games
Awards and nominations
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Forbes, Michelle
1965 births
American film actresses
American soap opera actresses
American television actresses
American video game actresses
American voice actresses
American actresses of Mexican descent
Living people
Actresses from Austin, Texas
20th-century American actresses
21st-century American actresses
Hispanic and Latino American actresses
High School for the Performing and Visual Arts alumni