Piper Lisa Perabo () (born October 31, 1976) is an American actress. Following her breakthrough in the comedy-drama film '' Coyote Ugly'' (2000), she starred in ''

The Prestige ''The Prestige'' is a 1995 fantasy novel by British writer Christopher Priest. It tells the story of a prolonged feud between two stage magicians in late 1800s England. It is epistolary in structure; that is, it purports to be a collection o ...

'' (2006), ''

Angel Has Fallen ''Angel Has Fallen'' is a 2019 American action thriller film directed by Ric Roman Waugh. It is the third installment in the ''Has Fallen'' film series, following '' Olympus Has Fallen'' (2013) and '' London Has Fallen'' (2016). The film stars ...

'' (2019), and as

CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gathering, processing, ...

agent Annie Walker in the

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 Madi ...

spy drama series '' Covert Affairs'' (2010–2014), for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama.

Early life

Perabo is the daughter of Mary Charlotte (née Ulland), a physical therapist, and George William Perabo, a lecturer in poetry at Ocean County College. She is of English, German, and Irish (father) and Norwegian (mother) descent; her surname is sometimes mistakenly described as Portuguese. She grew up in

Toms River, New Jersey Toms River is a township in Ocean County, New Jersey, United States. Its mainland portion is also a census-designated place of the same name, which serves as the county seat of Ocean County.Piper Laurie. She is the eldest of three children with two brothers, Noah and Adam. She graduated from Toms River High School North in 1994, and earned a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to si ...

in theater from

Honors Tutorial College The Honors Tutorial College (HTC) at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio is a college in the United States with a degree-granting program incorporating all the essential features of the traditional British constituent college tutorial system of underg ...

Ohio University Ohio University is a public research university in Athens, Ohio. The first university chartered by an Act of Congress and the first to be chartered in Ohio, the university was chartered in 1787 by the Congress of the Confederation and subse ...

in 1998. In 1996, she attended the

Trinity/La MaMa Performing Arts Program The Trinity/La MaMa Performing Arts Program is a fall semester study away program of Trinity College based at the La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club in New York City. The program is part of the Trinity College Office of Study Away, with students ...

. She also studied Latin, physics, and poetry in her final year. Perabo was first noticed a year before she graduated from college. She was in New York City, visiting her then-boyfriend, and accompanied him to an audition. Casting director Denise Fitzgerald spotted her and asked her to read for a part. She was not cast, but when Fitzgerald found out that she did not have any representation, she made phone calls on Perabo's behalf and found her an agent.

Career

1997–2007: Beginning and breakthrough

After graduating, Perabo moved to New York, where she worked as a waitress. She also studied acting at the

La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club (La MaMa E.T.C.) is an Off-Off-Broadway theatre founded in 1961 by Ellen Stewart, African-American theatre director, producer, and fashion designer. Located in Manhattan's East Village, the theatre began in the ...

and had roles in various plays. She was cast in her first feature film just a month after moving to the city, Marc Levin's comedy '' Whiteboyz''. In 2000, she was cast in the romantic

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the characters are interwo ...

comedy-drama Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...

film '' Coyote Ugly'' as Violet "Jersey" Sanford, for which she won an MTV Movie Award for Best Music Moment for " One Way or Another". Despite the film's mixed response from critics, it was a box office success, grossing over $113 million worldwide. She also appeared in '' The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle'' as FBI agent Karen Sympathy. After the success of ''Coyote Ugly'', Perabo decided to focus on

independent film An independent film, independent movie, indie film, or indie movie is a feature film or short film that is produced outside the major film studio system, in addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies (or, i ...

s. In 2001, she starred in an independent Canadian drama called ''

Lost and Delirious ''Lost and Delirious'' is a 2001 Canadian drama film directed by Léa Pool, and based on the novel '' The Wives of Bath'' by Susan Swan. ''Lost and Delirious'' is told from the perspective of Mary ( Mischa Barton), who observes the changing love ...

'', playing a

boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of " room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. As they have existed for many centuries, and now exte ...

student who falls in love with a female classmate (played by Jessica Paré). The film was met with mixed reviews, but the performances of Perabo, Paré and co-star

Mischa Barton Mischa Anne Marsden Barton (born 24 January 1986) is a British-American film, television, and stage actress. She began her career on the stage, appearing in Tony Kushner's '' Slavs!'' and took the lead in James Lapine's ''Twelve Dreams'' at Ne ...

were, however, widely praised. Perabo's performance in particular received critical acclaim, which Loren King of the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

'' remarked was her "breakout performance". ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular ...

Owen Gleiberman Owen Gleiberman (born February 24, 1959) is an American film critic who has been chief film critic for '' Variety'' magazine since May 2016, a title he shares with . Previously, Gleiberman wrote for ''Entertainment Weekly'' from 1990 until 2014. ...

called her "an actress of glittering ferocity" and her performance "a geyser of emotion". Jim Lane of the ''

Sacramento News & Review The ''News & Review'' is a group of free alternative weekly newspapers published by Chico Community Publishing, Inc. of Chico, California. The company publishes the ''Chico News & Review'' in Chico, California, the ''Sacramento News & Review'' in ...

'' said that "Perabo is a revelation, wild and fiery — it's a breakthrough performance, astonishing in its fervency" and

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...

praised her performance for its sincerity and "wonderful abandon and conviction". The next year she starred as a French exchange student in the independent comedy '' Slap Her... She's French'', which was shelved in North America for two years, then released under the new title ''She Gets What She Wants''. The film was released under its original title in Europe. She had a role as the eldest Baker child, Nora, in ''

Cheaper by the Dozen ''Cheaper by the Dozen'' is a semi-autobiographical novel written by Frank Bunker Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey, published in 1948. The novel recounts the authors' childhood lives growing up in a household of 12 children. The bestsel ...

'' (2003), a role she reprised in the film's 2005 sequel. Her other films include '' The I Inside'' (2003), ''Perfect Opposites'' (2004), ''George and the Dragon'' (2004), '' The Cave'' (2005), '' Imagine Me & You'' (2005), '' Edison'' (2005), and ''

'' (2006). She appeared as a nutritionist on the Fox show ''

House A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air cond ...

'', in an episode entitled "

Resignation Resignation is the formal act of leaving or quitting one's office or position. A resignation can occur when a person holding a position gained by election or appointment steps down, but leaving a position upon the expiration of a term, or choos ...

2008–present: ''Covert Affairs'' and other work

In 2008, Perabo co-starred with Jamie Lee Curtis in the family comedy film ''

Beverly Hills Chihuahua ''Beverly Hills Chihuahua'' is a 2008 American comedy film produced by Walt Disney Pictures, the first in the ''Beverly Hills Chihuahua'' series. It is directed by Raja Gosnell and was released on October 3, 2008. The films stars Piper Perabo, Ja ...

''. Also that year, she made her

off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer th ...

debut in the Neil LaBute play '' Reasons to Be Pretty''. As the play's run was coming to an end, she read the script for the

television spy drama series '' Covert Affairs'': "I was reading movie scripts and I wasn't finding anything that was really speaking to me and my agent suggested that I read he ''Covert Affairs'' script And I hadn't thought about doing television, but when I read it, it kind of changed everything for me. She's such a powerful character, she's so smart, the action is so intense, and I really thought it would be fun to do." The following year, Perabo was cast as

field agent In espionage, a field agent is an agent who works in the field as opposed to one who operates at the office or headquarters. A field agent can work alone or in a group but usually has a case officer who is in charge. Field agents can be undercov ...

Annie Walker, the lead character in ''Covert Affairs''. For her work in the series, she received a nomination for the 2010 Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama. The series ran for five seasons, from 2010 to 2014. In September 2012, Perabo had a supporting role, alongside

Bruce Willis Walter Bruce Willis (born March 19, 1955) is a retired American actor. He achieved fame with a leading role on the comedy-drama series ''Moonlighting'' (1985–1989) and appeared in over a hundred films, gaining recognition as an action hero a ...

Joseph Gordon-Levitt Joseph Leonard Gordon-Levitt (; born February 17, 1981) is an American actor. He has received various accolades, including nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for his leading performances ...

, and Emily Blunt, in the

time travel Time travel is the concept of movement between certain points in time, analogous to movement between different points in space by an object or a person, typically with the use of a hypothetical device known as a time machine. Time travel is a ...

thriller film '' Looper''. In December 2012, she was cast in a recurring role on the sitcom '' Go On''. Her character, Simone, was a former member of

Matthew Perry Matthew Langford Perry (born August 19, 1969) is an American-Canadian actor. He is best known for his role as Chandler Bing on the NBC television sitcom ''Friends'' (1994–2004). As well as starring in the short-lived television series '' St ...

's character's support group, who returned and became his love interest. She was originally scheduled to appear in three episodes, but this was increased to four. Perabo had a starring role in the thriller ''

Into the Grizzly Maze ''Into the Grizzly Maze'' (originally titled ''Red Machine'', then changed to ''Endangered'' and later to ''Grizzly''), is a 2015 American action horror-thriller film directed by David Hackl from a screenplay by Guy Moshe and Jack Reher. It star ...

'', which was released in 2015. She starred as Julia George in the ABC drama series '' Notorious'' (2016). She co-starred with

Antonio Banderas José Antonio Domínguez Bandera (born 10 August 1960), known professionally as Antonio Banderas, is a Spanish actor and singer. Known for his work in films of several genres, he has received various accolades, including a Cannes Film Festival ...

in the thriller film '' Black Butterfly'', which was released in May 2017. In June 2018, it was announced that Perabo was cast as Sara in the

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...

comedy series ''

Turn Up Charlie ''Turn Up Charlie'' is a British comedy streaming television series created by Idris Elba and Gary Reich. The series stars Elba as a disc jockey who reluctantly becomes the nanny for his famous friend's daughter; Piper Perabo, JJ Feild and Fran ...

''. Also in 2019, she starred as Leah Banning in the action film ''

''. In 2020, she had a recurring role as Linda Craft in the Showtime supernatural horror series '' Penny Dreadful: City of Angels''. Perabo co-starred as Angela in the 2020 dark comedy film, ''

Spontaneous Spontaneous may refer to: * Spontaneous abortion * Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis * Spontaneous combustion * Spontaneous declaration * Spontaneous emission * Spontaneous fission * Spontaneous generation * Spontaneous human combustion * Spontan ...

''. Perabo joined the cast of ''

Yellowstone Yellowstone National Park is an American national park located in the western United States, largely in the northwest corner of Wyoming and extending into Montana and Idaho. It was established by the 42nd U.S. Congress with the Yellow ...

'' as Summer Higgins, an

animal rights Animal rights is the philosophy according to which many or all sentient animals have moral worth that is independent of their utility for humans, and that their most basic interests—such as avoiding suffering—should be afforded the s ...

activist and ally of John (season 4).

Personal life

In 2013, Perabo became engaged to director and writer

Stephen Kay Stephen T. Kay (born 1963) is an American actor, director, and writer of film and television. Career He has directed the films ''Get Carter'' and '' Boogeyman''. as well as directing episodes of '' Saved'', ''The Shield'', '' Friday Night Lights ...

; they married on July 26, 2014, in New York City. Perabo is step-mother to Kay's daughter. Perabo has been close friends with actress Lena Headey since they starred together in the 2005 films '' The Cave'' and '' Imagine Me & You''. She speaks fluent

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

, advocates for

LGBT rights Rights affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender ( LGBT) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the death penalty for homosexuality. Notably, ...

and women's political leadership, and serves on the advisory board of VoteRunLead. She is part owner of ''Employees Only'', a

Prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholi ...

-themed bar in the West Village, that opened in 2005, and ''Jack's Wife Freda'', a

SoHo Soho is an area of the City of Westminster, part of the West End of London. Originally a fashionable district for the aristocracy, it has been one of the main entertainment districts in the capital since the 19th century. The area was deve ...

restaurant that opened in 2012.

Political activism

Perabo was arrested for protesting

Brett Kavanaugh Brett Michael Kavanaugh ( ; born February 12, 1965) is an American lawyer and jurist serving as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. He was nominated by President Donald Trump on July 9, 2018, and has served since O ...

's Supreme Court confirmation hearing. She was also arrested in November 2019 while attending one of

Jane Fonda Jane Seymour Fonda (born December 21, 1937) is an American actress, activist, and former fashion model. Recognized as a film icon, Fonda is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Jane Fonda, various accolades including two ...

's weekly climate change protests. Perabo endorsed

Elizabeth Warren Elizabeth Ann Warren ( née Herring; born June 22, 1949) is an American politician and former law professor who is the senior United States senator from Massachusetts, serving since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party and regarded as ...

in the

2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries Presidential primaries and caucuses were organized by the Democratic Party to select the 3,979 pledged delegates to the 2020 Democratic National Convention held on August 17–20 to determine the party's nominee for president in the 2020 Un ...

and regularly uses her Twitter and Instagram accounts to advocate for voter registration and voter education. She has encouraged followers to seek out VoteRiders to learn more about Voter ID requirements.

Filmography

Film

Television

Stage

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Perabo, Piper Actresses from New Jersey Actresses from Dallas American film actresses American people of English descent American people of German descent American people of Irish descent American people of Norwegian descent American stage actresses American television actresses LGBT rights activists from the United States Living people Ohio University alumni People from Toms River, New Jersey Toms River High School North alumni 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses New Jersey Democrats 1976 births