# Kate Vernon

Katherine Elizabeth Vernon (born 1961) is a Canadian-born American actress. She is known for her roles as Lorraine Prescott on the CBS primetime soap opera Falcon Crest (1984–1985), the stuck-up and popular Benny Hanson in the comedy film Pretty in Pink (1986), Sophia in the 1992 film Malcolm X, and Ellen Tigh in the 2004 Syfy series Battlestar Galactica.

## Early life

Vernon was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada to Nancy West and actor John Vernon. At age seven, she moved with her family to Los Angeles, California, where her father was pursuing his career. Her sister is singer Nan Vernon.

## Career

Vernon portrayed Lorraine Prescott on the CBS prime time soap opera Falcon Crest from 1984 to 1985. During the 1980s she appeared on various TV series, including Family Ties, Dallas, Remington Steele, Hotel, Murder, She Wrote and the 1987 miniseries I'll Take Manhattan, as well as the 1986 comedy-drama film Pretty in Pink, and the 1989 gangster comedy Mob Story, in which she appeared opposite her father. Other early film credits included Alphabet City (1984) and Roadhouse 66 (1985).
In 1990 Vernon portrayed Kathleen Sawyer in a four-episode arc on Who's the Boss?, followed by extended appearances on L.A. Law in 1994 as A.D.A. Belinda Fox (four episodes) and on Nash Bridges in 1996–1997 as Whitney Thomas (seven episodes). Among many other roles, she co-starred as Sophia in the 1992 film Malcolm X, appeared in the 1992 Italian sci-fi film Jackpot, portrayed Alexandra on the 1996 series Kindred: The Embraced and appeared in a 1998 episode of Star Trek: Voyager entitled "In the Flesh". She played Dr. Rachel Stein in the 1998 TV movie Blackjack.
From 2004 to 2009, Vernon portrayed the recurring role of Ellen Tigh on Battlestar Galactica, as well as the 2009 television film Battlestar Galactica: The Plan. In April 2009, she made a guest appearance in the CSI: Crime Scene Investigation episode "A Space Oddity", which also featured cameos by her former Galactica producer Ronald D. Moore and co-stars Grace Park and Rekha Sharma.
In 2010, Vernon guest starred in two episodes of Heroes ("Close to You" and "Pass/Fail") as Vanessa Wheeler, and in 2014 portrayed Diana Sydney on The 100 and Starfleet captain Sonya Alexander in the fan film Star Trek: Prelude To Axanar. In 2016, Vernon played Caroline Morrow in an episode of NCIS. She appeared in several episodes of the Apple TV+ series The Morning Show in 2019.
In 2021, Vernon appeared on the science fiction TV series Another Life with her Battlestar Galactica co-stars Sharma and Katee Sackhoff.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Director | Notes |
| 1983 | Chained Heat | Cellmate | Paul Nicholas | |
| 1984 | Alphabet City | Angie | Amos Poe | |
| 1984 | Roadhouse 66 | Melissa Duran | John Mark Robinson | |
| 1986 | The Last of Philip Banter | Brent | Hervé Hachuel | |
| 1986 | Pretty in Pink | Benny Hanson | Howard Deutch | |
| 1988 | Hostile Takeover | Sally | George Mihalka | |
| 1989 | Mob Story | Mindy | Gabriel & Jancarlo Markiw | |
| 1992 | Jackpot | Prudence | Mario Orfini | |
| 1992 | Malcolm X | Sophia | Spike Lee | |
| 1994 | Soft Deceit | Anne Fowler | Jorge Montesi | |
| 1994 | Dangerous Touch | Amanda Grace | Lou Diamond Phillips | |
| 1996 | Joe's Wedding | Uta Mann | Michael Kennedy | |
| 1999 | The Secret Life of Girls | Kay | Holly Goldberg Sloan | |
| 2004 | Buds for Life | Valerie Quinlan | Gabriel Bologna | |
| 2004 | Grave Matters | Christine | Aimee Stevenson | |
| 2005 | Confession | Detective Robin Mallory | Jonathan Meyers | |
| 2007 | Safe Harbour | Sally | Bill Corcoran | |
| 2010 | The Last Song | Susan Blakelee | Julie Anne Robinson | |
| 2011 | National Lampoon's Snatched | Diane | Joe Cacaci | |
| 2014 | 108 Stitches | President Jennine Wormer Pratt | David Rountree | |
| 2014 | Prelude to Axanar | Captain Sonya Alexander | Christian Gossett | Short |
| 2017 | Chicanery | Billie Endicott | Charles Dennis | |
| 2017 | Amelia 2.0 | Dr. Ellen Beckett | Adam Orton | |
| 2017 | 12 Round Gun | Catherine | Sam Upton | |
| 2018 | His Master's Voice | Camille | György Pálfi | |
| 2018 | La Boda de Valentina | Melanie Tate | Marco Polo Constandse | |
| 2018 | Barking Mad | Arabella Gravesend | Charles Dennis | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Director | Notes |
| 1984 | Flight 90: Disaster on the Potomac | Donna Adams | Robert Michael Lewis | TV movie |
| 1984 | Dallas | Peter's friend | Larry Hagman | 1 Episode |
| 1984 | Family Ties | Christy | Will Mackenzie | 1 Episode |
| 1984 | Remington Steele | Nancy Evans | Don Weis | 1 Episode |
| 1984–1985 | Falcon Crest | Lorraine Prescott | Reza Badiyi, Barbara Peeters, ... | 25 Episodes |
| 1985–1986 | Hotel | Erica Atwood / Sandy Hoyle | Charles S. Dubin & James L. Conway | 2 Episodes |
| 1987 | I'll Take Manhattan | Nanette Alexander | Douglas Hickox & Richard Michaels | TV Mini-Series |
| 1987 | The Law & Harry McGraw | Kate Hossler | Peter Crane | 1 episode |
| 1987–1989 | Murder, She Wrote | Rhonda Sykes / Connie Norton | Peter Crane & Anthony Pullen Shaw | 2 Episodes |
| 1988 | CBS Summer Playhouse | Ellen Sanders | Jonathan R. Betuel | 1 Episode |
| 1988 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Donna | Atom Egoyan | 1 Episode |
| 1990 | FM | Stephanie | Andy Cadiff | 1 Episode |
| 1990 | Who's the Boss? | Kathleen Sawyer | Asaad Kelada & Tony Singletary | 4 Episodes |
| 1991 | Daughters of Privilege | Diana | Michael Fresco | TV movie |
| 1991 | Perry Mason: The Case of the Glass Coffin | Terry Weidner | Christian I. Nyby II | TV movie |
| 1991 | Tropical Heat | Veronica | Mario Philip Azzopardi | 1 Episode |
| 1991 | Jake and the Fatman | Rachel Garraty | Daniel Attias | 1 Episode |
| 1991 | Father Dowling Mysteries | Rita Winters | James Frawley | 1 Episode |
| 1993 | House of Secrets | Laura Morrell | Mimi Leder | TV movie |
| 1993 | Lovejoy | Mary-John Lovejoy | Geoffrey Sax | 1 Episode |
| 1993 | Tales from the Crypt | Lucy Chadwick | W. Peter Iliff | 1 Episode |
| 1994 | Probable Cause | Lynn Reilly | Paul Ziller | TV movie |
| 1994 | L.A. Law | DDA Belinda Fox | Mark Tinker, Elodie Keene, ... | 4 Episodes |
| 1995 | Bloodknot | Kaye | Jorge Montesi | TV movie |
| 1995 | The Sister-in-Law | Rae Phillips / Sally Rae Preston | Noel Nosseck | TV movie |
| 1995 | The Outer Limits | Tricia Lange | Tibor Takács | 1 Episode |
| 1996 | Downdraft | Alexa | Michael Mazo | TV movie |
| 1996 | Kindred: The Embraced | Alexandra Serris | Peter Medak | 1 Episode |
| 1996–1997 | Nash Bridges | Whitney Thomas | Greg Beeman, Neal Israel | 7 Episodes |
| 1998 | Blackjack | Dr. Rachel Stein | John Woo | TV movie |
| 1998 | Flood: A River's Rampage | Pat Mallory | Bruce Pittman | TV movie |
| 1998 | The Outer Limits | Judy Warren | Jorge Montesi | 1 Episode |
| 1998 | Star Trek: Voyager | Valerie Archer | David Livingston | 1 Episode |
| 1999 | Y2K | Alix Cromwell | Dick Lowry | TV movie |
| 1999 | The Hunger | Lanie | Luke Scott | 1 Episode |
| 1999 | Soldier of Fortune, Inc. | Jody Frost / Nadya Rinkova | Peter Bloomfield | 1 Episode |
| 2000 | Any Day Now | Della Mae Connor | Artie Mandelberg | 1 Episode |
| 2001 | Largo Winch: The Heir | Monique Winch-Hastings | David Wu | TV movie |
| 2001 | Largo Winch | Monique Winch | Laurent Brégeat | 1 Episode |
| 2001 | Dawson's Creek | Woman | Lev L. Spiro | 1 Episode |
| 2003 | Wilder Days | Dorothy Morse | David Mickey Evans | TV movie |
| 2003 | Black Sash | Jenny | Stuart Gillard | 1 Episode |
| 2003 | Hunter | Maggie | Tawnia McKiernan | 2 Episodes |
| 2004 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Raina Press | Deran Sarafian | 1 Episode |
| 2004–2009 | Battlestar Galactica | Ellen Tigh | Michael Rymer, Rod Hardy, ... | 23 Episodes |
| 2005 | Family Plan | Victoria | David S. Cass Sr. | TV movie |
| 2005 | School of Life | Elli Warner | William Dear | TV movie |
| 2005 | Knights of the South Bronx | Richard's wife | Allen Hughes | TV movie |
| 2005 | Reunion | Brenda Moretti | Rick Rosenthal & Lou Antonio | 2 Episodes |
| 2006 | Last Chance Cafe | Hallie Boyer | Jorge Montesi | TV movie |
| 2009 | Battlestar Galactica: The Plan | Ellen Tigh | Edward James Olmos | TV movie |
| 2009 | The Mentalist | Arden Plaskett | Chris Long | 1 Episode |
| 2009 | Saving Grace | Ellen Cooper | Rohn Schmidt | 1 Episode |
| 2009 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Dr. Penelope Russell | Michael Nankin | 1 Episode |
| 2010 | Bones | Rowan | François Velle | TV series (1 Episode) |
| 2010 | Heroes | Vanessa Wheeler | Roxann Dawson & Michael Nankin | TV series (2 Episodes) |
| 2011 | Red Faction: Origins | The Matriarch | Michael Nankin | TV movie |
| 2012 | The Firm | | George Mihalka | 1 Episode |
| 2013 | Battledogs | Dr. Ellen Gordon | Alexander Yellen | TV movie |
| 2013 | Arctic Air | Irene Ivarson | Kevin Fair | 1 Episode |
| 2014 | Perception | Mary Morrison | LeVar Burton | 1 Episode |
| 2014 | The 100 | Diana Sydney | John Showalter, John Behring, ... | 3 Episodes |
| 2015 | Christmas Truce | Helena Hammond | Brian Skiba | TV movie |
| 2016 | NCIS | Caroline Morrow | Leslie Libman | 1 Episode |
| 2017 | Groomzilla | Olivia | Bradford May | TV movie |
| 2017 | There's... Johnny! | Mrs. De Cordova | David Gordon Green | 1 Episode |
| 2018 | Condor | Lily Partridge | Lawrence Trilling, Kari Skogland | 4 Episodes |
| 2019 | Anniversary Nightmare aka Wrongfully Accused | Barbara | Michael Feifer | TV movie |
| 2019 | The Morning Show | Geneva Micklen | Mimi Leder, David Frankel, ... | 5 Episodes |
| 2021 | Another Life | Ava Breckenridge | Kevin Dowling, Kellie Cyrus | TV series |

## Personal life

Vernon shares a daughter with Chuck Negron, founding member and lead vocalist of the rock band Three Dog Night.