# Gail O'Grady

Gail Ann O'Grady (born January 23, 1963) is an American actress and producer, best known for her roles on television. Her roles include Donna Abandando in the ABC police drama NYPD Blue, and Helen Pryor in the NBC drama series American Dreams. O'Grady is also well known for her lead roles in a number of television movies. She has been nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award three times.

## Early life

O'Grady was born in Detroit, Michigan, the daughter of Jim and Jan O'Grady. She was raised in Wheaton, Illinois, and graduated from Wheaton North High School in 1981. She appeared in a few commercials before moving to Los Angeles in 1986.

## Career

O'Grady began her career as a model for Montgomery Ward and as an actor in several commercials. In one commercial, she played the neighbor for whom Michael J. Fox's character chases down a Diet Pepsi. In time, she began making guest appearances, often as a villain. She made her big screen debut in the 1988 romantic comedy She's Having a Baby, and later was cast for two episodes on the ABC drama China Beach. She also guest starred on several other shows, and appeared in made for television and independent movies.
Her first major role was as Donna Abandando on the ABC police drama NYPD Blue. O'Grady played the big-haired squad secretary from 1993 to 1996, and for each year received an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. Along with the cast, she won Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series in 1995. O'Grady left the series in 1996, and made a pilot for her own sitcom, The Gail O'Grady Project, but the show was not picked up by any of the networks.
After leaving NYPD Blue, O'Grady began starring in numerous television movies for Lifetime and other networks, including The Three Lives of Karen (1997), Two Voices (1997), Every 9 Seconds (1997), Two of Hearts (1999), Another Woman's Husband (2000), Lip Service (2000), Hostage Negotiator (2001), Hope Ranch (2002), Lucky 7 (2003), Sex and the Single Mom (2003), and More Sex & the Single Mom (2005). Her big screen credits include Celtic Pride (1996), That Old Feeling (1997), Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo (1999) and Walking Across Egypt (1999).
From 2002 to 2005, O'Grady starred as Helen Pryor in the NBC television series American Dreams, which depicted an all-American family living in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, during the 1960s. The series was canceled after three seasons. In Fall 2005, O'Grady was lead actress in the ABC comedy series Hot Properties, which was canceled after 13 episodes. In 2006, she guest starred on Two and a Half Men, and in 2007 had a recurring role on Boston Legal as Gloria Weldon, a judge in a personal relationship with attorney Alan Shore. Also in 2007, she starred in the Hallmark Channel movie All I Want for Christmas.
O'Grady had regular roles on the short-lived CW series Hidden Palms as Karen Hardy in 2007, and on Hellcats, playing Wanda Perkins, the mother of the main character, from 2010 to 2011. In 2008, she had a recurring role on the ABC series Desperate Housewives as Anne Schilling, a woman who is having an affair with the character Porter Scavo (at that point a teenager). She appeared on Monk, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, The Mentalist, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Drop Dead Diva, Hawaii Five-0, and Castle. From 2014 to 2015, she had a major recurring role as Conrad's first wife on ABC primetime soap opera Revenge, opposite Madeleine Stowe.
In 2019, O'Grady starred in the Lifetime film Identity Theft of a Cheerleader (which was inspired by the identity theft committed by Wendy Brown) as Angie Patterson, the mother of Maiara Walsh's character Vicky Patterson.

## Personal life

O'Grady has been married and divorced six times. One of her exes, artist Robert Claypool, was accused of stalking her after their separation. She has one son, born in 2004.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1988 | She's Having a Baby | Laura | |
| 1988 | Blackout | Caroline Boyle | |
| 1988 | Spellcaster | Jackie | |
| 1990 | Nobody's Perfect | Shelly | |
| 1996 | Celtic Pride | Carol O'Hara | |
| 1997 | That Old Feeling | Rowena | |
| 1999 | Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo | Claire | |
| 1999 | Walking Across Egypt | Elaine Rigsbee | |
| 2004 | The Sure Hand of God | Molly Bowser | |
| 2004 | Tricks | Jane | Also producer |
| 2004 | Sleep Easy, Hutch Rimes | Olivia Wise | |
| 2008 | An American Carol | Jane Wagstaffe | |
| 2009 | The House That Jack Built | Hannah | |
| 2010 | Circle | Dr. Green | |
| 2011 | ChromeSkull: Laid to Rest 2 | Nancy | |
| 2014 | Mothers of the Bride | Debra Wolf | |
| 2015 | Justice Served | Dr. Helen Florentine | |
| 2017 | Lycan | Ms. Fields | |
| 2019 | Deviant Love | Marlene | |
| 2019 | Manipulated | D.A. Diane Conrad | |
| 2021 | The Baby Pact | Robin Pyle | |
| 2023 | Deadly Draw | Melody Anne Stutz | |
| 2024 | Boneyard | Special Agent Womack | |

### Television films

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1987 | Billionaire Boys Club | Judy | NBC Television Movie |
| 1990 | People Like Us | Rebecca Bailey | NBC Television Movie |
| 1990 | Parker Kane | Cindy Ellis | NBC Television Movie |
| 1991 | The Hit Man | Sara | ABC Television Movie |
| 1995 | She Stood Alone: The Tailhook Scandal | Lt. Paula Coughlin | ABC Television Movie |
| 1995 | Trial by Fire | Paulette Gill | ABC Television Movie |
| 1995 | Nothing Lasts Forever | Dr. Page Taylor | CBS Television Movie |
| 1997 | The Three Lives of Karen | Karen Winthrop / Emily Riggs / Cindy Last | USA Network Television Movie |
| 1997 | Two Voices | Kathleen Anneken | Lifetime Television Movie |
| 1997 | Every 9 Seconds | Janet | NBC Television Movie |
| 1997 | Medusa's Child | Vivian Henry | ABC Television Movie |
| 1999 | Two of Hearts | Molly Saunders | Fox Family Channel Television Movie |
| 2000 | Another Woman's Husband | Susan Miller | Lifetime Television Movie |
| 2000 | Out of Sync | Maggie Stanley | VH1 Television Movie |
| 2001 | Hostage Negotiator | Theresa Foley | USA Network Television Movie |
| 2002 | Hope Ranch | June Andersen | Animal Planet Television Movie |
| 2003 | Lucky 7 | Rachel Myer | ABC Family Television Movie |
| 2003 | Sex and the Single Mom | Jess Gradwell | Lifetime Television Movie |
| 2005 | More Sex & the Single Mom | Jess Gradwell | Lifetime Television Movie |
| 2005 | Mayday | Anne Metz | CBS Television Movie |
| 2007 | While the Children Sleep | Meghan Eastman | Lifetime Television Movie |
| 2007 | All I Want for Christmas | Sara Armstrong | Hallmark Channel Movie |
| 2009 | Living Out Loud | Emily Marshall | Hallmark Channel Movie |
| 2010 | After the Fall | Dr. Susan Miles | Hallmark Channel Movie |
| 2013 | Shadow on the Mesa | Mona Eastman | Hallmark Channel Movie |
| 2013 | The Minister's Wife (a.k.a. Sins of the Preacher) | Susan Parker | Lifetime Television Movie |
| 2013 | The Mystery Cruise | Alvirah Meehan | Hallmark Channel Movie |
| 2015 | The Right Girl | Martha Howard | Hallmark Channel Movie |
| 2017 | Love on Ice | Mia Lee | Hallmark Channel Movie |
| 2019 | Identity Theft of a Cheerleader | Angie Patterson | Lifetime Television Movie |
| 2022 | Heart of the Matter | Gladys | Hallmark Channel Movie |

### Television series

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1986–1990 | Matlock | Julia McCullough | 2 episodes |
| 1987 | Werewolf | Victim in VW | Episode: "Werewolf" |
| 1988 | In the Heat of the Night | Pauline Slade | Episode: "Road Kill" |
| 1988 | China Beach | Georgia Lee | Episodes: "Pilot" and "Chao Ong" |
| 1989 | Superboy | Victoria Letour | Episode: "Hollywood" |
| 1990 | Cheers | Laura Walton | Episode: "Finally!: Part 1" |
| 1990 | Anything But Love | — | Episode: "Three Men on a Match" |
| 1990 | Hardball | — | Episode: "Prescription for Murder" |
| 1992 | Murder, She Wrote | Robin Dishman | Episode: "Badge of Honor" |
| 1993 | Time Trax | Kristen | Episode: "Fire and Ice " |
| 1993 | Designing Women | Kiki Kearney | 2 episodes |
| 1993 | Silk Stalkings | Betty Whitburn-Marks | Episode: "Crime of Love" |
| 1993–1996, 1999 | NYPD Blue | Donna Abandando | 58 episodes Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (1994–96) Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (1996–97) Nominated—Viewers for Quality Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Quality Drama Series |
| 1994 | Burke's Law | Patricia Stone | Episode: "Who Killed the Anchorman?" |
| 1996 | Promised Land | Pam Riley | Episode: "The Prodigy" |
| 1996 | Space: Above and Beyond | Colonel Klingman (uncredited cameo) | Episode: "Stardust" |
| 1996 | The Gail O'Grady Show | Gail | Unsold TV pilot |
| 2001 | Ally McBeal | Helena Fisher | Episode: "Home Again" |
| 2002–2005 | American Dreams | Helen Pryor | 61 episodes Nominated — Young Artist Award for Most Popular Mom in a Television Series (2004) |
| 2002 | Monk | Miranda St. Claire | 2 episodes |
| 2005 | Hot Properties | Ava Summerlin | 13 episodes |
| 2006 | Two and a Half Men | Mandi | 2 episodes |
| 2007 | Hidden Palms | Karen Hardy | 8 episodes |
| 2007 | Monk | Lovely Rita | Episode: "Mr. Monk and the Birds and the Bees" |
| 2007 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Mrs. Towne | Episode: "The Case of the Cross-Dressing Carp " |
| 2007 | Las Vegas | Erin Hudson | Episode: "It's Not Easy Being Green" |
| 2007 | Boston Legal | Judge Gloria Weldon | 7 episodes |
| 2007 | Cane | Senator Finch | Episode: "The Exile" |
| 2008 | The Mentalist | Juniper Tolliver | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 2008 | CSI: Miami | Dr. Rachel Marsh | Episode: "And How Does That Make You Kill?" |
| 2008 | Desperate Housewives | Anne Schilling | 4 episodes |
| 2009 | Empire State | Laurel Cochrane | Unsold TV pilot |
| 2009 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Ruth Walker | Episode: "Selfish" |
| 2009 | Ghost Whisperer | Karen Westen | Episode: "Endless Love" |
| 2009 | True Jackson, VP | Sophie Girard | Episode: "Back to School" |
| 2009 | CSI: NY | Millie Taylor | Episode: "Blacklist" |
| 2010 | The Forgotten | Kerry Denver | Episode: "My John" |
| 2010 | Drop Dead Diva | Mrs. Thomas | Episode: "Bad Girls" |
| 2010 | The Deep End | Susan Oppenheim | Unsold TV pilot |
| 2010–2011 | Hellcats | Wanda Perkins | 18 episodes |
| 2011 | Memphis Beat | Chloe Archer | Episode: "Ten Little Memphians" |
| 2011 | Necessary Roughness | Anne Marie | Episode: "Baggage Claim" |
| 2011 | Hawaii Five-0 | Sharon Archer | Episode: "Alaheo Pau'ole" |
| 2013 | Castle | Margo Gower | Episode: "Reality Star Struck" |
| 2013 | Rules of Engagement | Joan | Episode: "Cupcake" |
| 2013 | Major Crimes | Anne Brand | Episode: "Boys Will Be Boys" |
| 2013 | The Crazy Ones | Hannah Sharples | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 2014–2015 | Revenge | Stevie Grayson | 11 episodes |
| 2015 | Code Black | Margaret O'Brien | Episode: "Pre-Existing Conditions" |
| 2016 | Fresh Off the Boat | Herself | Episode: "The Taming of the Dads" |
| 2017 | Training Day | Claire Millstone | Episode: "Quid Pro Quo" |
| 2017 | His Wives and Daughters | Donna Banks | Unsold TV pilot |
| 2018–2023 | Criminal Minds | Krystall Richards | 7 episodes |
| TBA | Duster | Charlotte Dean-Ellis | Upcoming series |