# Kali Rocha

Kali Rocha (born December 5, 1971) is an American actress. She is known for portraying Karen Rooney, the mother of the four Rooney children and the school's vice principal, on the Disney Channel sitcom Liv and Maddie. She also co-wrote four episodes of the show.

## Early life

Rocha was born in Memphis, Tennessee and grew up in Rhode Island, graduating from Carnegie Mellon School of Drama in 1993.

## Career

Rocha's career began on stage in the August 1993 revival of the Jane Bowles play In the Summer House at the Vivian Beaumont Theater. Since then she has been in multiple Broadway and Off-Broadway productions including Noises Off and Nicky Silver's comedy The Altruists where she created the role of Cybil.
Her on-screen debut was in the 1996 cinematic adaptation of Arthur Miller's The Crucible, as Mercy Lewis. She stood out when she played the Atlantic American flight attendant who argued with Ben Stiller's character at the airport in the 2000 comedy Meet the Parents, a role she reprised in the sequel Meet the Fockers. She also had a recurring role on Buffy the Vampire Slayer as Anya's vengeance demon friend, Halfrek, and appeared as William the Bloody's love interest, Cecily. Rocha played Stonewall Jackson's wife, Anna in Ron Maxwell's Gods and Generals, an epic drama about the first two years of the American Civil War. Other films include The Object of My Affection, Autumn in New York, White Oleander, When Billie Beat Bobby, and Ready? OK!.
She has appeared on the Will & Grace episode "Strangers With Candice", as a straight woman who flirts with Will. In spring 2006, Rocha began acting in the short-lived NBC sitcom Teachers. She guest-starred in an episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as Cindy Marino, an aggressive TV reporter. Also, she appeared on an episode of Bones as a victim's mother. Rocha has also played the character of a fourth-year resident surgeon, Dr. Sydney Heron, at Seattle Grace Hospital in the ABC TV series Grey's Anatomy.
In 2009, Rocha appeared with fellow Buffy the Vampire Slayer alum Emma Caulfield in the film TiMER. Rocha starred in the first and only season of Sherri starring Sherri Shepherd from The View which was loosely based on Shepherd's life. She played Summer, Sherri's boss and eventual friend. It aired on the Lifetime Network.
In 2016, Rocha was cast as Marcy Burns, a recurring character on the CBS sitcom Man with a Plan. In 2018, she was upgraded to a series regular for the third season.

## Personal life

In January 2008, Rocha announced that she was pregnant. She gave birth to her son Barlow Aix Krikorian on August 4, 2008, and her daughter Savria Dune Krikorian on January 25, 2011.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1996 | The Crucible | Mercy Lewis | |
| 1998 | The Object of My Affection | Melissa Marx | |
| 2000 | Autumn in New York | Shannon | |
| 2000 | Meet the Parents | Flight Attendant | |
| 2002 | White Oleander | Susan Valeris | |
| 2003 | Gods and Generals | Anna Morrison Jackson | |
| 2004 | Stuck | Sasha | Short film |
| 2004 | Meet the Fockers | Flight Attendant | |
| 2005 | Confessions of an Action Star | Beth | |
| 2005 | Bam Bam and Celeste | Angela | |
| 2005 | Seagull | Kali | |
| 2006 | Falling for Grace | Carla | |
| 2006 | Ira & Abby | Tracy | |
| 2007 | Dead Write | Samantha | |
| 2007 | Ripple Effect | Alex | |
| 2008 | Over Her Dead Body | Angel | |
| 2008 | Ready? OK! | Hallie Hinton | |
| 2008 | John's Hand | Terry | Short film |
| 2009 | TiMER | Patty | |
| 2009 | Stolen | Coral | |
| 2010 | Video Night | Kali | Video short |
| 2011 | Mr. Stache | Narrator | Short film |
| 2011 | Serenity House | Marnie | Short film |
| 2012 | Brake | 911 Operator | |
| 2014 | Space Station 76 | Donna | |
| 2014 | The Loft | Mimi Landry | |
| 2016 | Lend a Hand for Love | Ernestine | Short film |
| 2016 | Gary Got Involved! | Neighbor | Short film |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1997 | Liberty! The American Revolution | Eliza Wilkinson | TV miniseries |
| 1998 | The Love Letter | Flossy Whitcomb | TV film |
| 2001 | When Billie Beat Bobby | Connie | TV film |
| 2001 | Cursed (aka The Weber Show) | Sophie | Episode: "...And Then Jack Had Two Dates" |
| 2001 | Becker | Kayla | Episode: "Psycho Therapy" |
| 2002 | Family Law | Kelly Gilbert | Episode: "Alienation of Affection" |
| 2002 | Hack | Joyce | Episode: "All Night Long" |
| 2000–2002 | Buffy the Vampire Slayer | Cecily Addams/Halfrek | 7 episodes |
| 2003 | Crossing Jordan | Felix Tate | Episode: "Sunset Division" |
| 2003 | Will & Grace | Stephanie | Episode: "Strangers with Candice" |
| 2005 | Family Plan | Stacy | TV film |
| 2005 | Without a Trace | Liz Murray | Episode: "Party Girl" |
| 2006 | Teachers | Principal Emma Wiggins | All 6 episodes |
| 2006 | Standoff | Leanne Benson | Episode: "Partners in Crime" |
| 2006 | Bones | Jackie Swanson | Episode: "The Girl with the Curl" |
| 2006–2007, 2024 | Grey's Anatomy | Dr. Sydney Heron | 9 episodes |
| 2007 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Cindy Marino | Episode: "Haystack" |
| 2007 | Boston Legal | Allison Lovejoy | Episode: "Duck and Cover" |
| 2007 | The Call | Wendy 'The Wolf' Wolfram | TV film |
| 2008 | Notes from the Underbelly | Paige Bartlett | Episode: "Friends and Neighbors" |
| 2009 | Monk | Maria Scheter | Episode: "Mr. Monk Fights City Hall" |
| 2009 | Sherri | Summer Dickie | All 13 episodes |
| 2010 | $#*! My Dad Says | Roberta | Episode: "You Can't Handle the Truce" |
| 2011 | Drop Dead Diva | Dr. Audrey Foley | Episode: "You Bet Your Life" |
| 2011 | The Exes | Deanna | Episode: "An Inconvenient Tooth" |
| 2012 | Modern Family | Party Planner | Episode: "Leap Day" |
| 2012 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Ms. Fowler | Episode: "Altered Stakes" |
| 2012 | Puppy Love | Gail | TV film |
| 2012 | Bits and Pieces | Jodi | TV film (Liv and Maddie original pilot) |
| 2013–2017 | Liv and Maddie | Karen Rooney | Main role |
| 2016–2020 | Man with a Plan | Marcy Burns | Recurring: seasons 1–2; Main: seasons 3–4 |
| 2019 | Harvey Street Kids | Marie Curie | Guest voice |
| 2023 | Waco: The Aftermath | Ruth Riddle | Main role |
| 2024 | That Girl Lay Lay | Dr. Hirt | Episode: Toothaches and CHOFMA Breaks" |