# Nana Visitor

Nana Visitor (/nəˈnɑː/ nə-NAH; born Nana Tucker July 26, 1957), is an American actress, best known for playing Kira Nerys in the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Jean Ritter in the television series Wildfire.

## Early life

Nana Tucker was born July 26, 1957, in New York City, the daughter of Nenette Charisse, a ballet teacher, and Robert Tucker, a choreographer; she is a niece of actress/dancer Cyd Charisse.

## Career

Visitor began her acting career in the 1970s on the Broadway stage in such productions as My One and Only. Her film debut (billed by her birth name, Nana Tucker) came in the 1977 horror film The Sentinel. On television, Visitor co-starred in the short-lived 1976 sitcom Ivan the Terrible and from 1978 to 1982, had short-lived regular roles on three soap operas: Ryan's Hope, The Doctors, and One Life to Live. Upon the suggestion of her older brother Paris, she adopted the stage name "Nana Visitor" in the early 1980s, and had her name legally changed to "Visitor" some time later.
In 1984, she appeared in a season-two episode of Hunter. In 1985, Visitor made appearances on the television series MacGyver, in the season-one episode "Hellfire" as Laura Farren, and in the season-two episode "DOA: MacGyver" as Carol Varnay. She also made an appearance in the fourth-season Remington Steele episode titled "Steele Blushing" the same year. In 1986, she appeared in "Hills of Fire", a fourth-season episode of Knight Rider, as well as third-season Highway to Heaven episodes "Love at Second Sight" and "Love and Marriage, Part II" as Margaret Swann.
In 1987, Visitor appeared as Ellen Dolan in a failed television pilot for Will Eisner's pulp comic creation The Spirit, starring Sam J. Jones as the title character and Garry Walberg as her father, Commissioner Dolan.
In 1988, she made an appearance on the sitcom Night Court as a mental patient who is obsessed with the movies. That same year, she made an appearance on the television series In the Heat of the Night as the owner of the Sparta newspaper. She also made an appearance that year in an episode of Matlock. In 1989, Visitor appeared in the fifth episode of the television series Doogie Howser, M.D. as Charmagne, a rock star who has a throat nodule removed at Doogie's hospital, and as Miles Drentell's glamorous girlfriend, in "Success", a 1989 episode of Thirtysomething's second season.
In 1990, Visitor co-starred with Sandra Bullock in the short-lived sitcom Working Girl, which was based on the feature film of the same name.
From 1993 to 1999, Visitor appeared on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine as Major (later Colonel) Kira Nerys, a former freedom fighter/terrorist from the planet Bajor, who fought against the occupation of her world by the Cardassians. After the occupation ended, she was appointed as first officer of the series's eponymous space station, built by the Cardassians and turned over to Starfleet.
After DS9 ended, Visitor had a recurring role as villain Dr. Elizabeth Renfro on the television series Dark Angel. Visitor then starred as Roxie Hart in both the touring and Broadway companies of the musical Chicago, including starring as Hart as curtains rose again after September 11, 2001. Visitor was then cast as Jean Ritter on the ABC Family series Wildfire, which premiered on June 20, 2005.
In 2008, she appeared as Emily Kowalski, a dying cancer patient in "Faith", an episode of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica's fourth season. Visitor had a small role as Pamela Voorhees in the 2009 version of Friday the 13th. She has also lent her voice in a few appearances on the sitcom Family Guy, such as Rita in the episode "Brian's Got a Brand New Bag", and as the voice of the Enterprise in "Extra Large Medium." In 2011, she had a small part in the Hammer Horror film The Resident, playing the realtor. She appeared in Torchwood: Miracle Day episodes seven ("Immortal Sins") and eight ("End of the Road"). In 2012, she appeared as Dr. Patty Barker, a canine psychotherapist, in "An Embarrassment of Bitches", a season-four episode of ABC's Castle.
2024 saw the publication of her book, "Star Trek: Open a Channel: A Woman's Trek", a look at the female characters of the Star Trek franchise, and the actors who portrayed them.

## Personal life

Visitor was married to Nick Miscusi from 1989 to 1994. They have one son together. Visitor began dating her Star Trek: Deep Space Nine co-star Alexander Siddig and married him in June 1997. They divorced in April 2001. They had a son together, and her pregnancy was incorporated into her character and the series storyline, beginning in the 1996 fourth season episode "Body Parts". She gave birth to her son Django on September 16, 1996, during production of the episode "The Assignment", though her character would remain pregnant until the fifth-season episode "The Begotten". In early 2002, Visitor became engaged to Matthew Rimmer, previously company manager for the musical Chicago, and from 2017 chief operating officer of The Broad Stage in Santa Monica. They married in April 2003.
Visitor and her Star Trek: Deep Space Nine co-star Terry Farrell were honored in 2001 when William Kwong Yu Yeung named two small Solar System bodies he had discovered after them – asteroid 26733 Nanavisitor and asteroid 26734 Terryfarrell.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role |
| 1977 | The Sentinel | Girl |
| 1987 | The Spirit | Ellen Dolan |
| 2008 | Babysitter Wanted | Linda Albright |
| 2008 | Swing Vote | Galena Greenleaf |
| 2009 | Friday the 13th | Pamela Voorhees |
| 2011 | The Resident | Realtor |
| 2015 | A Rising Tide | Eva |
| 2015 | Ted 2 | Adoption agent |
| 2018 | A Bread Factory | Elsa |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1976 | Ivan the Terrible | Svetlana Petrovsky | 5 episodes |
| 1978–79 | Ryan's Hope | Nancy Feldman | Unknown episodes |
| 1980–81 | The Doctors | Darcy Collins | Unknown episodes |
| 1982 | One Life to Live | Georgina Whitman | Unknown episodes |
| 1985 | Hunter | Amy Laurton | Episode: "The Biggest Man In Town" |
| 1985 | MacGyver | Laura Farren | Episode: "Hellfire" |
| 1985 | Remington Steele | Eileen Fitzgerald | Episode: "Steele Blushing" |
| 1986 | Knight Rider | Sandra Rusk | Episode: "Hills of Fire" |
| 1986 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Doris | Episode: "Happy Birthday" |
| 1986 | Highway to Heaven | Margaret Swann | 2 episodes |
| 1987 | Ohara | Laura | Episode: "Laura" |
| 1987 | MacGyver | Carol Varnay | Episode: "D.O.A.: MacGyver" |
| 1987 | Matlock | Vanessa Douglas | Episode: "The Best Friend" |
| 1987 | The Colbys | Georgina Sinclair | 4 episodes |
| 1987 | Scarecrow and Mrs. King | Felicia McMasters | Episode: "Do You Take This Spy?" |
| 1988 | Night Court | Ms. Sanders | Episode: "Educating Rhoda" |
| 1988 | In the Heat of the Night | Evie | Episode: "Fate" |
| 1988 | L.A. Law | Betsy Major | Episode: "Sperminator" |
| 1989 | Matlock | Erin Whitley / Shannon Blackwell | Episode: "The Other Woman" |
| 1989 | Doogie Howser, M.D. | Charmagne | Episode: "The Short Goodbye" |
| 1990 | Working Girl | Bryn Newhouse | Unknown episodes |
| 1990 | Murder, She Wrote | Marcia McPhee | Episode: "See You in Court, Baby" |
| 1991 | Drexell's Class | Helen Selwyn | Episode: "Love Walked Right in and Swept Mr. Drexell Away" |
| 1993 | Matlock | Dr. Clara Farmington | Episode: "The Divorce" |
| 1993–1999 | Star Trek: Deep Space Nine | Kira Nerys | Main cast, OFTA Television Award for Best Actress in a Syndicated Series |
| 1998 | The Outer Limits | Cecilia Fairman | Episode: "In Our Own Image" |
| 2001 | Dark Angel | Elizabeth Renfro | 6 episodes |
| 2003 | Frasier | Sharon | Episode: "Daphne Does Dinner" |
| 2004 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Mrs. Katz | Episode: "Mea Culpa" |
| 2004 | According to Jim | Veronica | Episode: "Who's the Boss?" |
| 2005–2008 | Wildfire | Jean Ritter | Unknown episodes |
| 2008 | Battlestar Galactica | Emily Kowalski | Episode: "Faith" |
| 2009–2014 | Family Guy | Rita/Woman in restaurant/Nancy Pelosi/Justin's Mom/Kate's Mom (voices) | 12 episodes |
| 2011 | Torchwood: Miracle Day | Olivia Colasanto | Episodes: "Immortal Sins", "End of the Road" |
| 2011 | Grimm | Melissa Wincroft | Episode: "Beeware" |
| 2012 | Castle | Dr. Patty Barker | Episode: "An Embarrassment of Bitches" |
| 2017 | Dynasty | Diana Davis | Episode: "Company Slut" |
| 2018 | Killer in Law | Grandma Yvonne Hutcherson | Lifetime TV movie |
| 2022 | Star Trek: Lower Decks | Kira Nerys | Episode: "Hear All, Trust Nothing" |

### Stage

| Year | Title | Role | Broadway venue |
| 1983 | My One and Only | Flounder | St. James Theatre |
| 2001 | Chicago | Roxie Hart, replacement | Shubert Theatre |

### Video games

| Year | Title | Role |
| 1996 | Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Harbinger | Kira Nerys |
| 2000 | Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - The Fallen | Kira Nerys |
| 2018 | Star Trek Online - Victory is Life | Kira Nerys |
| 2023 | Starfield | Mom |

### Web series

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2016 | Full Out | Xan | Featured cast |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
| 1995 | Sci-Fi Universe Magazine, USA Universe Reader's Choice | Best Supporting Actress in a Genre TV Series | Star Trek: Deep Space Nine | Won |
| 1996 | Online Film & Television Association Television Award | Best Supporting Actress in a Series | Star Trek: Deep Space Nine | Nominated |
| 1997 | Online Film & Television Association Television Award | Best Actress in a Syndicated Series | Star Trek: Deep Space Nine | Won |
| 1997 | Online Film & Television Association Television Award | Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series | Star Trek: Deep Space Nine | Nominated |
| 1997 | Online Film & Television Association Television Award | Best Supporting Actress in a Series | Star Trek: Deep Space Nine | Nominated |
| 1998 | Online Film & Television Association Television Award | Best Supporting Actress in a Syndicated Series | Star Trek: Deep Space Nine | Won |
| 1998 | Online Film & Television Association Television Award | Best Supporting Actress in a Series | Star Trek: Deep Space Nine | Nominated |
| 1999 | Online Film & Television Association Television Award | Best Actress in a Syndicated Series | Star Trek: Deep Space Nine | Won |
| 1999 | Online Film & Television Association Television Award | Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series | Star Trek: Deep Space Nine | Nominated |