# Julie Benz

Julie Benz (born May 1, 1972) is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Darla on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel (1997–2004), and as Rita Bennett on Dexter (2006–2010), for which she won the 2006 Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress and the 2009 Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Benz has also starred in the television series Roswell (1999–2000), Desperate Housewives (2010), No Ordinary Family (2010–2011), A Gifted Man (2011–2012), Defiance (2013–2015), Hawaii Five-0 (2015–2017), Training Day (2017) and Love, Victor (2021).
Her film credits include Jawbreaker (1999), The Brothers (2001), Rambo (2008), Saw V (2008), Punisher: War Zone (2008), and The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day (2009).

## Early life and education

Benz was born in Pittsburgh. Her mother, Joanne Marie (née Seemiller), was a figure skater, and her father, George Benz, Jr., is a surgeon in Pittsburgh. Benz is of German & Welsh descent.
The family settled in nearby Murrysville, Pennsylvania, when Benz was two, and she started ice skating when she was three. She attended and graduated from Franklin Regional High School in Murrysville.
When Benz was 14, she suffered a stress fracture in her right leg and had to take time off from skating. The following year, at age 15, Benz says she was told by an acting coach that she would never succeed as an actress. "I remember the teacher telling me I should not even try acting. I still have the report card where she was like, 'You will never be an actor. Your voice is horrible.' That was the best thing that ever happened to me because I was like, 'I'll show you'," she later said.
By 1989, with her figure skating career over, Benz became involved in local theater and was cast in the play Street Law. Her first film role was a small speaking part in "The Black Cat" segment of the Dario Argento/George A. Romero horror film Two Evil Eyes (1990). A year later, she was cast in the TV show Hi Honey, I'm Home! (1991), which was cancelled after two seasons.
After graduating from high school in 1990, Benz studied acting at New York University Tisch School of the Arts.

## Career

After graduating from New York University in 1993, she moved to Los Angeles. Two weeks after her move, she obtained a bit part in a 1994 episode of Married... with Children, playing a girl who wanted to lose her virginity to Bud Bundy. Her subsequent roles included an unaired Aaron Spelling television pilot Crosstown Traffic. She starred in another unaired TV pilot called Empire in 1995. Her other TV shows included Hang Time, High Tide, Step by Step, and Boy Meets World, plus a small role in the television film The Barefoot Executive.
During the 1990s, her acting career was varied and steady. She had an uncredited role in Black Sheep and her appearance in Diagnosis: Murder as top figure skater "Julie" allowed her to demonstrate her skating talent. Later TV appearances included characters on Sliders and The Single Guy. She played Christy in the television film Hearts Adrift and a lead role as Julie Falcon in Darkdrive.
In 1996, Benz auditioned for the role of Buffy Summers for the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but lost the role to Sarah Michelle Gellar. However, she was offered the small role of the vampire Darla, in the pilot episode. Her performance was so well-received that her part was expanded to a few more episodes.
This role helped launch her career and Julie appeared in guest appearances in more TV shows such as The Big Easy and Fame L.A., along with a small role as a receptionist in the film As Good as It Gets (1997). She starred in the short spoof film Eating Las Vegas and the unaired TV pilot Veronica's Video, had a small uncredited role in the television film A Walton Easter, and a small role in Inventing the Abbotts.
In 1998, she had a recurring role as Joplin Russell in the TV show Ask Harriet, then guest starred on both Conrad Bloom and The King of Queens. She made two films, the dark comedy Jawbreaker and Dirt Merchant, before landing a lead role in the TV series Payne, an American remake of the British sitcom Fawlty Towers. It was cancelled after eight episodes had aired.
Benz reprised her role as Darla in 2000 for the Buffy the Vampire Slayer spin-off series Angel, appearing in every season for at least one episode. Julie was a guest host for the TV show Rendez-View, cast as Ellie Sparks in Glory Days and appeared in the unaired pilot; however, she left the show. Later, she guest-starred on She Spies, was in the featured cast for the miniseries Taken, did various voices for the video game Hot Shots Golf Fore!, appeared in the short film The Midget Stays in the Picture, and took over the role of Ursula for George of the Jungle 2.
Benz appeared in Peacemakers, Coupling, NCIS, and Oliver Beene. She landed the lead role of Annie Garrett in the television film The Long Shot and provided the voice of Miranda Keyes for the video game Halo 2, though she did not return to the role in the sequel Halo 3, as Bungie wanted to try a new direction with the Miranda Keyes voice by giving the character an accent. She portrayed Danielle in the direct-to-DVD film Bad Girls from Valley High in 2005. She had a small role in the critically acclaimed television film Lackawanna Blues.
In the Sci-Fi Channel original film Locusts: The 8th Plague, she played the lead female role Vicky. She also appeared in the straight-to-DVD film 8mm 2 as Lynn. The film was originally called The Velvet Side of Hell and was not supposed to be a sequel to 8MM. Benz appeared in episodes of Supernatural, CSI: Miami, Law & Order, and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. She had a supporting role in the Swedish independent film Kill Your Darlings (2006), a lead role in the television film Circle of Friends (2006), and joined the cast of the TV show Dexter as Rita Bennett, Dexter Morgan's girlfriend and eventual wife. Benz played a lead role in the fifth film of the popular Saw horror franchise, Saw V, as Brit, a real estate developer who is one of Jigsaw's five victims. Benz had a supporting role in Punisher: War Zone as Angela and co-starred with Sylvester Stallone in Rambo (2008), the fourth film of the series.
She played the title role in the short film Kidnapping Caitlynn, written by her close friend Jenny Mollen, which premiered at the Vail Film Festival 2009 and was released online April 6, 2009. She starred in the television film Held Hostage as Michelle Estey. in July. She also starred in the television film Uncorked (2009) as Johnny Prentiss which premiered in the UK in July 2009. She is the lead female character Special Agent Eunice Bloom in The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day which had a limited release on October 30, 2009, and was released on DVD March 9, 2010. She has been cast in another indie film called Bedrooms as Anna. She played Frankie in the 2011 film Answers to Nothing.
Benz appeared on The Soup with Joel McHale. Benz next took a recurring role on Desperate Housewives as Robin Gallagher, a stripper with a heart of gold and a master's degree in education who gets offered the chance to transition into a more legitimate career. The character of Robin is further developed when the audience discovers she is a lesbian and begins an affair with housewife Katherine Mayfair (Dana Delany). After the fourth season finale of Dexter, in which her character is murdered, Benz returned for the fifth-season premiere in a flashback scene.
In early 2010, ABC announced that Benz had landed a lead role as Stephanie Powell in the network's drama pilot No Ordinary Family. Production of the series commenced the following May and it premiered on September 28, 2010, as part of the 2010–11 season.
On May 13, 2011, No Ordinary Family was cancelled after one season with only 20 episodes filmed. In 2011, she was cast in the new CBS TV show A Gifted Man. Originally a co-star, she was later downgraded to a recurring role. A Gifted Man was cancelled by CBS in May 2012 after one season of 16 episodes. She was cast in the television film Ricochet as Elise Laird. Benz played the lead female role, Mayor Amanda Rosewater, in the science fiction series Defiance and also starred in the film Supremacy and the unaired TV pilot Middle Ages.
In 2015, Benz landed a recurring role in the CBS series Hawaii Five-O, playing the latest team member and Chin Ho's girlfriend, Abby Dunn. She also starred in the television film Charming Christmas.
In 2021, she guest-starred in the TV series Love, Victor.

## Personal life

Benz married actor John Kassir on May 30, 1998. She filed for divorce in December 2007.
In 2011, she became engaged to Rich Orosco. They married on May 5, 2012.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1990 | Two Evil Eyes | Betty | Segment: "The Black Cat" |
| 1996 | Darkdrive | Julie Falcon | |
| 1997 | As Good as It Gets | Receptionist | |
| 1997 | Inventing the Abbotts | Co-ed | |
| 1999 | Dirt Merchant | Angie | |
| 1999 | Jawbreaker | Marcie Fox | |
| 2000 | Bad Girls from Valley High | Danielle | |
| 2000 | Shriek If You Know What I Did Last Friday the Thirteenth | Barbara | Direct-to-video film |
| 2001 | The Brothers | Jesse Caldwell | |
| 2003 | George of the Jungle 2 | Ursula Stanhope, Queen of the Jungle | Direct-to-video film |
| 2004 | The Long Shot | Annie Garrett | |
| 2005 | 8mm 2 | Lynn | Direct-to-video film |
| 2006 | Kill Your Darlings | Katherine | |
| 2008 | Punisher: War Zone | Angela Donatelli | |
| 2008 | Rambo | Sarah Miller | |
| 2008 | Saw V | Brit | |
| 2009 | The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day | Eunice Bloom | |
| 2010 | Bedrooms | Anna | |
| 2011 | Answers to Nothing | Frankie | |
| 2011 | Ricochet | Elise Laird | |
| 2014 | Supremacy | Kristen | |
| 2015 | Circle | Wife | |
| 2015 | Life on the Line | Carline | |
| 2016 | Havenhurst | Jackie | |
| 2019 | Foster Boy | Pamela Dupree | |
| 2020 | Nocturne | Cassie Lowe | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1991–1992 | Hi Honey, I'm Home! | Babs Nielson | Main role |
| 1994 | Married... with Children | Sascha | Episode: "Field of Screams" |
| 1995 | The Barefoot Executive | Sexy woman | Television film |
| 1995 | Hang Time | Linda Cantrell | Episode: "Earl Makes the Grade" |
| 1995 | High Tide | Joanna Craig | Episode: "Sea No Evil" |
| 1995 | Step by Step | Tawny | Episode: "The Wall" |
| 1996 | Boy Meets World | Bianca | Episode: "City Slackers" |
| 1996 | Diagnosis: Murder | Julie Miller | Episode: "Murder on Thin Ice" |
| 1996 | Hearts Adrift | Christy | Television film |
| 1996 | The Single Guy | Cranberries girl | Episode: "Love Train" |
| 1996 | Sliders | Jenny Michener | Episode: "The Electric Twister Acid Test" |
| 1997 | The Big Easy | Roxanne | Episode: "BeGirled" |
| 1997 | Fame L.A. | Vanessa | Episode: "The Beat Goes On" |
| 1997–2000 | Buffy the Vampire Slayer | Darla | Recurring role (5 episodes) |
| 1998 | Ask Harriet | Joplin Russell | Recurring role |
| 1998 | Conrad Bloom | Julie | Episode: "The Rebound Guy" |
| 1999 | The King of Queens | Julie Patterson | Episode: "Train Wreck" |
| 1999 | Payne | Breeze O'Rourke | Main role |
| 1999–2000 | Roswell | Kathleen Topolsky | Recurring role (season 1) |
| 2000 | Satan's School for Girls | Alison Kingsley | Television film |
| 2000–2004 | Angel | Darla | Recurring role (seasons 1–3); guest role (seasons 4–5) |
| 2002 | Coupling | Amanda | Episode: "Decatur Guy" |
| 2002 | Peacemakers | Miranda Blanchard | Episode: "The Witness" |
| 2002 | She Spies | Elaine | Episode: "Spies vs. Spy" |
| 2002 | Taken | Kate Keyes | Miniseries |
| 2004 | The Long Shot: Believe in Courage | Annie Garrett | Television film |
| 2004 | NCIS | Denise Johnson | Episode: "A Weak Link" |
| 2004 | Oliver Beene | Cigarette girl | Episode: "Idol Chatter" |
| 2005 | Lackawanna Blues | Laura | Television film |
| 2005 | Locusts: The 8th Plague | Vicky | Television film |
| 2006 | Circle of Friends | Maggie | Television film |
| 2006 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Heidi Wolff | Episode: "Time of Your Death" |
| 2006 | CSI: Miami | Hayley Gordon | Episode: "Deviant" |
| 2006 | Supernatural | Layla Rourke | Episode: "Faith" |
| 2006–2010 | Dexter | Rita Bennett | Main role (season 1–4); guest role (season 5) Won – Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress on Television 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 |
| 2007 | Law & Order | Dawn Sterling | Episode: "Church" |
| 2009 | Held Hostage | Michelle Estey | Television film |
| 2009 | Uncorked | Johnny Prentiss | Television film |
| 2010 | Desperate Housewives | Robin Gallagher | Recurring role (season 6) |
| 2010–2011 | No Ordinary Family | Stephanie Powell | Main role |
| 2011 | Royal Pains | Elyse | Episode: "An Apple a Day" |
| 2011–2012 | A Gifted Man | Christina Holt | Recurring role (season 1) |
| 2013 | Sole Custody | Zoe | Television film |
| 2013 | Taken: The Search for Sophie Parker | Stevie Parker | Television film |
| 2013–2015 | Defiance | Amanda Rosewater | Main role |
| 2015 | Charming Christmas | Meredith Rossman | Television film |
| 2015–2017 | Hawaii Five-0 | Abby Dunn | Recurring role (season 6–7) |
| 2017 | Christmas Homecoming | Amanda | Television film |
| 2017 | Training Day | Holly Butler | Main role |
| 2019 | Dark/Web | Rideshare | Episode: "Rideshare" |
| 2019 | Light as a Feather | Skye Karras | Episode: "...Guilty as Sin" |
| 2019 | On Becoming a God in Central Florida | Carole Wilkes | Recurring role |
| 2019 | V. C. Andrews' Heaven | Kitty Dennison | Television film |
| 2021 | Love, Victor | Shelby | Guest role |
| 2021 | Secrets of a Gold Digger Killer | Celeste Beard | Television film |
| 2022 | 9-1-1: Lone Star | Sadie | Guest role |

### Video games

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2004 | Hot Shots Golf Fore! | Phoebe and Amy | |
| 2004 | Halo 2 | Miranda Keyes | |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
| 2006 | 11th Satellite Awards | Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress - Series, Miniseries or Television Film | Dexter | Won |
| 2008 | Eyegore Awards | Eyegore Award | | Won |
| 2008 | 2008 Scream Awards | Best Horror Actress | Dexter | Nominated |
| 2009 | 16th Screen Actors Guild Awards | Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series | Dexter | Nominated |
| 2010 | 17th Screen Actors Guild Awards | Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series | Dexter | Nominated |
| 2010 | 36th Saturn Awards | Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress on Television | Dexter | Won |
| 2010 | Monte Carlo Television Festival | Outstanding Actress - Drama Series | Dexter | Nominated |
| 2010 | 2010 Scream Awards | Best Horror Actress | Dexter | Nominated |