Cristine Rose Cristine Sue Rose is the actress who played the role of Gi ' ral in the sixth season episodes and in . She was born in Lynwood , California and graduated from Stanford University . Rose has an extensive list of television credits which have included four series ( one of which never aired ) , fifteen recurring roles , over seventy guest appearances , eleven made - for - TV movies , and several pilots . She is currently best known for her role as Angela Petrelli on NBC ' s science fiction drama series " Heroes " . Television career . TV movies . Rose made her television debut playing Jackie Kennedy in the 1977 two - part movie " The Trial of Lee Harvey Oswald " . Ellen Geer and Lawrence Pressman also had roles in this movie . Rose ' s next TV movie was " Terrorist on Trial : The United States vs . Salim Ajami " , which aired on CBS in January 1988 . Dakin Matthews , George D . Wallace , and Michael McGrady acted in this production , as well . In 1990 , Rose was seen in two TV movies : " Burning Bridges " , with Joel Polis , and " Extreme Close - Up " , with Bibi Besch , Jefrey Alan Chandler , Kerrie Keane , and Richard Libertini . These were followed the next year by " For the Very First Time " , which also featured Mädchen Amick and Lilyan Chauvin . Rose next appeared in the 1992 comedy " Just My Imagination " with Robert Curtis Brown . Her subsequent TV movies have included " The Lost Child " ( 2000 , with Ned Romero ) , " Go Figure " ( 2005 , with Tania Gunadi ) , and the Emmy Award - nominated " Mrs . Harris " ( 2005 , with Larry Drake , Caroline Lagerfelt , John Rubinstein , and Bill Smitrovich . Guest appearances . One of Rose ' s earliest guest appearances was a 1985 episode of " Spenser : For Hire " , which starred actor Avery Brooks . In 1987 , she appeared on " Matlock " , in an episode with Jason Wingreen . She also appeared on " Growing Pains " , which featured Andrew Koenig in his role as " Boner . " Rose made a return appearance to " Growing Pains " in 1991 as a different character ( though Koenig had left the show by that time ) . In 1988 , she was seen on " St . Elsewhere " , the hit medical drama which starred many of her fellow " Star Trek " alumni : Ed Begley , Jr . , Ronny Cox , Bruce Greenwood , Norman Lloyd , France Nuyen , and Jennifer Savidge . Her episode also featured William Sadler and Alfre Woodard . That same year , Rose appeared in the pilot episode of the NBC sitcom " Dear John " . guest actors Jane Carr and Harry Groener were both regulars on this series , and both appeared in the pilot . Afterward , Vincent McEveety directed Rose , Eve Brenner , and Jeremy Kemp in an episode of " Murder , She Wrote " . Rose appeared in the first of two episodes of " L . A . Law " in 1988 . This episode also guest - starred Fran Bennett . Rose returned to the series ( in a different role ) in 1993 . Both episodes featured Corbin Bernsen and Larry Drake , who were regulars on the series . In a 1997 episode of " Ally McBeal " , Rose and Stan Ivar played a married couple who were getting a divorce . Mark Metcalf was the husband ' s lawyer . In 1998 , Rose appeared with fellow TNG guest actor on two different series : the long - running NBC medical drama " ER " ( in an episode which also featured Mike Genovese and Marc Lawrence ) and the short - lived science fiction drama " Prey " ( with Kaj - Erik Eriksen and the aforementioned Larry Drake ) . The many other series on which Rose guest - starred during the 1990s include " Night Court " ( starring John Larroquette ) , " The Nanny " ( starring Daniel Davis ) , " The Jeff Foxworthy Show " ( starring Ann Cusack ) , " Nash Bridges " ( in an episode with Kate Vernon and Tracey Walter ) , " Moloney " ( with Julie Cobb ) , " Men Behaving Badly " ( with Julianne Christie ) , " Cracker " ( with Cliff DeYoung and Don McManus ) , " C - 16 : FBI " ( with Zach Grenier , Gregory Itzin , and Glenn Morshower ) , " Dharma & Greg " ( with Miriam Flynn and Mitch Ryan ) , " Beverly Hills , 90210 " ( with Mark Chaet ) , and " Honey , I Shrunk the Kids : The TV Show " ( directed by Scott McGinnis and starring Barbara Alyn Woods and Thomas Dekker ) . Rose worked with John Schuck in a 2000 episode of " Diagnosis : Murder " . The following year , she appeared on the HBO series " Six Feet Under " , with Joanna Cassidy and Robert Foxworth playing Margaret and Dr . Bernard Chenowith . Later that year , Rose reunited with " St . Elsewhere " actors Ed Begley , Jr . and Ronny Cox for an episode of " The Agency " , which also featured David Clennon , Tim Halligan , Lawrence Pressman , Dwight Schultz , and Faran Tahir . Rose was one of many " Trek " alumni to appear in the " Philly " episode " Loving Son " . This episode also featured Jim Beaver , Bill Cobbs , John Cothran , Jr . , Alan Dale , Michael Durrell , Deborah Lacey , Conor O ' Farrell , and Cress Williams . Rose ' s subsequent guest appearances include episodes of " Any Day Now " ( with Geoffrey Blake , Olivia Hack , and Jennifer Morrison ) , " Presidio Med " ( with Robert Knepper ) , " 7th Heaven " ( starring Stephen Collins and Catherine Hicks ) , " NCIS " ( with Tim Kelleher ) , " CSI " ( with Scott Lincoln ) , and " Without a Trace " ( starring Enrique Murciano , in an episode with Kris Iyer and Aaron Lustig ) . In 2005 , Rose appeared on " Boston Legal " in the episode " Men to Boys . " William Shatner and Rene Auberjonois were both regulars on this series at the time ; Christopher Carroll and Bob Morrisey appeared in the episode , as well . The following year , Rose was seen on such shows as " Crossing Jordan " ( starring Miguel Ferrer ) and " Commander in Chief " ( with Samantha Eggar , James MacDonald , and Ned Vaughn ) . Recurring roles . Rose played Mary Alice Peevey in several episodes of the short - lived drama series " TV 101 " . Leon Russom was a regular on this series . After this series ended in 1989 , Rose played Rita Traeger in two episodes of the CBS sitcom " The Hogan Family " ( formerly " Valerie " ) . One of her episodes featured Clyde Kusatsu . Between 1992 and 1996 , Rose appeared on the cult television series " Picket Fences " . She played the role of Lydia Brock in five episodes , during which time she worked with Kelly Connell , Megan Gallagher , Bruce Gray , Michael Keenan , Leigh Taylor - Young , and Ray Walston . Rose was also seen on the sitcom " Grace Under Fire " , on which she played Barbara Norton for four episodes . Jon Paul Steuer was a regular on this series ; Paul Dooley appeared in one of Rose ' s episodes . In 1994 , Rose appeared on the hit sitcom " Ellen " , playing Susan in three episodes , the last of which featured Tommy Hinkley . That same year , Rose appeared as Dr . Townsend in two episodes of " Models , Inc . " , the first of which also featured star Robert Beltran . In 1997 , Rose guest - starred as Jenny Selby in two episodes of " Party of Five " . She then played Mrs . Mumford on the series " Clueless " ( based on the film which starred Wallace Shawn ) . In 1999 , she was seen as Claire Pryce in five episodes of the fantasy series " Charmed " . One episode was directed by James L . Conway , another by John T . Kretchmer , and a third featured Brenda Bakke and Jeff Kober . That same year , she began playing Cynthia Blake on the NBC series " Providence " . Concetta Tomei was a regular on this series ; other " Star Trek " performers Rose worked with on this series include Nikita Ager , Michael Reilly Burke , Tim Ransom , and Jamison Yang . Since then , Rose has held brief recurring roles on " The Practice " ( with Michelle Horn and Bill Smitrovich ) , " Gilmore Girls " ( with Mädchen Amick and Biff Yeager ) , and " State of Mind " ( with Tom Virtue ) . In addition , Rose guest - starred in two episodes of the hit comedy series " Friends " , in which she and Gregory Itzin played a married couple . Rose also appeared in two episodes of " How I Met Your Mother " , playing the mother of the show ' s central character . Regular roles . Rose starred as Barbara Bueller on the short - lived " Ferris Bueller " , based on the film featuring Alan Ruck . This series also starred Richard Riehle . In 1992 , Rose starred as Ellen Barash in the short - lived FOX comedy series " Flying Blind " , though she only appeared in six episodes before leaving the show . Robert Bauer was one of her co - stars on this series . Rose then joined the cast of " The Elvira Show " for CBS , but this series never made it to air . From 2006 to 2010 , Rose played Angela Petrelli , mother of Nathan and Peter Petrelli , on the NBC series " Heroes " . She was a recurring player in the first two seasons and became a regular cast member in the third season . Among the many other " Star Trek " performers working on this series or who have appeared on the show in the past are Zachary Quinto , Greg Grunberg , George Takei , Nichelle Nichols , Malcolm McDowell , Erick Avari , Joanna Cassidy , Michael Dorn , John Glover , and Dominic Keating . Films . In addition to her television work , Rose has several films to her credit . Her first was a 1986 German drama called " Fatherland " . This was followed with a supporting role in the infamous 1987 box office flop " Ishtar " , which also featured Matt Frewer . Leo Penn direct Rose in her next film , the 1988 drama " Judgment in Berlin " , in which she played the wife of the main character ( played by Martin Sheen ) . Harris Yulin appeared in this film , as well . Rose ' s next feature film did not come until 1997 , when she appeared in the drama " The Last Time I Committed Suicide " . Rose appeared as an attorney in the hit 2000 romantic comedy " What Women Want " . She later appeared in the 2006 comedy " Cook - Off ! " , along with fellow " Trek " veterans Diedrich Bader , Stephen Root ( whose scenes were deleted ) , and Paul Willson . Rose and Gregory Itzin again portrayed husband - and - wife in the 2008 independent drama " Float " , which was co - produced by Kyla Kuhner . That same year , Rose was seen in another independent film , the comic drama " Shades of Ray " , which also featured Brian George . Most recently , she made an uncredited appearance in the 2009 romantic comedy " He ' s Just Not That Into You " .