Haley Strode

**Haley Anne Strode** is an American actress who emerged with roles on Comedy Central's Lewis Black's: Root of All Evil, Important Things with Demetri Martin and Mind of Mencia. Strode has since appeared in ABC's Castle, CSI: NY, NBC's Whitney, and The New Normal. She co-starred alongside Giovanni Ribisi in Warner Bros.'s Gangster Squad, playing his character's wife. In 2012, Strode filmed the pilot episode of Frank Darabont's L.A. Noir for TNT. Since 2013, she starred in Nick at Nite's Wendell & Vinnie as Taryn.

## Early life

Strode was born in Owensboro, Kentucky. She grew up in the nearby small town of Stanley, on her family’s fourth generation farm. Her mother is a teacher, her father a farmer. She has two older brothers.

Strode graduated from Apollo High School in Owensboro, and then attended the University of Mississippi in Oxford (aka Ole Miss) where she graduated with a BFA in Theatre Arts. While at college, Strode appeared in the University of Mississippi's A Streetcar Named Desire as Fats McBurgereater, Noises Off! as Brooke and The Importance of Being Earnest as Cecily.

## Career

Upon moving to Los Angeles in the summer of 2007, Strode booked the role of Windy Stevens in the Los Angeles Film Festival, directed by Gerardo Flores. The role was originally written for a Midwesterner, but producers, impressed by Strode's portrayal of the character as a “wide-eyed” girl from the south, altered the role for her.

In 2008, Strode's career in television began with shows on Comedy Central's Lewis Black's Root of All Evil, and was soon followed by recurring roles (Girlfriend, Wife, Hostage) on Important Things with Demetri Martin.

As of June 2009, Strode performed in the Katselas Theatre Company's production of Le Ronde de Lunch. For her role in the comedy, written by Peter Lefcourt, Backstage Magazine wrote, "The cast is outstanding......Strode is perky perfection." The show received LA Stage Alliance's "Ovation Recommendation" and awarded Stage Scene LA's "Best Production 2009-2010."

Strode appears as the voice of Jess’s mother in indie film Jess + Moss, which was screened at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. One reviewer wrote, "…the film’s biggest asset is its sound. Not only is the audience meant to glean information from the way Jess and Moss act, but we also find out muchabout them by the playing of old recordings, …Some of them are from Jess’s mother, a kind of goodbye and promise she made when she left."

The film won Best Feature at the Prague Fresh Film Festival and Best Narrative at the Dallas International Film Festival.

Strode guest stars in the Disney Channel pilot Pack of Wolves, where she plays a secret agent named Dr. Harper. Strode continues 2012 with roles on such hit TV shows including CSI:NY, Castle, and Whitney, along with the NBC pilot, The New Normal, co-Written and Directed by Glee’s Ryan Murphy.

In independent film, Strode plays the nemesis of Tony nominee, Laura Bell Bundy. The film is directed by Rajeev Dassani, winner of a 2008 Student Academy Award and also stars John C. McGinley and Bailee Madison.

Strode appeared in the Warner Bros. release Gangster Squad, directed by Ruben Fleischer, and written by Will Beall. Strode played Marcia Keeler, opposite Giovanni Ribisi as Detective Conway Keeler. The film also starred Sean Penn, Ryan Gosling, Josh Brolin, Emma Stone, and Nick Nolte.

Strode recently filmed the pilot episode of L.A. Noir along side Jon Bernthal as young Mickey Cohen’s first victim.

In 2012, Strode booked a role in Nick at Night series, Wendell and Vinnie, starring opposite Jerry Trainor.