Megalyn Echikunwoke
Ebubennem Megalyn Ann Echikunwoke ( ; born May 28, 1983), also known as Megalyn E.K., is an American actress, known primarily for her roles in television and film. Born in Spokane, Washington, Echikunwoke was discovered while performing in a theatrical production for an arts academy, and began working professionally at age 15, appearing in an episode of "The Steve Harvey Show". Between 2001 and 2002, she starred as , daughter of David Palmer, on the Fox series "24", followed by guest roles on "ER" and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer". Between 2004 and 2005, she portrayed Angie Barnett, the half-sister of  Steven Hyde, on the sitcom "That '70s Show". In 2006, Echikunwoke starred as a lead in the series "The 4400" which ran until 2007, followed by recurring roles on "90210" and "House of Lies". Her film roles in the early 2010s include Whit Stillman's "Damsels in Distress" (2011), and the action sequel "A Good Day to Die Hard" (2013). In 2016, she portrayed Mari McCabe / Vixen in the "Arrowverse". The following year, Echikunwoke had a supporting role in "CHiPs" (2017), followed by the independent comedy "An Actor Prepares" (2018). Next, she co-starred in the comedy "Night School" (2018 ). In late 2018, Echikunwoke made her New York stage debut in an off-Broadway production of "Apologia". Early life. Ebubennem Megalyn Ann Echikunwoke was born in Spokane, Washington, to Mark Onigwe Versato Echikunwoke, an Igbo Nigerian father, and Anita Laurie. Her father, an immigrant to the United States, was a survivor of the Nigerian Civil War, during which he suffered gunshot wounds that resulted in him contracting hepatitis B. When Echikunwoke was four years old, her father, then attending law school in Spokane, died of liver cancer, stemming from the gunshot wounds and hepatitis B. Her mother moved to the  Navajo Nation, where she raised Echikunwoke and her siblings in the unincorporated community of Chinle, Arizona. At age 14, Echikunwoke was discovered while performing in a theater production at an arts academy summer camp. Career. Echikunwoke's first featured role was a guest appearance on "The Steve Harvey Show" in 1998. The following year, she had her first film role in Julie Dash's "Funny Valentines". In 2001, Echikunwoke starred in a lead role on the MTV soap opera, "Spyder Games", as Cherish Pardee, a coffee house singer, which ran through the year. She subsequently had a recurring role in  the first season of "24" (2001–2002) as David Palmer's daughter, Nicole. Beginning 2003, she appeared as Danika on the comedy series "Like Family", and guest-starred on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", appearing in the episode "The Killer in Me" (2003). This was followed with a guest role on "Veronica Mars" in 2004. Between 2004 and 2005, Echikunwoke appeared on Fox's "That '70s Show" as Steven Hyde's half-sister, Angie Barnett. In 2006, she was cast as a series regular on the science fiction television series "The 4400", as the adult version of the mysterious Isabelle Tyler. Echikunwoke  left the show in 2007. From 2008 to 2009, she appeared in of "", Echikunwoke joined the cast as the new medical examiner, Dr. Tara Price. She had a recurring role on TNT's "Raising the Bar" (2008–2009) where she played the love interest of attorney Marcus McGrath, played by J. August Richards. Also in 2008, Echikunwoke appeared as a singer in the Leonard Chess biopic "Who Do You Love?". In 2011, Echikunwoke played Holly in the fourth season of "90210", and subsequently appeared in the comedy film "Damsels in Distress." She played April on Showtime's "House of Lies" (2012 ) and Riley Parker in the legal drama "Made in Jersey" (also 2012) on CBS. In 2014, she co-starred in the drama series "Mind Games" on ABC. In 2016, Echikunwoke appeared on the CW's "Arrow" as the DC Comics superhero Mari McCabe / Vixen for an episode, as well as providing her voice for the character in the CW Seed animated series "Vixen". Due to prior commitments, she was unavailable to play the character in "Legends of Tomorrow", resulting in the introduction of a new Vixen played by Maisie Richardson-Sellers, who is the time-displaced grandmother of Echikunwoke's  character. Echikunwoke had a supporting role in Dax Shepard's "CHiPs" (2017), followed by the comedy "An Actor Prepares" (2018). The same year, Echikunwoke had a supporting role in the comedy "Night School", which grossed over $100million. She played the role of Claire in the off-Broadway production of "Apologia" for the Roundabout Theatre Company. The play ran from October 16, 2018, to December 16, 2018. In 2019, she had a supporting role in "Late Night". She was subsequently cast in a main role on "Almost Family", a drama series on Fox chronicling three women who find they are  siblings after a prominent fertility doctor reveals he has used his own sperm to father over 100 children with his patients. The series was cancelled after one season. Personal life. In 2007, Echikunwoke, Justin Long, Olivia Wilde, and Kal Penn campaigned for the 2008 Democratic Presidential nominee Barack Obama. This included a winter tour of college campuses and bars in Iowa, known as the All-Actor All-Iowa All-Star Voter Education Tour, to register new college-age voters prior to the 2008 election. Her cousin is athlete Annette Echikunwoke.