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Background:
“When I started out on Voyager, they had to tell me everything about Star Trek,
because I knew nothing about it. I had never seen the original series. I had
never seen The Next Generation. I think I’d seen a couple of episodes here and
there of the original series, probably; never seen Voyager. Didn’t know what a
Borg was. They gave me a copy of First Contact, the movie, so I could at least
see what a Borg was. They also gave me a copy of the Big Star Trek encyclopedia,
whatever it is, so that I could bone up on my Star Trek knowledge. Fortunately,
it sort of worked for the character that I wouldn’t know any of the back stories
of the people on Voyager, because she was coming in cold, like I was. That was
actually helpful as opposed to detrimental.” Jeri Ryan
Former Miss Illinois Jeri Ryan is a German-born actress who became famous for
her role as attractive and sexy Borg Seven of Nine in the sci-fi series “Star
Trek: Voyager” (1997-2001). A favorite among science-fiction fans, Jeri took
home a 1999 Golden Satellite award and a 2001 Saturn award for her bravura
performance in the show. Prior to her award-winning performance in Star Trek,
the eye-catching and statuesque actress received her first break as outer space
investigator Juliet in the short-lived series “Dark Skies” (1997).
More recently, she was a regular on “Boston Public” (2001-2004), a high school
drama produced by David E. Kelley, where she was cast as lawyer-turned-school
teacher Ronnie Cooke, and had a recurring role as the mysterious Charlotte
Morgan in the Fox primetime soap “The O.C.” (2005). She will soon portray James
Woods’ new boss in the Spike Lee drama pilot “Shark” (2006).
Aside from TV series work, Jeri also branched out into film acting, appearing on
such wide screen movies as Cry Bullets (1997), The Last Man (2000), Dracula 2000
(2000) and Down with Love (2003). She also performed in several TV movies that
included Nightmare in Columbia County (1991), In the Line of Duty: Ambush in
Waco (1993), Co-ed Call Girl (1996) and Sudbury (2003).
Off screen, one of Stuff magazine’s “102 Sexiest Women in The World” (2002),
Jeri is perhaps best known for her relationship with ex-husband Jack Ryan, with
whom she has one son. Splitting up in 1999, the details behind their divorce
were kept sealed until 2004 when a California judge disclosed publicly she had
charged Ryan with trying to intimidate her into sexual acts in public and in
adult clubs. This information led Ryan to leave his Republican candidacy for an
open United States Senate seat in Illinois. Jeri’s private life has also been
linked with Star Trek Voyager executive producer Brannon Bragga (began dating in
2000, no longer together). Jeri is now romantically involved with Chef
Christophe Emé, with whom she operates the Los Angeles restaurant The House.
Opened in February 2005 and located on Third Street in Los Angeles, California,
the restaurant, which provides French food with a modern interpretation, has
earned lots of praise and was voted one of Esquire magazine’s “Best New
Restaurants of the Year.”
Brainy Jeri
Childhood and Family:
In Munich, Germany, Jeri Lynn Zimmerman, who would later be famous as Jeri Ryan,
was born on February 22, 1968, to American parents. Her father is Jerry
Zimmerman, a retired Master Sergeant in the US Army, and her mother is Sharon
Zimmerman, a social worker. Due to her father’s occupation, Jeri and her younger
brother Mark were raised in various places like Maryland, Kansas, Georgia and
Texas before the family finally settled down in Paducah, Kentucky, when Jeri was
11. She became interested in acting while still in school, taking her first
stage role in the fourth grade with Market House Theater productions.
Jeri was educated at the Lone Oak High School in Paducah, Kentucky, and
graduated in 1986 with a GPA of 3.69. A National Merit Scholar, she went on to
attend Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois, where she was a member of
the Alpha Phi fraternity. She earned her B.A in Theater in 1990.
The stunning beauty fell for investment banker and future political candidate
Jack Ryan (born in 1960), whom she met in 1990 while dealing blackjack at a
charity event, and they later got married. In 1994, their son, Alex Ryan, was
born, but they shocked the public five years later with their separation.
Shark
Career:
Initially billed as Jeri Lynn Ryan after her marriage to Jack Ryan, Jeri Ryan
was primed for the stage early when in the fourth grade, she starred in the
Market House Theater productions of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” “Gracie
at the Bat,” “Cinderella,” and You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. During her
college years, she entered the beauty pageant circuit and was crowned Miss
Illinois in 1989, as well as became a preliminary swimsuit winner at the Miss
America Pageant. She placed fourth in the 1990’s Miss American contest.
After college, Jeri, undaunted by her early unpleasant experience in the 1987
movie Planes, Trains and Automobiles (she ended up on the cutting room floor),
decided to continue to pursue her dream of becoming an actress. At her husband’s
encouragement, she moved to Los Angeles to give acting a more serious try. After
working in a number of commercials, Jeri eventually landed her first guest role
in the television sitcom “Who’s the Boss” (1991), which starred Tony Danza and
Judith Light. The same year, she also made her TV movie debut in the CBS film
Nightmare in Columbia County, starring opposite William Devane, while also
making guest performances in the TV shows “The Flash,” “Top of the Heap,”
“Nurses” and “Reasonable Doubts.”
Jeri next was seen in the show “Just Deserts” (1992) before playing Rebecca in
the made-for-TV film In the Line of Duty: Ambush in Waco (1993) and continued
making guest performances in popular shows like “Matlock,” “Time Trax,” “Murder,
She Wrote,” “Diagnosis Murder” and “Melrose Place.” In 1996, she dotted her
acting resume with two TV films: Michael Lange’s Pier 66 and the drama Co-ed
Call Girl, starring Tori Spelling and Susan Blakely.
Her career gained a little improvement in the following year when she joined the
cast of the 1996 NBC sci-fi series “Dark Skies” in the regular role of
extraterrestrial investigator Juliet. The show, however, was quickly axed before
the actress could develop her character. Still in 1997, Jeri progressed onto the
big screen when director Tamara Hernandez had her costar with Steven Nelson and
Honey Lauren in the comedy-drama film Men Cry Bullets.
Jeri’s big breakthrough finally arrived when she won a regular in the science
fiction series “Star Trek: Voyager” (1997-2001), playing Seven of Nine. As a
sexy member of the Borg collective, Jeri soon won the hearts of critics and
audiences alike. As a result, she was garnered with a 1999 Golden Satellite for
Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series–Drama and a 2001 Saturn
for Best Supporting Actress on Television, as well as earned a reputation as a
sex symbol among science-fiction fans.
While working on the show, Jeri went on to pursue a film career. She had two
film projects in 2000. She first starred with David Arnott in writer-director
Harry Ralston’s The Last Man (2000) and played the small role of Valerie Sharpe
in Wes Craven’s Dracula 2000, which starred Gerard Butler, Christopher Plummer
and Jonny Lee Miller. When Star Trek ended in 2001, the appealing actress did
not have difficulties finding work as producer David E. Kelley had written a
role for Jeri in his new high school drama “Boston Public.” Officially joining
the cast in 2001, Jeri remained with her role until the show’s 2004 demise. In
2003, she appeared as Gwendolyn in the Renée Zellweger and Ewan McGregor vehicle
Down with Love, a comedy film by Peyton Reed, and costarred as Gillian Owens in
the television movie Sudbury, for director Bryan Spicer.
The Star Trek star returned to television in 2005 when she joined the cast of
Fox’s youthful primetime soap “The O.C,” appearing in seven episodes as the
mysterious Charlotte Morgan, a recovering alcoholic who befriends the show’s
star Kristen Cohen, (played by Kelly Rowan). Currently, Jeri is filming the CBS
drama pilot “Shark” for director Spike Lee. Shark focuses on an icon
lawyer-turned-prosecutor (James Woods). Jeri will play Woods’ new boss.
Awards:
- Saturn: Best Supporting Actress on Television, Star Trek: Voyager, 2001
- Golden Satellite: Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series
- Drama, Star Trek: Voyager, 1999
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