Penny Johnson Jerald
Penny Johnson Jerald (born March 14, 1961) is an American actress. She played Beverly Barnes on the HBO comedy series The Larry Sanders Show, Kasidy Yates on the syndicated science fiction series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Sherry Palmer on the Fox action/drama series 24, Captain Victoria "Iron" Gates on the ABC comedy-drama series Castle, and currently plays Dr. Claire Finn on the Fox network's series The Orville.
Penny Johnson Jerald | |
|---|---|
 Jerald at Paleyfest 2012 | |
| Born | Penny Johnson March 14, 1961 Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
| Education | Juilliard School (BFA) |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1983–present |
| Spouse(s) | Gralin Jerald (m. 1982) |
| Children | 1 |
Early life
Penny Johnson was born in Baltimore, Maryland. She trained at the Juilliard School, where her classmates in 1982 included Megan Gallagher, Jack Kenny, Jack Stehlin, and Lorraine Toussaint.[1]
Career
Jerald began her career with small guest roles, appearing in The Paper Chase from 1984 to 1986, General Hospital in 1986, and Do the Right Thing in 1989 before playing the title character's unflappable personal assistant, Beverly Barnes, on The Larry Sanders Show. Throughout the 1990s, Jerald guest starred in several television series, including Parker Lewis Can't Lose, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Grace Under Fire, Cosby and Family Law.
Following Larry Sanders, Jerald appeared in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine playing freighter captain Kasidy Yates, the love interest for the series' main character Benjamin Sisko, a recurring role which she played from 1995 to the show's end in 1999. In 1997 she played Laura Simon in the film Absolute Power. She also had a recurring guest role on ER as Lynette Evans from 1998 to 1999. She then appeared as Roscoe Dellums in the Emmy Award-winning TV movie The Color of Friendship. Jerald also guest starred on Frasier, The Practice, Touched by an Angel and The X-Files.
Jerald's arguably most-recognized role came in 2001 when she appeared in the pilot episode of the Kiefer Sutherland-led Fox series, 24, playing Sherry Palmer, the wife of Senator David Palmer. She appeared in all but two of the first season episodes and multiple episodes of the second and third seasons.
In 2003, Jerald portrayed Condoleezza Rice in DC 9/11: Time of Crisis, a TV movie about the September 11 attacks in 2001. She reprised the role in the miniseries The Path to 9/11, which aired September 10–11, 2006.
Jerald also guest-starred on the sitcom Eve, playing Shelly's mother Beverly in four episodes. She guest-starred in three episodes of sci-fi series The 4400 in 2007. Penny had a recurring role on ABC midseason drama October Road for the 2007–08 season.
Jerald also teaches acting workshops and produces and directs for Outreach Christian Theater Company, which she and her musician husband Gralin Jerald founded in 1994.
She also had guest appearances on episodes of Tyler Perry's House of Payne.
Jerald joined the cast of ABC's Castle in its fourth season as the new captain of the 12th Precinct, Victoria "Iron" Gates, replacing Ruben Santiago-Hudson's deceased character Roy Montgomery as captain of the precinct.[2]
Personal life
Johnson married Gralin Jerald in 1982 when she was 21, and together they have a daughter, Danyel.[3]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Swing Shift | Genevieve | |
| 1984 | The Hills Have Eyes Part II | Sue | |
| 1991 | Goin' to Chicago | Darlene | |
| 1993 | Fear of a Black Hat | Re-Re | |
| 1993 | What's Love Got to Do with It | Lorraine Taylor | |
| 1994 | Molly & Gina | Maria | |
| 1995 | Automatic | Julia Rodriguez | |
| 1997 | Absolute Power | Laura Simon | |
| 1998 | Krippendorf's Tribe | Teacher | Uncredited |
| 2005 | Rent | Bohemian | Uncredited |
| 2015 | Justice League: Gods and Monsters | President Amanda Waller | |
| 2017 | Parker's Anchor | Laurie | |
| 2019 | The Lion King | Sarafina | Voice |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | The Impostor | Michelle | |
| 1985 | The Grand Baby | Betty | |
| 1990 | Kaleidoscope | Paula | |
| 1990 | Night Visions | Luanne | |
| 1993 | Class of '61 | Lavinia | |
| 1993 | Empty Cradle | Gail Huddle | |
| 1996 | The Road to Galveston | Laney Roosevelt | |
| 1996 | Death Benefit | Sylvia Guzman | |
| 1996 | The Writing on the Wall | Geraldine | |
| 1999 | The Test of Love | Hope | |
| 2000 | The Color of Friendship | Roscoe Dellums | |
| 2000 | Deliberate Intent | Laura Harmon | |
| 2003 | DC 9/11: Time of Crisis | Condoleezza Rice | |
| 2006 | The Path to 9/11 | Condoleezza Rice | |
| 2015 | Media | Jackie Jones | |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | American Playhouse | Jill Hatch | Episode: "The Files on Jill Hatch: Part 1" |
| 1984 | T. J. Hooker | Lisa Cody | Episode: "Anatomy of a Killing" |
| 1984 | Hill Street Blues | Jackie DeWitt | Episode: "Blues for Mr. Green" |
| 1984–86 | The Paper Chase | Vivian Conway | 17 episodes |
| 1985 | The Jeffersons | Danelle | Episode: "Last Dance" |
| 1985 | Simon & Simon | Hanna McKenzie | Episode: "Out-of-Town Brown" |
| 1986 | General Hospital | Debbie | Unknown episodes |
| 1987 | 1st & Ten: The Championship | Phyllis | 3 episodes |
| 1987 | Women in Prison | Patty | Episode: "Walk This Way" |
| 1988 | The Cosby Show | Nurse (uncredited) | Episode: "The Visit" |
| 1988 | Simon & Simon | Evelyn Jacobson/Doris Beeman | Episode: "Zen and the Art of the Split-Finger Fastball" |
| 1989 | Homeroom | Virginia Harper | 13 episodes |
| 1989 | Tour of Duty | Jan Hudson | Episode: "For What It's Worth" |
| 1989 | She's the Sheriff | Dorothy | 2 episodes |
| 1990 | Freddy's Nightmares | Elaine Alamo | Episode: "Life Sentence" |
| 1990 | Coach | Susan Birch | Episode: "The Day That Moses Came to Town" |
| 1990 | Parker Lewis Can't Lose | Ms. Miriam Donnelly | Episode: "Teacher, Teacher" |
| 1991 | Columbo | Maxine Jarrett | Episode: "Caution: Murder Can Be Hazardous to Your Health" |
| 1992–98 | The Larry Sanders Show | Beverly Barnes | 82 episodes |
| 1994 | Star Trek: The Next Generation | Dobara | Episode: "Homeward" |
| 1995–99 | Star Trek: Deep Space Nine | Kasidy Yates | 15 episodes |
| 1996 | Grace Under Fire | Bailey Alford | 2 episodes |
| 1997 | Cosby | Penny | Episode: "Brave New Hilton" |
| 1997 | The Gregory Hines Show | Elizabeth | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 1998–99 | ER | Lynette Evans | 9 episodes |
| 2000 | Family Law | Christine Webber | Episode: "Family Values" |
| 2001 | The X-Files | Dr. Hellura Lyle | Episode: "Medusa" |
| 2001 | The Practice | Atty. Laura Garrett | Episode: "Awakenings" |
| 2001 | Citizen Baines | Denise Willis | Episode: "A Day Like No Other" |
| 2001–04 | 24 | Sherry Palmer | 45 episodes |
| 2002 | Touched by an Angel | Eleanor | Episode: "The Impossible Dream" |
| 2003 | Frasier | Carol | Episode: "Maris Returns" |
| 2005–06 | Eve | Beverly Williams | 4 episodes |
| 2006 | Law & Order | Ms. Booker | Episode: "Choice of Evils" |
| 2007 | The 4400 | Rebecca Parrish | 3 episodes |
| 2007–08 | October Road | Dean Leslie Etwood | 10 episodes |
| 2009–10 | NCIS | Joanne Torrence | 2 episodes |
| 2010 | Bones | Rachel Adams | Episode: "The X in the File" |
| 2010 | Tyler Perry's House of Payne | Maxine | 3 episodes |
| 2011–15 | Castle | Capt. Victoria Gates | 60 episodes |
| 2015 | Gods and Monsters Chronicles | President Amanda Waller | Episode: "Bomb" |
| 2017–present | The Orville | Dr. Claire Finn | 26 episodes |
| 2018 | Sideswiped | Cynthia | Episode: "The Rock Star" |
References
- Gussow, Mel (April 29, 1982). "Juilliard Theater Students Put On 'Love's Labor's Lost'". The New York Times. Retrieved April 17, 2012.
- Bryant, Adam (July 13, 2011). "Castle Exclusive: Meet Castle and Beckett's New Captain!". TVGuide.com. Retrieved July 13, 2011.
- "DropCatch.com". www.dropcatch.com.
