Kate French | |
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Born | Kate Lauren French September 23, 1984 Flemington, New Jersey, U.S. |
Occupation | Actress |
Years active | 2006–present |
Spouse | Jon Johnson (2010 – present) |
Kate Lauren French (born September 23, 1984) is an American television and film actress and model. She is perhaps best known for her role as Niki Stevens on The L Word.
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French was born in Flemington, New Jersey[1] to fashion models Joan (née Gocha) and William Robinson "Rob" French. Her mother was signed to the prestigious Ford modeling agency. French spent her childhood years in West Amwell, New Jersey and South Kingstown, Rhode Island. Her family then moved to New York where they settled in Quogue on Long Island.[2] Her parents divorced and her mother later married fashion photographer Jim Reiher who has represented the United States in aerobatics. French attended Westhampton Beach High School where she was a member of the track and field team. French has a younger brother, Scott, as well as a younger half-brother, Hunter, from her mother's remarriage.
Following in her parents' footsteps, French pursued a career in modeling up until her senior year of high school but always had a passion for acting.[3] She first appeared on the big screen in 2006 with a small role in the film Accepted, and later had a starring role as Brooke Crawford in the prime-time soap opera Wicked Wicked Games, an Americanized telenovela, which was French's first appearance on the small screen. In 2007 she landed her breakout role when she joined the cast of The L Word playing closeted lesbian actress, and girlfriend of Jenny Schecter, Niki Stevens, appearing in seasons 5 and 6.[4] French also had a role in South of Nowhere as Sasha Miller, a love interest of Aiden Dennison. French then appeared in two episodes of the teen drama Gossip Girl as Elle, a mysterious nanny.[5] Roles in other television series' including CSI: Miami,One Tree Hill and the Hawaii-set teen drama Beyond The Break soon followed. In 2009 French played a supporting role in the independent horror film Sutures and then had a leading role in the independent romantic comedy Language of a Broken Heart, which was selected for the Hollywood Film Festival in 2011. French features in the upcoming rock musical film Girltrash: All Night Long which is due to be released in 2012. French starred alongside Jason Ritter in the short film, Atlantis, a romance film centered around two strangers who fall in love in the lead up to the final launch of the NASA space shuttle Atlantis.[6] French also has leading roles in the independent thriller The Red House and the psychological thriller Liquorice, written and directed by Natalie Bible'.
French has featured on the cover of Women's Health magazine numerous times and has also been featured in Maxim magazine.[7] In 2010 French appeared in television advertisements for Bud Light and 7 Up. In 2011 she appeared in advertisements for sunglasses brand RAEN Optics.
French attended the University of California, Santa Barbara but dropped out in order pursue an acting career. An aspiring writer, French is currently working on her first young-adult fiction novel.[8] After dropping out of college, French lived in San Diego briefly before moving to Los Angeles to start her acting career. French is good friends with her L Word co-stars, Clementine Ford and Malaya Drew, as well as writers Angela Robinson and Alex Kondracke. In her spare time, French enjoys surfing, water skiing and hiking with her pet dogs. On September 25, 2010, French married her longtime partner, photographer Jon Johnson, in her parents' backyard in Quogue. French is sometimes featured in his work. They live in Silver Lake, Los Angeles.[9][10]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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2006 | Accepted | Glen's Party Girl # 2 | |
2009 | Fired Up | Cute Captain | |
2010 | Sutures | Shannon | Supporting role |
2010 | K Citizen | Mindy | Short film Leading role |
2010 | Language of a Broken Heart | Emma | Leading Role Nominated - California Independent Film Festival Best Actress |
2011 | Atlantis | Allison Talbot | Short film Leading role |
2012 | Girltrash: All Night Long | Sid | Supporting role |
2012 | The Red House | Shelby Gordon | Leading role |
2012 | Liquorice | Jade Moretti | Leading role |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2006 | Wicked Wicked Games | Brooke Crawford | Telenova Major role |
2007–2008 | South of Nowhere | Sasha Miller | Recurring guest role 5 Episodes: "Spencer's New Girlfriend", "The Truth Hurts", "Fighting Crime", "Career Day" and "Love and Kisses". (Season 3) |
2008-2009 | The L Word | Niki Stevens/Jesse | Recurring guest role 15 episodes Seasons 5 and 6 |
2009 | Gossip Girl | Elle | Guest role 2 Episodes: "Carnal Knowledge" and "The Age of Dissonance". (Season 2) |
2009 | CSI: Miami | Rita | Guest role Episode: "Chip/Tuck" (Season 7) |
2009 | Beyond the Break | Riley Westlake | Recurring guest role 4 episodes: "All Riled Up", "Would I Lie to You?", "Wronged" and "Worked". (Season 3) |
2009 | One Tree Hill | Renee | Recurring guest role 7 episodes (Season 7) |
2011 | Up All Night | Jessie | Guest role "Hiring and Firing" (Season 1) |
2011/12 | Cubicle Cowboy | Vicki Overton | Pilot |