| Vanessa Lengies | |
|---|---|
| Born | Vanessa Lynne-Marie Lengies July 21, 1985 Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1996–present |
Vanessa Lynne-Marie Lengies (born July 21, 1985)[1] is a Canadian actress best known for starring in the drama American Dreams as Roxanne Bojarski. She recently appeared as Nurse Kelly Epson on the TNT medical drama HawthoRNe, and the recurring role of Sugar Motta for the third season of the Fox hit musical dramedy Glee.
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Born to a German father and an Egyptian mother, Lengies got her start in Canadian television on shows such as Sponk!, Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Radio Active, and Popular Mechanics for Kids. Her voice was lent to Emily on the PBS animated series Arthur. In 2000, she had the lead role in the Showtime movie Ratz.
In 2002, she was cast as a series regular in the NBC comedy-drama American Dreams, playing teenager Roxanne Bojarski. The show was set in Philadelphia in the mid-1960s, and Roxanne becomes one of the dancers on the American Bandstand television show hosted by Dick Clark. The series ran for three seasons, with the final episode broadcast on March 30, 2005.
In August 2005, she co-starred with Hilary Duff and Heather Locklear in the comedy The Perfect Man. She also plays a supporting role as the jailbait hostess, Natasha, in the 2005 American film Waiting...,[2] and recreated the role in the film's 2009 sequel, Still Waiting.... In 2006, she co-starred with Jeff Bridges and Missy Peregrym as a gymnast in the movie Stick It.
For The Grudge 2, the role of Vanessa was originally written for Lengies, who eventually turned it down to film My Suicide; the part still bears her name. She has also appeared in CBS show The Ghost Whisperer in an episode titled "The Vanishing". She made another appearance in an episode of the short-lived CBS show Moonlight.
Lengies was seen as Sophia in the Lifetime original drama series Monarch Cove. She also co-starred in the ABC online comedy, Squeegees.[2]
She appeared as Nurse Kelly Epson on the TNT medical drama HawthoRNe from 2009 through 2011. The role was a recurring one for the first season, and Lengies became a series regular for the following two seasons. The show, which ran for three seasons of ten episodes starting each June, was not renewed for a fourth summer.[3]
In August 2011, Lengies was cast in the recurring role of Sugar Motta for the third season of Glee. Sugar, who is well-off, self-confident, and has a tin ear, will appear beginning with the season premiere on September 20, 2011.[4][5]
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 2005 | Waiting... | Natasha | |
| The Perfect Man | Amy Pearl | ||
| 2006 | The Substance of Things Hoped For | Daphne | |
| Stick It | Joanne Charis | ||
| 2008 | Extreme Movie | Carla | |
| Foreign Exchange | Robyn | ||
| 2009 | My Suicide | Mallory | |
| Still Waiting... | Natasha | ||
| Television | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1996–2006 | Arthur | Emily | Recurring role |
| 1997 | Lassie | Charity | Episode: "The Manhunt" |
| 1998–2001 | Popular Mechanics for Kids | Herself | Select episodes |
| 1998 | Caillou | Boy/Girl | 3 episodes |
| Radio Active | Sarah Leigh | ||
| 1999–2000 | Are You Afraid of the Dark? | Vange | Main role |
| 2000 | Ratz | Marci Kornbalm | TV film |
| For Better or for Worse | Elizabeth Patterson | ||
| 2002–2005 | American Dreams | Roxanne Bojarski | Main role |
| 2005 | 8 Simple Rules | Monica | Episode: "The After Party" |
| 2006 | Ghost Whisperer | Caitlin Emerson | Episode: "The Vanishing" |
| Split Decision | Ashley | TV movie | |
| Monarch Cove | Sophia Preston | Main role | |
| 2007 | Moonlight | Leni Hayes | Episode: "Fever" |
| 2008 | The Cleaner | Lolly | Episode: "Rag Dolls" |
| This Might Hurt | Lily Birdsall | TV movie | |
| 2009 | Medium | Zoey | Episode: "Apocalypse... Now?" |
| 2009–2011 | HawthoRNe | Nurse Kelly Epson | |
| 2010 | Accidentally on Purpose | Tracy | Episode: "Back to School" |
| CSI: Miami | Shea Williamson | Episode: "Reality Kills" | |
| Rules of Engagement | Julia | Episode: "Refusing to Budget" | |
| 2011 | Castle | Eliza Winter | Episode: "Poof, You're Dead" |
| 2011–present | Glee | Sugar Motta | Recurring character |