Katherine Moennig

Katherine Moennig
Born	Katherine Sian Moennig (1977-12-29) December 29, 1977 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Other names	Kate Moennig
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1999—present
Relatives	Blythe Danner (half-aunt) Gwyneth Paltrow (half-cousin) Jake Paltrow (half-cousin)

Katherine Sian Moennig (pronounced meh-nig; born December 29, 1977)^[1] is an American actress best known for her role as Shane McCutcheon on The L Word, as well as Jake Pratt on Young Americans. In 2009, she starred as Dr. Miranda Foster on CBS Three Rivers. Currently, she plays Lena on "Ray Donovan" on Showtime.

Personal life

Moennig was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Broadway dancer Mary Zahn and violin maker William H. Moennig III. Moennig has a half-sister and a half-brother from her father's first marriage.^{[citation needed]} William Moennig's half sister is actress Blythe Danner, which makes actress Gwyneth Paltrow and director Jake Paltrow her half-niece and half-nephew.^[2] Moennig is of German, Scottish, and Irish ancestry.

Career

Moennig moved to New York City at the age of 18 to study at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.^[3]

In 1999, she had the central role in the Our Lady Peace video "Is Anybody Home?".^{[citation needed]} She also took a role in a Fleet Bank commercial,^[4] and appeared in a Red Cross Campaign benefitting victims of Hurricane Katrina.^{[citation needed]} Moennig was a presenter at the 17th annual GLAAD awards and appeared at the 10th annual Ribbon of Hope Celebration.^[5]

Her first major role was in the television series Young Americans, playing Jake Pratt.^{[citation needed]}

Moennig has played multiple lesbian roles: Shane McCutcheon in The L Word; Rosie's (Drew Barrymore) partner Jilly in Everybody's Fine; Candace, the lesbian lover of Sophia Myles' character, in Art School Confidential; and Lena, a press agent who works for Liev Schreiber's character, in Ray Donovan. She has also pursued transgender roles, auditioning for the part of Brandon Teena in Boys Don't Cry,^{[citation needed]} and playing Cheryl Avery, a young transgender woman in the Law & Order: Special Victims Unit episode "Fallacy" (S04E21).

On April 12, 2006, Moennig made her Off Broadway debut as "American Girl", opposite Lee Pace, in Guardians, by Peter Morris. The story is loosely based on that of Lynndie England.^[6]

In 2007, the documentary My Address: A Look At Gay Youth Homelessness in New York was launched with Moennig in cooperation with the Hetrick-Martin Institute (HMI), directed by Gigi Nicolas.^{[citation needed]}

In 2009, Moennig joined the cast of the TV series Three Rivers. Moennig played Dr. Miranda Foster, a surgical fellow with a rebellious streak and fiery temper.^[7] On November 30, 2009, it was announced that CBS had pulled Three Rivers from the schedule, with no plans to return it.^{[citation needed]}

In 2010, Moennig played a tattoo artist named Michael Angelo in the Dexter episode "First Blood".^{[citation needed] [8]}

In 2011, she played the small role of Gloria, a drug-using sex worker, in the film The Lincoln Lawyer.

In 2012, she played the role of a detective named Erica Lonsdale in the film Gone.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre

References

External links

• Katherine Moennig at the Internet Movie Database
• Katherine Moennig at The L Word official site