Claudia Christian

Claudia Christian

Claudia Christian in June 2009
Born Claudia Ann Coghlan
(1965-08-10) August 10, 1965
Glendale, California, US
Nationality American
Occupation Actress, director, writer, singer, musician
Years active 1984–present
Spouse(s) Gary DeVore (m. 1988–92)
Website "Official Site"

Claudia Ann Christian[1] (born Claudia Ann Coghlan;[2] August 10, 1965) is an American actress, writer, singer, musician and director, known for her role as Commander Susan Ivanova on the science fiction television series Babylon 5.[3][4][5] Her main charity work is publicizing the Sinclair Method as a cure for alcoholism.[6]

Early life

Christian was born in Glendale, California, the daughter of Hildegard (née Christian), who worked as the director of Giorgio Beverly Hills, and James Michael Coghlan.[7][8][9] Her mother is from Germany and her father has Irish ancestry.[10][11] She was raised in Connecticut and England.[10] She has two older brothers and currently resides in Los Angeles and London, England,

Career

Christian's first role on television was a guest appearance on Dallas, followed by a series regular role as Melody Hughes on the short-lived drama Berrenger's. She performed feature film roles such as a stripper possessed by an alien serial killer in The Hidden (1987), a police department psychologist Susan Riley in Maniac Cop 2 and as model Hexina in Hexed (1993).

In 1994–1998, she appeared as Commander Susan Ivanova, one of the series leads, in the first four seasons of Babylon 5. She left unexpectedly when contract negotiations for the fifth and final season – aggravated by the possibility that there would not be one – broke down. J. Michael Straczynski, the series' creator, maintains that she chose to leave on her own. However, Christian stated that she did wish to return for season 5, but was rebuffed and let go when she requested a small reduction in the number of episodes she would appear in.[12] She appeared in the fifth season's series finale, which had been filmed during the fourth season, when it seemed likely that the series would end prematurely.

She posed nude for Playboy magazine in October 1999, appeared in two episodes of Freaks and Geeks in 2000, and appeared in the 2002 She Spies episode, "Spy vs Spy". In 2004, she returned to the live stage (and to Laguna Beach, California, where she had attended high school), starring in the United States Premiere of Michael Weller's play What the Night is For, with Kip Gilman, directed by Richard Stein, at the Laguna Playhouse. She starred in the BBC comedy series, Broken News in 2005. She also plays Janine Foster, mother of Peri Brown, in the Doctor Who audio drama "The Reaping", produced by Big Finish Productions released in the United Kingdom in September 2006.

She voices Anne Manx in the full cast recordings for the Radio Repertory Company of America. The science fiction series is currently shown as in pre-production for "Anne Manx 6". In 2010, Christian appeared in the Showtime series Look: The Series.

She also had a music career, having released a solo album, Once Upon a Time, a single, "Taboo", a collaboration with Claudia Cummings, Claudia Squared, and a collaboration with some of the other cast members of Babylon 5 on the album The Be Five.

Claudia Con UK

Christian conceived her own convention, Claudia Con UK, which took place in the United Kingdom on August 13–14, 2011.[13]

"After years of attending conventions where fans were mistreated, told not to touch, photograph, film, eat or breathe…. I decided to throw what I call the 'anti-convention.' My theory is that if you give people freedom and respect they will in turn give you freedom and respect."

Charity work

Christian has been publicizing the Sinclair Method through her book Babylon Confidential,[14] in which she recalls her own experiences with the condition. She made a documentary titled One Little Pill[15] about the method under the auspices of the C3 Foundation, which she founded.[6]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1984 Calendar Girl Murders Kara Television movie
1989 A Masterpiece of Murder Julia Forsythe
1986 Houston: The Legend of Texas Also known as Gone to Texas
1987 The Hidden Brenda Lee Van Buren
1988 Police Story: Monster Manor Officer Babs Altoon
1988 Never on Tuesday Tuesday
1988 Clean and Sober Iris
1989 Shannon's Dead
1989 Tale of Two Sisters Liz
1990 Danielle Steel's Kaleidoscope Meagan Television movie
1990 Mad About You Casey
1990 Maniac Cop 2 Officer Susan Riley
1990 Think Big Dr. Irene Marsh
1990 A Gnome Named Gnorm Samantha
1991 Lie of the Twins Felice
1991 The Woman Who Sinner Judy Reinhardt
1991 Strays Claire Lederer Television movie
1991 The Dark Backward Kitty
1991 Arena Quinn
1993 Hexed Hexina
1993 Relentless: Mind of a Killer Leeann Hardy Television movie
1994 The Chase Yvonne Voss
1997 Lancelot: Guardian of Time Katherine Shelley
1997 Mercenary II: Thick & Thin Patricia Van Lier
1998 A Wing and a Prayer Shelley Lowe
1998 Babylon 5: In the Beginning Commander Susan Ivanova
1998 Babylon 5: Thirdspace Commander Susan Ivanova
1998 Snide and Prejudice Renate Muller
1999 Haunting of Hell House Lucy
1999 Running Home Jules Daniels
1999 The Substitute 3: Winner Takes All Andy
1999 Final Voyage Max
2010 Meteor Apocalypse Kate Dematti
2000 Love & Sex Woman in gallery Cameo
2000 True Rights Elaine Kilgore
2001 Atlantis: The Lost Empire Helga Sinclair Voice role
2002 Half Past Dead EZ Williams
2002 The Failures Anna
2005 The Garden Dr Cairns
2006 The Dot Man Lieutenant Colonel Dunst
2008 Serbian Scars Meggie Co-producer
2012 Overnight Sandy
2012 Rise of an Exile Hannah Benedict Pre-production
2014 The Writer with No Hands Herself
2014 One Little Pill Herself and as narrator Documentary

Television series

Year Title Role Notes
1984 T. J. Hooker Betty MacRae Episode: "The Lipstick Killer"
1984 Dallas Episode: "Some Do...Some Don't"
1984 Falcon Crest Kate Mars Episode: "Tests of Faith"
1984 Riptide Marion Gordon Episode: "Where The Girls Are"
1984 Hunter Roxanne Hoffmeyer Episode: "Love, Hate, and Sporty James"
1984 Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer Cassie Conroy Episodes: "Elegy for a Tramp", "Shots in the Dark"
1985 The A-Team Cathy Rogers Episode: "Trouble Brewing"
1986 Blacke's Magic Laurie Blacke Episodes: "Breathing Room", "Death Goes To The Movies"
1985 Berrenger's Melody Hughes Series regular
1987 The Highwayman The Highwayman's liaison, Dawn Episode: "Terror on the Blacktop "
1987 Jake and the Fatman Lt. Alex Walker Episode: "Easy to Love"
1987 It's Garry Shandling's Show Sylvia Episode: "Dial L for Laundry"
1989 Quantum Leap Allison Episode: "Play It Again, Seymour"
1990 Matlock Mickey Alder Episode: "The Blackmailer"
1991 Murder, She Wrote Bonnie Jenks Hastings Episode: "Prodigal Father"
1991 L.A. Law Susan Convers Episode: "Speak, Lawyers, for Me"
1991 Dark Justice Dana Hollister Harrison Episode: "To Die For"
1993 Columbo Lisa Martin Feature-length special "Columbo: It's All In the Game"
1993 Space Rangers Marla Baker Episode: "Death Before Dishonor"
1994 Babylon 5 Commander Susan Ivanova Main cast
1997 The Oz Kids Queen Aquareine
1997 Total Security Cheryl Bankston Episode: "Pilot"
1997 Highlander: The Series Katherine Episode: "Two of Hearts"
1999 Freaks and Geeks Gloria Haverchuck Recurring role
2000 Family Law Carla Sims Episode: "Are You My Father?"
2001 Relic Hunter Carson Inez Episode: "All Choked up"
2002 She Spies Tanya Episode: "Spy vs Spies"
2002 NYPD Blue Catherine Lowell Episode "Better Laid Than Never"
2003 Everwood Young Edna Episode: "My Brother's Keeper"
2005 Starhyke Captain Belinda Blowhard Main cast
2005 Broken News Julia Regan Series regular
2007 Nip/Tuck Gwen Episode: "Dawn Budge II"
2010 Look: The Series Stella Series regular
2011 Grimm Mrs. Clark Episode "Let Your Hair Down"
2013 Criminal Minds Agent Gretchen Stern Episode: "Alchemy"
2014 Castle Mrs. Logan Episode: "Law & Boarder"
2014 The Mentalist Greta Fortensky Episode: "Black Market"

Video games

Year Title Role
1995 Solar Eclipse/Titan Wars
2002 Summoner 2 Sangaril / Logosarch / Rosalind / Dama Heras
2004 Shrek 2 Fairy Godmother
2009 Pizza Morgana Abbie Positive
2011 The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Multiple, including Aela the Huntress, Bryling, Legate Rikke, Sorli the Builder and Wolf-Queen Potema (various other characters)
2012 Guild Wars 2 Female Norn PC[16]
2012 Darksiders II Muria
2012 Halo 4 Additional voices
2015 Starcraft II: Legacy of the Void Rohana
2015 Fallout 4 Desdemona / Mrs. Whitfield / Mistress Mysterious
2016 Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare Captain Ferran

Writing

Discography

References

  1. Claudia Christian Biography (1965–)
  2. According to the State of California. California Birth Index, 1905–1995. Center for Health Statistics, California Department of Health Services, Sacramento, California. Searchable at http://www.familytreelegends.com/records/39461
  3. Claudia Christian. TV.com (October 8, 1965). Retrieved on 2012-06-19.
  4. Claudia Christian. Mahalo.com. Retrieved on 2012-06-19.
  5. About The Cast. Pizza Morgana. Retrieved on 2012-06-19.
  6. 1 2 "C3 Foundation". Retrieved July 22, 2013.
  7. Los Angeles Times: Archives – Give and Take Mothers in the Business of Dressing Well Swap Clothes With Their Grateful Daughters
  8. Give and Take : Mothers in the Business of Dressing Well Swap Clothes With Their Grateful Daughters – Los Angeles Times
  9. Now I've found my own space; Babylon 5 's Claudia on the split from Scots Braveheart Angus MacFadyen. – Free Online Library
  10. 1 2 retroCRUSH: The World's Greatest Pop Culture Site
  11. Claudia Christian Profile – Metacritic
  12. Joe M. Straczynski, Claudia Christian (quoted from correspondence). "About Claudia Christian's Departure". The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5.
  13. Claudia Con UK. Claudia Con UK. Retrieved on 2012-06-19.
  14. 1 2 Babylon Confidential by Claudia Christian with Morgan Grant Buchanan. Babylonconfidential.com. Retrieved on 2012-06-19.
  15. "One Little Pill". Retrieved September 10, 2013.
  16. red post on Guild Wars 2 forums
  17. "Under the Moon Official Website". Archived from the original on April 4, 2007. Retrieved April 29, 2007.
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