Rya Kihlstedt

Theater was Rya Kihlstedt's passion as she finished up her theater arts major at Skidmore College in 1991. She took to the stage after her graduation, and became a regular in performances around the area. She made her screen debut in the Rutger Hauer-starring Canadian thriller "Arctic Blue" (1993), and then appeared as Lizzy Elmsworth on the TV mini-series "The Buccaneers" (BBC 1995). Kihlstedt followed that up a few years later on the big screen as one of the robbers in "Home Alone 3" (1997) and then appeared in the disaster flick "Deep Impact" (1998).

After that flurry of roles, she took a few years off as she gave birth and raised her two children, born in 1999 and 2001. But, by the end of the first decade of the 21st century, Kihlstedt started guesting on TV shows regularly, including appearances on "Covert Affairs" (USA 2010-2014), "Criminal Minds" (CBS 2005- ), and "NCIS" (CBS 2003- ). After that, she appeared often on "Dexter" (Showtime 2006-2013) as Dr. Michelle Ross and on "Nashville" (ABC 2012- ) as Marilyn Rhodes. Finally, after years of guest appearances and short-term recurring roles, Kihlstedt landed a lead a role on "Heroes Reborn" (NBC 2015- ).