Betsy Brandt
Betsy Brandt | |
---|---|
Brandt at ComicCon, 2012 | |
Born |
Bay City, Michigan, U.S. | November 14, 1973
Occupation | Actress |
Years active | 1998–present |
Spouse(s) | Grady Olsen (1996 - present) |
Children | 2 |
Betsy Ann Brandt (14 November 1973) is an American actress. She is best known for portraying Marie Schrader in Breaking Bad. She currently co-stars in the CBS sitcom Life in Pieces.
Early life
Brandt, who is of German descent, was born November 14, 1973 in Bay City, Michigan,[1] the daughter of teacher Janet and electrician Gary.[2] She graduated from Bay City Western High School in Auburn, Michigan in 1991.[3]
Betsy Brandt took an interest in theater from an early age, but unlike many of her peers, she was more interested in directing stage musicals than starring in them. But after winning the lead in a high school production of Exit the Body, she shifted her focus to acting, which she studied at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, as well as the Moscow Theater School at Harvard and the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. After graduation, Brandt moved to Seattle, WA, where she worked in theater while appearing in several short films, beginning with Confidence in 1998. She eventually moved to Los Angeles, where she soon landed guest roles on ER (NBC, 1994–2009) and "NCIS (CBS, 2003– ), among other series. In 2005, she was top-billed in the indie comedy Shelf Life, as a rebellious young woman who takes a job at a small town library after a stint in rehab.
She received her BFA in acting from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign in 1996.[4][5] She studied theater at Harvard University's Institute for Advanced Theater Training and the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, Glasgow.[1]
Career
In theater, Brandt has acted in performances of Much Ado About Nothing with the Arizona Theatre Company, Control+Alt+Delete with the San Jose Repertory Theatre, Beth Henley's Ridiculous Fraud, Julia Cho's The Language Archive with South Coast Repertory, and Next Fall with Geffen Playhouse. She has had guest roles on the television shows Without a Trace, Judging Amy, ER, Boston Legal, The Practice, and NCIS.
From 2008 to 2013, Brandt portrayed Marie Schrader in the AMC drama series Breaking Bad. She auditioned for three different roles before being offered the part of Marie.[6] In 2012, she was cast as Sandy in Parenthood. Brandt was cast as Annie Henry on The Michael J. Fox Show, which premiered in September 2013.[4] Her performance was met with overwhelmingly positive reviews.[7]
In 2014, Brandt was cast as one of the lead characters in the ABC series Members Only created by Susannah Grant, but the series did not go forward.[8][9][10]
Personal life
Brandt is married to fellow UIUC graduate Grady Olsen; they have two children.[3][4][11] She gave birth to her second child in 2008 while the second season of Breaking Bad was in production. Brandt and her family reside in Los Angeles, California.[1]
On June 6, 2010, Brandt was honored as the 2010 Distinguished Alumnus at the Bay City Western High School commencement, and was a featured speaker.
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1998 | Confidence | Natasha | Short film |
2001 | Memphis Bound and Gagged | The Director | |
2001 | The Red Boot Diaries | Rachel | Short film |
2004 | Back When We Were Grownups | Nono | Television film |
2004 | Shelf Life | Nikki Reynolds | |
2005 | All Features Great and Small | Jennifer | Short film |
2011 | Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life | Madame Zaleski | |
2012 | Magic Mike | Banker | |
2013 | The Professor | The Professor | Short film |
2014 | Mothers of the Bride | Haley Snow | Television film |
2016 | Between Us |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2001 | Judging Amy | Elizabeth Granson | Episode: "Imbroglio" |
2002 | JAG | Leslie Rosenbaum | Episode: "The Promised Land" |
2003 | ER | Franny Myers | Episode: "Death and Taxes" |
2003 | Without a Trace | Libby Coulter | 2 episodes |
2003 | The Guardian | Sofia Trokey | Episode: "The Intersection" |
2004 | NCIS | PO Barbara Swain | Episode: "The Good Wives Club" |
2004 | The Practice | Lynda Hobbs | Episode: "Adjourned (AKA Cheers)" |
2005 | Medical Investigation | Karen Banks | Episode: "Ice Station" |
2006 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Dawn Hanson | Episode: "Burn Out" |
2006 | Close to Home | Karen Randall | Episode: "Reasonable Doubts" |
2007 | Boston Legal | Gwen Richards | Episode: "Hope and Gory" |
2007 | Side Order of Life | Sara Rose | Episode: "Aliens" |
2008–2013 | Breaking Bad | Marie Schrader | 51 episodes Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (2013) Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (2011–2012) |
2010 | The Whole Truth | Sister Theresa Bendicta | Episode: "Thicker Than Water" |
2010 | Miami Medical | Dana | Episode: "Medicine Man" |
2011 | No Ordinary Family | Dr. Lena Hopkins | Episode: "No Ordinary Double Standard" |
2011–2012 | Private Practice | Joanna Gibbs | 2 episodes |
2012–2015 | Parenthood | Sandy | 7 episodes |
2012 | Fairly Legal | Natalie Roberts | Episode: "Shattered" |
2013 | Body of Proof | Susan Hart | Episode: "Eye for an Eye" |
2013–2014 | The Michael J. Fox Show | Annie Henry | 22 episodes |
2014 | Masters of Sex | Barbara | 7 episodes |
2014 | Members Only | Leslie Holmes | Pilot |
2015–present | Life in Pieces | Heather Hughes | Series regular |
References
- 1 2 3 "Betsy Brandt as Marie Schrader". AMC. Retrieved May 7, 2009.
- ↑ "Betsy Brandt switching from Walter White to Michael J. Fox". The Washington Post. McClatchy-Tribune News Service. August 3, 2013.
- 1 2 "Bay City's Brandt sinking her teeth into the role of Marie on AMC's 'Breaking Bad'". MLive.com. February 6, 2011. Retrieved August 10, 2013.
- 1 2 3 "U of I alum and 'Breaking Bad' star Betsy Brandt". Chicago Sun-Times. July 27, 2013.
- ↑ "Actress Betsy Brandt '96 FAA of Breaking Bad talks Hollywood with Illinois Alumni". University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. June 28, 2013.
- ↑ "Conversations with Ross: Featuring Betsy Brandt". Ross Carey.com. 2011.
- ↑ "The Michael J. Fox Show Season 1 Review". Retrieved December 29, 2013.
- ↑ Etkin, Jaimie; Jarett Wieselman. "Shonda Rhimes Takes Over ABC's Thursday Nights". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
- ↑ "Betsy Brandt to co-star in The Club on ABC" (March 2014); accessed April 21, 2014.
- ↑ Lesley Goldberg. "ABC's 'Members Only' Not Moving Forward (Exclusive) - Hollywood Reporter". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
- ↑ "Betsy Brandt of Breaking Bad". Illinois Alumni Magazine. University of Illinois Alumni Association. June 14, 2013.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Betsy Brandt. |