Background:

Canadian actress Kari Matchett is has appeared in many TV series and films since launching her professional career in 1996. She is notable for playing the regular roles of Joan Campbell in the USA Network series “Covert Affairs” (2010-?), Dr. Mariel Underlay in ABC's “Invasion” (2005-2006) and Colleen Blessed in CTV's “Power Play” (1998-2000), where she picked up a Gemini nomination for the latter performance. She is also known for playing recurring roles on various TV shows like “Earth: Final Conflict” (1998), “A Nero Wolfe Mystery” (2000-2001), “Wonderfalls” (2004), “24” (2007),“Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip” (2007), “ER” (2007-2008), “Crash” (2008-2009) and “Leverage” (2009-2012). She won a Gemini Award for her guest starring turn in “Blue Murder” in 2001, prior to taking the regular role of Det. Elaine Bender in the show's fourth and final season in 2004. Matchett also received a Gemini nomination for her work in the TV film “ A Colder Kind of Death” (2001). Apart from her extensive work on TV, Matchett has also appeared in several feature films, including “Apartment Hunting” (2000), “Angel Eyes” (2001), “Cube²: Hypercube” (2002),  “Civic Duty” (2006) and “The Riverbank” (2012).    


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Childhood and Family:

Kari Matchett was born on  March 25, 1970, in Spalding, Saskatchewan, Canada. She grew up in Lethbridge, Alberta and enrolled high school at Lethbridge Collegiate Institute in Lethbridge. She is a graduated of the National Theatre School in Montreal, Quebec. She also studied Chekov at the Moscow Theatre School as an exchange student and went to Red Deer College where she received her start in summer stock.  

Kari is divorced from director T.W. Peacocke. 


Blue Murder

Career:

Kari Matchett performed on stage for three years at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Ontario. Her first major screen role came in 1996 when she was cast as Tanya Nanibush on the Canadian television series “The Rez,” which aired on CBC Television from 1996 to 1998. The same year, she made a guest appearance the CBS supernatural drama series “Forever Knight” and made her TV movie debut in “Undue Influence,” a two part CBS drama starring Brian Dennehy, Patricia Richardson and Jean Smart. She also landed the recurring role of Sheila Ramone on the Canadian teen drama series “Ready or Not,” which starred Laura Bertram and Lani Billard.

In 1998, Matchett was cast in the leading role of corporate executive Colleen Blessed on the Canadian television drama series “Power Play,” opposite Michael Riley. She remained with the show until it ended in 2000 and was nominated for a Gemini Award in the category of Best Performance by an Actress in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role for her performance.

Meanwhile, Matchett played the characters Siobhan Beckett and Rho'ha in the first season of Canadian science fiction television series “Earth: Final Conflict” (1998) as well as made guest appearances in television shows like “PSI Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal” (1997), “Viper” (1997), “Once a Thief” (1998), “Poltergeist: The Legacy” (1998). She also appeared in several TV films like “What Happened to Bobby Earl?” (1997), “Breach of Faith: A Family of Cops II” (1997), “ A Marriage of Convenience” (1998), “Rembrandt: Fathers & Sons” (1999)  and in two films: “Papertrail” (1998) and “Apartment Hunting” (2000, directed and written by Bill Robertson), where she played the roles of Alison Enola and Sarah, respectively.       

In 2001, Matchett gained notice for her portrayal of Maureen Gault in the CTV made for TV film “A Colder Kind of Death,” opposite Wendy Crewson, Victor Garber and Robin Dunne. Under the direction of Brad Turner, she picked up a Gemini nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Supporting Role in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series for her performance.

However, Matchett did not take home the Gemini Award until she made a bravura guest appearance as a suspect in a murder investigation in an episode of Global's “Blue Murder” called “Intensive Care,” broadcast on March 14, 2001. Later, in 2004, the actress returned to the show to play the regular role of Det. Elaine Bender.

During 2001-2002, Matchett played several characters on the A&E Network TV series “A Nero Wolfe Mystery,” including a recurring role as Lily Rowan. On the big screen front, she played Candace in the Luis Mandoki drama film “Angel Eyes” (2001), which starred Jennifer Lopez, Jim Caviezel, and Jeremy Sisto, Linda Bucyk in “Men with Brooms” (2002), a Canadian romantic comedy film starring and directed by Paul Gross, and Kate Filmore in the science fiction/horror film “Cube²: Hypercube” (2002), directed by Andrzej Sekuła. She continued to have roles on such films as Randall Cole's “19 Months” (2002, opposite Benjamin Ratner and Angela Vint) and Vincenzo Natali's “Cypher” (2002, starred Jeremy Northam, Lucy Liu and Nigel Bennett).

In 2004, Matchett played the role of Claudia Whitney in “Five Days to Midnight,” a five part miniseries that ran on the Syfy Channel from June 7 to 10. The same year, she played Beth, the lesbian love interest of the main character's sister, in the Fox comedy/drama series “Wonderfalls,” created by Bryan Fuller and Todd Holland.    

Following guest spots in “Bury the Lead,” “Puppets Who Kill” and “Wild Card” (all 2005), Matchett returned to series television as the star of the ABC drama/science fiction series “Invasion,” opposite William Fichtner and Eddie Cibrian. The show lasted for a single season from September 21, 2005 to May 17, 2006. She also played a single mother in the TV film “Intimate Stranger” (2006), co-starred with Peter Krause, Khaled Abol Naga and Richard Schiff in the thriller film “Civic Duty” (2006), where she was cast as Marla, who discovers her husband's Islamophobic psychosis, and had a small role in the Canadian comedy film “Goose on the Loose” (2006), which starred Chevy Chase, James Purefoy and Max Morrow.

In 2007, Matchett jointed the cast of the popular Fox series “24” in its sixth season in the recurring role of Lisa Miller. She also played Mary Tate in five episodes of the NBC dramedy “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip” (2007) and starred as Kate Armstrong in the short lived TNT series “Heartland,” which aired from June 18, to August 31, 2007. From 2007 to 2008, she played the role of Dr. Skye Wexler on the hit medical series “ER.” She portrayed Jules, the daughter of Dennis Hopper, on the critically acclaimed Starz series between 2008 and 2009 and then recurred as Maggie Collins, Nate's ex-wife, in the TNT drama “Leverage” during 2009-2012. Matchett also made guest appearances in television shows like “Ugly Betty,” “The Cleaner,” “Criminal Minds” (all 2008), “Flashpoint,” “The Philanthropist” (both 2009) and “Miami Medical” (2010, as  Dr. Helena Sable) as well as starred in the made for TV films “The National Tree” (2009, directed by Terrence Malick) and “Meteor Storm” (2010). 

In 2012,  Matchett starred with Rick Roberts and Kenneth Welsh in the mystery film “The Riverbank,” which was released in Canada on October 3. She also guest starred in the television series “Saving Hope” and played the role of Avril Davidson on the Bell Media TV film “The Horses of McBride.”

Matchett currently play the regular role of Joan Campbell, a senior officer who heads the Domestic Protection Division (DPD), in “Covert Affairs,” an action/drama series that premiered in the USA Network on July 10, 2010. The show ended its third season on November 20, 2012 and was renewed for a 16-episode fourth season on September 25, 2012.    


Awards:

Gemini: Best Performance by an Actress in a Guest Role in a Dramatic Series, “Blue Murder,” 2001
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