Carrie Preston

Carrie Preston
Preston in April 2009
Born	June 21, 1967 (1967-06-21) (age 42) Macon, Georgia, United States
Occupation	actress, director, producer
Spouse(s)	Michael Emerson (1998–present)

Carrie Preston (born June 21, 1967)^[1] is an American actress on both stage and screen. She has also produced, directed, and edited. Her husband is actor Michael Emerson, and her brother is actor John G. Preston.

Early life

Born and raised in Macon, Georgia, to an artist and art therapist mother and a geo-technical engineer father, a young Carrie Preston discovered her true calling in performing arts. ^[2] At the age of 12, she became the impresario of her own front-yard theater company as producer, writer, casting director, costumer, director and actress.^[3] Preston later obtained a bachelor's degree from the University of Evansville followed with an acting diploma from the prestigious performing arts school Juilliard School. After attending Juilliard, Preston went on to work in performing arts.

Career

Preston has worked with her husband, actor Michael Emerson, on a number of projects. Emerson plays Ben Linus on television's Lost, and Preston was a guest star in episode 20 of season 3, The Man Behind the Curtain. She played Ben's mother Emily for several flashback scenes, though she and Emerson never appeared in any scenes together. Emerson and Preston were both featured in the 2004 comedy Straight-Jacket, and the 2008 feature film Ready? OK!.

Preston is co-owner of the production company Daisy 3 Pictures with James Vasquez and Mark Holmes.^[4]

Since 2008, Preston has appeared in the ongoing HBO series True Blood as Arlene Fowler.

Selected credits

Acting

Film

• My Best Friend's Wedding (as Mandy), 1997
• Mercury Rising (as Emily), 1998
• Straight-Jacket (as Sally), 2004
• The Stepford Wives (as Barbara), 2004
• Transamerica (as Sydney), 2005
• Lovely By Surprise (as Marian), 2007
• Nothing is Private (as Mrs. Vuoso), 2007
• Ready? OK! (as Andy Dowd), 2008
• Vicky Cristina Barcelona, 2008
• Duplicity, 2009
• That Evening Sun (film), 2009

Television

• Sex and the City (in episode "The Chicken Dance" as Madeline Dunn), 1999
• Emeril (as B.D. Benson), 2001
• Wonderfalls (as Sister Katrina in episode "Wound-up Penguin"), 2004
• Numb3rs (in episode "Dirty Bomb" as Vicky Sites), 2005
• The Inside (in episode "Pre-Filer" as Kelly Comack), 2005
• Arrested Development (in episode "Fakin' It" as Jan Eagleman), 2006
• Lost (in episode "The Man Behind the Curtain" as Emily), 2007
• Desperate Housewives (in episode "You Can't Judge A Book By Its Cover" as Lucy), 2007
• True Blood (as Arlene Fowler), 2008-

Guineve (1990)

Theater

• The Tempest (as Miranda), Broadway, 1995
• Antony and Cleopatra (as Octavius Caesar), Joseph Papp Public Theater, 1997
• Freedomland (as Polly), Playwrights Horizons, 1998
• Straight Jacket (as Sally), Playhouse 91, 2000
• She Stoops to Conquer (as Kate Hardcastle), Center Stage, 2000
• Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (as Honey), Guthrie Theater, 2001
• Chaucer in Rome (as Sarah), Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater, 2001
• Boys and Girls (as Shelly), Duke on 42nd Street, 2002
• No Foreigners Beyond This Point (as Paula Wheaton), Center Stage, 2002
• The Rivals (as Julia), Broadway, 2004-2005
• Hamlet (as Ophelia), McCarter Theatre Center, Princeton, New Jersey, 2005
• Cycling Past the Matterhorn (as Amy), Clurman Theatre, 2005
• Festen (as Mette), Music Box Theatre (Broadway), 2006
• Esther Demsac (as the reluctant nanny), NY Theatre Workshop's 4th Street Theatre, 2008
• Likeness, Primary Stages Theater (307 W. 38th Street), 2008

Directing

Film

• 29th and Gay, 2005
• Feet of Clay, short film written by David Caudle

Theater

• Girl Talk, screenplay by actress Kellie Overbey, 2008

Producing

Film

• 29th and Gay, 2005
• Feet of Clay, short film written by David Caudle
• Ready? OK!, 2008

References

External links

• Carrie Preston at the Internet Movie Database
• Interview with Carrie Preston The Oregon Herald
• Carrie Preston at Meet Michael Emerson, the Broadway Actor Who Plays Enigmatic Characters on Television (Michael Emerson's spouse)
• Carrie Preston at the Internet Broadway Database
• Carrie Preston at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
• Carrie Preston at FEARnet