The roles of Rachel Lang in “The Rage: Carrie 2,” Lisa Clarke in “Taken,” and Annie O’Donnell in “Men in Trees” made English-American performer Emily Bergl a household name on stage, screen, and on television. She has a theater and English degree. During her student years, she spent a semester at the “National Theater Institute” of “The Eugene O’Neill Theater Center.” With “A Lion in Winter,” she made her Broadway debut and was honored with a “FANY Award.” Her major break came when she was cast as the lead character Rachel Lang in the 1999 American supernatural thriller “The Rage: Carrie 2,” which served as her feature film debut. She made her television debut in the same year, playing a single episode in the American drama “Wasteland.” She first played a key role on television in the miniseries “Taken,” and then she got her big break in the American romantic comedy-drama “Men in Trees.” Later, she appeared in movies including “Chasing Sleep,” “Happy Campers,” and “Blue Jasmine.” She also had recurrent appearances in well-known TV shows including “Southland” and “Desperate Housewives.” This gorgeous diva is well-known for her work as a cabaret singer in addition to acting.
Early Childhood & Life
She was born on April 25, 1975, to an English father and an Irish mother in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. She had an architect for a father. She also has a brother.
She left her English accent behind when she moved to Glenview, Illinois, with her family as a young child. She attended Grinnell College and Glenbrook South High School for her education. She was a peer counselor and had starring roles in multiple school plays while still in school.
She won a poetry reading competition held in 1993 by the National Forensic League, an interscholastic speech and debate organization that is now known as the National Speech and Debate Association.
She was recognized by the “Phi Beta Kappa” organization and earned a “Bachelor of Arts” degree in both English and theater in 1997. She spent a semester studying at the “National Theater Institute” of “The Eugene O’Neill Theater Center” in the spring of 1996 while still a college student.
Emily Bergl’s Career
When she landed her first leading role in a major motion picture with the March 12, 1999, release of the American supernatural horror film “The Rage: Carrie 2,” she was understudying a part in the Broadway version of “Ah, Wilderness!” In 2000, she was nominated for a Saturn Award for “Best Performance by a Younger Actor/Actress” for her work in the movie.
Although “The Rage: Carrie 2” failed to leave a lasting impression on reviewers and viewers alike, it nonetheless helped her gain enough notoriety to forge a prosperous career in the entertainment industry. Another significant performance by this actor was in the 1999 TV debut episode of the “ABC” drama “Wasteland,” titled “Indian Summer.”
She portrayed “Francie Jarvis” in the American comedy-drama TV series “Gilmore Girls” from 2001 to 2003. In the second season of the show, she only had guest roles, but in the third season, she returned in 4 episodes.
In the American dark-comedy film “Happy Campers,” she played the role of “Talia.” The movie was shown on January 21st, 2001, at the Sundance Film Festival, and New Line Cinema released it directly to DVD the following year.
She played the lead character of “Sadie” opposite Jeff Daniels in the psychological thriller “Chasing Sleep,” which was directed by Michael Walker. After being played for a year at different film festivals, including the “Toronto International Film Festival,” the movie made its video debut on September 16, 2001.
Her debut on television was in the science fiction miniseries “Taken,” directed by Steven Spielberg, as the adult version of “Lisa Clarke,” a half-daughter. alien’s She furthered her profile as an actor thanks to the series, which ran on “Sci Fi” from December 2, 2002, until December 13, 2002.
In 2003, the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films nominated Emily for a Saturn Award in the category of “Best Actress in a Television Series” for her outstanding work in the film “Taken,” which also won a Golden Globe and an Emmy.
Before landing one of her most enduring roles in the American comedy-drama TV series “Men in Trees,” she made brief appearances in renowned TV programs such as “Star Trek: Enterprise” (2003), “CSI: Miami” (2004), and “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” (2006).
The ABC television series “Men in Trees” debuted on September 12, 2006, and continued for two seasons and 36 episodes until June 11, 2008. Her character, “Annie O’Donnell,” was a fan of Anne Heche’s portrayal of Marin Frist, a relationship expert, novelist, and radio personality.
She took part in Gina Gionfriddo’s “Off-Broadway” premiere of the play “Becky Shaw.” The play began performing in previews at the “Second Stage Theatre” on December 16, 2008, and on January 8, 2009, it made its official debut. Because of the tremendous box office success, it continued its stage productions till March 15, 2009. It ended up being a Pulitzer Prize for Drama finalist that year.
She appeared in all five seasons of the American TV crime drama series “Southland” as “Tammi,” the ex-wife of “Detective Bryant.” NBC broadcast the first season of the show from April 9 to May 21, 2009. The show’s second through fifth seasons was broadcast on “TNT” between March 2, 2010, and April 17, 2013.
In the well-known American TV comedy-drama and mystery series “Desperate Housewives,” she frequently appeared as “Beth Young.” She debuted in the second episode of the show’s seventh season, “You Must Meet My Wife,” which aired on October 3, 2010. In the eighth season’s episode 23 titled “Finishing the Hat,” which aired on May 13, 2012, and served as the series 180th and last episode, she made her final appearance.
She was cast as “Sammi Slott,” a recurring character, in the fourth season of the American comedy-drama television series “Shameless” in 2014. In the fifth season, the role of “Slott,” which she played up until some point in 2015, was made a series regular.
In 2016, she portrayed “Lilah Tanner,” a recurrent character, in the ABC crime drama “American Crime.”
In addition to this, Emily is known for her performances in the movies Grassroots (2012) and Blue Jasmine (2013), the short films Get the Dime (2009), Date Blind (2013), and Eva (2013), as well as her TV series roles in Royal Pains (2011) and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2015).
Emily has performed in cabaret. Since 2010, she has won widespread recognition for her performances in the cabaret play “Kidding on the Square” in places like Los Angeles, New York City, and Chicago. Her live presentation in the “Algonquin Oak Room” in New York City is captured on her CD, “Emily Bergl Live at the Algonquin.”
Emily’s Individual Life
She gave birth to her daughter Eleanor Ruby Róisn Bergl in New York City on May 17, 2017.
She has contributed to a variety of causes and organizations, including the “Read Across America,” the “Habitat for Humanity,” and the “Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project.” Additionally, she has volunteered with “Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic,” currently called “Learning Ally.”
Estimated Net Worth
One of the wealthiest and most well-known TV actors is Emily Bergl. According to our research, Emily Bergl has a $5 million net worth, as reported by Forbes, Wikipedia, and Business Insider.