Claudia Christian

Claudia Christian
Christian at Phoenix Comicon in 2013
Born
Claudia Ann Coghlan

(1965-08-10) August 10, 1965 (age 59)[1]
[2]
Glendale, California, U.S.
OccupationActress
Years active1984–present
Known for
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1988; div. 1992)​

Claudia Christian (born Claudia Ann Coghlan, August 10, 1965)[3] is an American actress, known for her roles as Commander Susan Ivanova on Babylon 5, as Captain Maynard on Fox's 9-1-1,[4] and as the voice of Hera on the Netflix series Blood of Zeus.[5] She is also the voice of Lt. Helga Sinclair in Atlantis: The Lost Empire. She is the founder and CEO of the C Three Foundation, a proponent of the medication-based Sinclair Method for treating alcohol dependence.[6]

Early life

[edit]

Christian was born in Glendale, California, the only daughter of Hildegard (née Christian), who worked as the director of Giorgio Beverly Hills,[7] and James Michael Coghlan. Her mother is from Germany and her father has Irish ancestry. Christian and her three elder brothers were raised in Connecticut. Her eldest brother was killed by a drunk driver while the family lived in Houston, Texas, and the family moved to California when she was 14.[8] She changed her name by deed poll from Coghlan to Christian and moved to Hollywood to begin her acting career.[9][10]

Career

[edit]
Christian in Italy (2010)

Her first screen appearance was on Dallas. Further work included television guest appearances on Falcon Crest, Riptide, Hunter, Quantum Leap, Matlock, Murder, She Wrote, L.A. Law, and It's Garry Shandling's Show, and as a series regular on Berrenger's.[11][12]

She also appeared in TV movies Lies of the Twins with Isabella Rossellini,[13] Calendar Girl Murders with Sharon Stone,[14] A Masterpiece of Murder with Bob Hope and Don Ameche,[15] Kaleidoscope with Jaclyn Smith and Coleen Dewhurst,[16] and as Faye Dunaway's daughter in Columbo: It's All in the Game.[17]

Christian's film career launched with Clean and Sober opposite Morgan Freeman and Michael Keaton, Never on Tuesday with Andrew Lauer and Peter Berg,[18] The Hidden with Kyle MacLachlan, 20th Century Fox's The Chase with Charlie Sheen, the Columbia comedy Hexed, and Adam Rifkin's The Dark Backward.[8][19]

Christian in Los Angeles (2009)

From 1994 to 1998, Christian appeared as Commander Susan Ivanova on Babylon 5. She left the science fiction series when contract negotiations for the fifth and final season broke down. Series creator J. Michael Straczynski maintains that she chose to leave of her own accord,[20] while Christian stated that she wished to return for the final season but was released when she requested a reduction in the number of episodes in which she would appear so she could complete another project.[21] Christian did appear in the series finale, reprised her role in Babylon 5: In the Beginning and Babylon 5: Thirdspace, collaborated with cast members on the album The Be Five, and conceived her own interactive fan convention, Claudia Con UK, which took place in the UK.[22]

Christian posed for a nude pictorial in the October 1999 issue of Playboy.[23][24]

Following the success of Babylon 5, Christian's guest starred on series including Highlander: The Series, Judd Apatow's Freaks and Geeks,[25] NYPD Blue, Everwood, Nip/Tuck, Grimm, Criminal Minds, Castle, The Mentalist, and NCIS,[26] and voiced the role of Helga in Atlantis: The Lost Empire.[27] In 2004, she returned to Laguna Beach, California, where she attended high school, to star in the American premiere of Michael Weller's play What the Night Is For with Kip Gilman and directed by Richard Stein.[28] She also starred in the British series Starhyke, on Showtime's Look, and in the BBC comedy series Broken News. In addition, Christian played Janine Foster in the Doctor Who audio drama The Reaping[29] and appeared in the films The Garden with Lance Henriksen[30] and Half Past Dead with Steven Seagal.[31]

As of 2020, Christian appears as Captain Elaine Maynard on the Fox series 9-1-1 and as the voice of the goddess Hera in the Netflix series Blood of Zeus. She also plays the title role in the Anne Manx radio series[32] and voices characters in major video games including Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare,[33] The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Fallout 4, and Pizza Morgana.[34] and recently Xal'atath World of Warcraft.

Author

[edit]
Christian in 2007

Christian is the author of both fiction and non fiction books. Her non fiction works include her initial memoir, My Life with Geeks and Freaks,[35] her updated autobiography Babylon Confidential: A Memoir of Love, Sex, and Addiction,[36] Journeys: Inspirational Stories of Recovery from Alcohol Addiction Using a Breakthrough Scientific Method[37] and a cook book co-authored (with Mark Michel), Snack Hacks.[38][39] She also wrote the introduction for the 2nd edition of The Cure for Alcoholism: The Medically Proven Way to Eliminate Alcohol Addiction.[40]

Her fictional works are The Misadventures of Miss Emma Bradford (aka Emma Bradford and the Mystery of Queen Tut),[41] Wolf's Empire: Gladiator,[42] and The Original: The Trials of Sara Larkin.[43]

Together with Chris McAuley, Christian has also created Dark Legacies, a science-fiction universe.[44] The first of the multimedia projects is a comic-book thriller, funded on Kickstarter in 2022.[45] The project was later expanded on with an audiobook from BBV Productions.

Advocate

[edit]
Christian in a convention in Utrecht, Netherlands (2005)

Christian is an advocate of The Sinclair Method (TSM), a medication-based method for treating alcohol dependence. TSM involves the targeted use of Naltrexone. She credits TSM with saving her life in 2009.[46] To increase awareness of this treatment, she collaborated with Morgan Grant Buchanan to write a book, Babylon Confidential,[36] and made a documentary, One Little Pill, about the science behind this method.[47] In 2013, she founded the 501(c)(3) non-profit organization C Three Foundation[6] to educate medical professionals and people suffering from alcohol dependence about the success of TSM. She has spread the word through her TEDx talk on the subject, podcast appearances, contributions to magazine articles,[48][49] and her television, newspaper and magazine interviews.[50][51]

Filmography

[edit]

Film

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes
1984 Calendar Girl Murders Kara Television movie
1986 A Masterpiece of Murder Julia Forsythe Television movie
1986 Houston: The Legend of Texas Eliza Allen Also known as Gone to Texas
1987 The Hidden Brenda Lee Van Buren
1988 Police Story: Monster Manor Officer Barbara 'Babs' Altoon
1988 Clean and Sober Iris
1989 Never on Tuesday Tuesday
1989 Shannon's Deal Molly Temple
1989 Tale of Two Sisters Liz
1990 Danielle Steel's Kaleidoscope Meagan Television movie
1990 Mad About You Casey
1990 Maniac Cop 2 Officer Susan Riley
1990 Think Big Dr. Irene Marsh
1990 A Gnome Named Gnorm Samantha
1991 Lies of the Twins Felice
1991 The Woman Who Sinned Judy Reinhardt
1991 Strays Claire Lederer Television movie
1991 The Dark Backward Kitty
1991 Arena Quinn
1993 Hexed Hexina
1993 Relentless: Mind of a Killer Leeann Hardy Television movie
1994 The Chase Yvonne Voss
1997 Lancelot: Guardian of Time Katherine Shelley
1997 Mercenary II: Thick & Thin Patricia Van Lier
1998 A Wing and a Prayer Shelley Lowe
1998 Babylon 5: In the Beginning Commander Susan Ivanova
1998 Babylon 5: Thirdspace Commander Susan Ivanova
1998 Snide and Prejudice Renate Müller
1999 Haunting of Hell House Lucy
1999 Running Home Jules Daniels
1999 The Substitute 3: Winner Takes All Andrea 'Andy'
1999 Final Voyage Maxine 'Max'
2000 Love & Sex Woman in gallery Cameo
2000 True Rights Elaine Kilgore
2001 Atlantis: The Lost Empire Helga Sinclair Voice role
2002 Half Past Dead FBI Agent Ellen 'EZ' Williams
2002 The Failures Anna
2005 The Garden Dr. Cairns
2006 The Dot Man Lieutenant Colonel Dunst
2008 Serbian Scars Maggie Co-producer
2010 Meteor Apocalypse Kate Dematti
2012 Overnight Sandy
2012 Rise of an Exile Hannah Benedict Pre-production
2014 Watercolor Postcards Cheryl
2014 California Scheming Mom
2014 The Writer with No Hands Herself
2014 One Little Pill Herself and The Narrator Documentary
2014 Red Marlena
2017 Chicanery Abigail Blunt
2017 The Dot Man Lieutenant Colonel Dunst
2018 Dirty Dead Con Men Donna
2023 Babylon 5: The Road Home Commander Susan Ivanova Voice role; Direct-to-video[52]
TBA The Pipeline Asta Folkart Post-production
TBA Dreadnought: Invasion Six Lord Marshall (voice) Pre-production

Television series

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes
1984 T.J. Hooker Betty MacRae Episode: "The Lipstick Killer"
1984 Dallas Peter's friend Episode: "Some Do...Some Don't"
1984 Falcon Crest Kate Mars Episode: "Tests of Faith"
1984 Riptide Marion Gordon Episode: "Where the Girls Are"
1984 Hunter Roxanne Hoffmeyer Episode: "Love, Hate, and Sporty James"
1984 Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer Cassie Conroy Episodes: "Elegy for a Tramp", "Shots in the Dark"
1985 The A-Team Cathy Rogers Episode: "Trouble Brewing"
1986 Blacke's Magic Laurie Blacke Episodes: "Breathing Room", "Death Goes to the Movies"
1985 Berrenger's Melody Hughes Series regular
1987 The Highwayman The Highwayman's liaison, Dawn Episode: "Terror on the Blacktop"
1987 Jake and the Fatman Lieutenant Alexandra 'Alex' Walker Episode: "Easy to Love"
1987 It's Garry Shandling's Show Sylvia Episode: "Dial L for Laundry"
1989 Quantum Leap Allison Episode: "Play It Again, Seymour"
1990 Matlock Mickey Alder Episode: "The Blackmailer"
1991 Murder, She Wrote Bonnie Jenks Hastings Episode: "Prodigal Father"
1991 L.A. Law Susan Convers Episode: "Speak, Lawyers, for Me"
1991 Dark Justice Dana Hollister Harrison Episode: "To Die For"
1993 Columbo Lisa Martin Feature-length special: "It's All in the Game"
1993 Space Rangers Marla Baker Episode: "Death Before Dishonor"
1994–1997 Babylon 5 Commander Susan Ivanova Main cast, seasons 1-4
1997 The Oz Kids Queen Aquareine
1997 Total Security Cheryl Bankston Episode: "Pilot"
1997 Highlander: The Series Katherine Episode: "Two of Hearts"
1999 Freaks and Geeks Gloria Haverchuck Recurring role
2000 Family Law Carla Sims Episode: "Are You My Father?"
2001 Relic Hunter Inez Carson Episode: "All Choked Up"
2002 She Spies Tanya Episode: "Spy vs. Spies"
2002 NYPD Blue Catherine Lowell Episode "Better Laid Than Never"
2003 Everwood Young Edna Episode: "My Brother's Keeper"
2004 Starhyke Captain Belinda Blowhard Main cast
2005 Broken News Julia Regan Series regular
2007 Nip/Tuck Gwen Episode: "Dawn Budge II"
2010 Look: The Series Stella Series regular
2011 Grimm Mrs. Clark Episode "Let Your Hair Down"
2013 Criminal Minds Agent Gretchen Stern Episode: "Alchemy"
2014 Castle Mrs. Logan Episode: "Law & Boarder"
2014 The Mentalist Greta Fortensky Episode: "Black Market"
2017 NCIS Louise Moreau Episode: "Willoughby"
2017 Space Diner Tales Leila Walker Episode: "Pilot"
2018–present 9-1-1 Captain Maynard Recurring role; 10 episodes
2020 Blood of Zeus[53] Hera Series regular

Video games

[edit]
Year Title Role
1995 Solar Eclipse Major Delany "Raven" Kelt
2002 Summoner 2 Sangaril, Logosarch, Rosalind, Dama Heras
2004 Shrek 2 Fairy Godmother
2009 Pizza Morgana Abbie Positive
2011 The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Multiple, including Aela the Huntress, Bryling, Legate Rikke, Sorli the Builder, and Wolf-Queen Potema (various other characters)
2012 Guild Wars 2 Female Norn PC
2012 Darksiders II Muria
2012 Halo 4 Additional voices
2014 Heroes of the Storm Lady of Thorns
2015 Starcraft II: Legacy of the Void Rohana
2015 Fallout 4 Desdemona, Mrs. Whitfield, Mistress of Mystery
2016 Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare Captain Ferran
2016 World of Warcraft: Legion Xal'atath, Blade of the Black Empire
2018 World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth (voice)
2018 Fallout 76 Shannon Rivers, Miss Annie, Willie Mae
2020 Legends of Runeterra Tiana Crownguard
2020 Fallout 76: Wastelanders Miss Annie, Mistress of Mystery, Raiders
2024 World of Warcraft: The War Within Xal'atath, Blade of the Black Empire

Awards and nominations

[edit]
Year Award Category Production Result
1997 Saturn Award Saturn Award for Best Actress on Television Babylon 5 Nominated
1999 Saturn Award Saturn Award for Best Actress on Television Babylon 5 Nominated
2013 Behind the Voice Actors Awards Best Vocal Ensemble in a Video Game Darksiders II Nominated
2016 Behind the Voice Actors Awards Best Vocal Ensemble in a Video Game StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void Nominated

Writing

[edit]
  • "Revenge is a Bitch to Swallow", short-story, published in Forbidden Love Issue 2: Wicked Women[54]
  • My Life with Geeks and Freaks, autobiography, published by Yard Dog Press
  • Babylon Confidential: A Memoir of Love, Sex, and Addiction, autobiography[36]
  • Wolf's Empire: Gladiator, novel, co-written with Morgan Grant Buchanan, 2016
  • Dark Legacies, comic book series by Scratch Comics, 2023[55]

Discography

[edit]
  • Claudia Squared with Claudia Cummings (1996)
  • Trying to Forget by The Be Five (1998)
  • "Taboo" single (1998, Zard)
  • Once upon a Time (2001, Zard)

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Christian, Claudia [@ClaudiaLives] (August 10, 2012). "It's my birthday and I will do whatever the fnif I want!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  2. ^ Christian, Claudia; Buchanan, Morgan Grant (2012). "1. Under the Influence". Babylon Confidential: A Memoir of Love, Sex, and Addiction. BenBella Books. ISBN 978-1937856069. It was 1973. I was eight years old...
  3. ^ "On This Day - Famous People Born in August 1965". August 1965. Archived from the original on September 15, 2022. Retrieved September 15, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  4. ^ "'9-1-1': Ronda Rousey's Lena Sweats Off Some Steam in a Fight Club". TheWrap. October 21, 2019. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  5. ^ "The Greek Mythology Behind 'Blood of Zeus' on Netflix". Newsweek. October 28, 2020. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  6. ^ a b "C Three Foundation • The Sinclair Method (TSM)". C Three Foundation. Retrieved December 22, 2013.
  7. ^ Give and Take: Mothers in the Business of Dressing Well Swap Clothes With Their Grateful Daughters – Los Angeles Times
  8. ^ a b Meyers, Joe (October 17, 2013). "Fairfield County native writes of Hollywood, alcoholism". Connecticut Post. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  9. ^ Now I've found my own space; Babylon 5's Claudia on the split from Scots Braveheart Angus MacFadyen – Free Online Library
  10. ^ "Claudia Christian's A Geek!: Retrocrush Interviews Claudia Christian". retroCRUSH.com. Archived from the original on May 4, 2012. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
  11. ^ Gostin, Nicki (March 26, 2015). "QA: 'Babylon 5' star Claudia Christian lived with Dodi Fayed, slept with Clooney, shut down Shatner". Fox News. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  12. ^ "Claudia Christian | TV Guide". TVGuide.com. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  13. ^ Lies of the Twins (TV) (1991), retrieved November 24, 2020
  14. ^ "Calendar Girl Murders". tcm.com. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  15. ^ "A Masterpiece Of Murder". tcm.com. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  16. ^ Brennan, Patricia (October 14, 1990). "STEEL'S 'KALEIDOSCOPE'". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  17. ^ Voros, Drew (October 28, 1993). "Columbo It's All in the Game". Variety. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  18. ^ "'He came with a big rubber nose': The untold story behind that insane Nicolas Cage viral clip". EW.com. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  19. ^ "The Dark Backward | TV Guide". TVGuide.com. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  20. ^ Joe M. Straczynski, Claudia Christian (quoted from correspondence). "About Claudia Christian's Departure". The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5.
  21. ^ Christian, Claudia, Buchanan, Morgan Grant. Chapter 8. Death by irony // Babylon Confidential: A Memoir of Love, Sex, and Addiction. BenBella Books, 2012. P. 132–134. ISBN 978-1-93785606-9.
  22. ^ "Claudia Con UK" (video). goldmister. August 8, 2011. Archived from the original on December 12, 2021. Retrieved November 7, 2018 – via YouTube.
  23. ^ "Dinner with actress who's not shy about exposure" by John Gibson, Edinburgh Evening News (8 Aug, 2006) [City Final Edition] Retrieved from ProQuest 327727078
  24. ^ "I Claudia" photographed by Stephen Wayda, Playboy (Oct, 1999), vol. 46, no. 10, Pages 70-75
  25. ^ Seliger, Mark (December 6, 2012). "Photos: The Exclusive Freaks and Geeks Reunion". Vanity Fair. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  26. ^ Wiedel, Kathleen (January 4, 2017). "NCIS Season 14 Episode 11 Review: Willoughby". TV Fanatic. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  27. ^ "Inside the Atlantis: The Lost Empire Sequel That Never Happened". Collider. June 16, 2020. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  28. ^ "Claudia Christian returns to her roots in 'Night'". Daily Pilot. April 16, 2004. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  29. ^ "The Reaping | Doctor Who Reviews". May 26, 2016. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  30. ^ "The Garden (2008)". East Bay Express. Retrieved November 24, 2020.[permanent dead link]
  31. ^ Ebert, Roger. "Half Past Dead movie review & film summary (2002) | Roger Ebert". rogerebert.com. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  32. ^ "Anne Manx and the Black Knight". rrca.com. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  33. ^ Davison, John (September 15, 2016). "Watch Kit Harington, Conor McGregor in Thrilling New 'Call of Duty' Trailer". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  34. ^ About The Cast. Pizza Morgana. Retrieved on June 19, 2012.
  35. ^ Christian, Claudia (June 2007). My Life with Geeks and Freaks. Yard Dog Press. ISBN 978-1-893687-85-1.
  36. ^ a b c Christian, Claudia; Morgan Grant Buchanan; Dr. Roy Eskapa (2012). Babylon Confidential. BenBella Books, Inc. ISBN 978-1-937856-06-9. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
  37. ^ Christian, Claudia (March 24, 2020). Journeys: Inspirational Stories Of Recovery From Alcohol Addiction Using A Breakthrough Scientific Method. Floating World Press. ISBN 978-0-6482831-6-4.
  38. ^ Donlan, Christian (July 22, 2019). "Snack Hacks, a cookbook for people who like games, is a strange delight". Eurogamer. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  39. ^ Christian, Claudia; Michel, Mark (June 12, 2019). Snack Hacks: Over 100 Fast And Delicious Recipes For Gamers, Coders, Freaks And Geeks. Floating World Press. ISBN 978-0-6482831-9-5.
  40. ^ Eskapa, Roy D. (2012). The Cure for Alcoholism: The Medically Proven Way to Eliminate Alcohol Addiction. BenBella Books. ISBN 978-1-937856-13-7.
  41. ^ Christian, Claudia (February 15, 2013). Emma Bradford and the Mystery of Queen Tut. Xynobooks, LLC.
  42. ^ Christian, Claudia; Buchanan, Morgan Grant (June 28, 2016). Wolf's Empire: Gladiator. Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-7653-3774-0.
  43. ^ Christian, Claudia (March 2, 2017). The Original: The Trials of Sara Larkin. Independently Published. ISBN 978-1-5206-6258-9.
  44. ^ "Dark Legacies". Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  45. ^ "Kickstarting Comics: Babylon 5's Claudia Christian's 'Dark Legacies' Launches On Kickstarter". August 5, 2022. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  46. ^ Glaser, Gabrielle (October 30, 2017). "Could This Drug Cure Alcoholism?". The Daily Beast. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  47. ^ "One Little Pill". Retrieved November 6, 2021.
  48. ^ Glaser, Gabrielle (April 2015). "The Irrationality of Alcoholics Anonymous". The Atlantic. Retrieved September 24, 2017.
  49. ^ "Is the Cure for Alcoholism a Pill That Lets You Drink?". MEL Magazine. September 8, 2017. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  50. ^ Weedston, Lindsey (June 12, 2019). "Actress Claudia Christian's On a Mission to Spread the Word About Naltrexone". The Fix. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  51. ^ Hilton Anderson, Charlotte (September 10, 2019). "40 Things I Wish I Could Tell My Younger Self". Reader's Digest. Archived from the original on January 2, 2022. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  52. ^ "'Babylon 5: The Road Home' Voice Cast Unveiled (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. May 10, 2023.
  53. ^ "Netflix Orders 'Gods & Heroes' Greek Mythology Anime Series". Deadline.com. March 12, 2019. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
  54. ^ "Under the Moon Official Website". Archived from the original on November 6, 2021. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
  55. ^ "Dark Legacies #1 - Ltd Edition Signature Photo Edition".
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