Reiko Aylesworth

Reiko Aylesworth

Active - 1996 - 2019  |   Born - Dec 9, 1972 in Evanston, Illinois, United States  |   Genres - Drama, Romance, Family & Personal Relationships

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Biography by AllMovie

Actress Reiko Aylesworth honed and sharpened her dramatic gifts on-stage, with work in such off-Broadway productions as John Patrick Shanley's Kissing Christine/Missing Marisa and Marshall Mason's Robbers. After making her screen debut on the daytime soap One Life to Live, Aylesworth checked in as something of a television stalwart during the mid- to late '90s, with guest appearances on such programs as Law & Order, The Dead Zone, and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and occasional bit parts in films including You've Got Mail (1998) and Random Hearts (1999). Devotees of the action thriller series 24 will invariably recall Aylesworth on that program, in her role as CTU agent Michelle Dessler -- love interest, then wife and ex-wife, of Tony Almeida -- a role she maintained for several seasons. In the late 2000s, Aylesworth appeared on the popular medical drama ER as a hospital chaplain, tackled a supporting role as an attorney in Bruce A. Evans' psychological thriller Mr. Brooks, and signed for one of her premier big-screen leads as the heroine in Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007). Aylesworth would remain active for years to come, appearing on series like Lost, Damages, and Hawaii Five-0.

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Factsheet

  • Was born in the same hospital (although 10 years later) as her 24 husband, Carlos Bernard.
  • Studied neural science in college.
  • Made her professional stage debut in a Springfield (IL) production of West Side Story.
  • Was noticed by ABC talent scouts while acting in a 1992 Seattle stage production of Peter Pan, leading to a move to New York and her TV debut in One Life to Live in 1993.
  • Auditioned for two roles on 24 (Nina Meyers and Kate Warner)before being offered the role of Michelle Dessler.
  • In addition to 2004 and 2005 Screen Actors Guild Award ensemble nominations for 24, was nominated for a 2004 Cinescape Genre Face of the Future Award.
  • Was excited to be a semiregular on ER (2007-08) since it gave the Chicago native a chance to visit her hometown.
  • Mother was a head administrator at a jail for 10 years.
  • Of Dutch, Welsh and Japanese ancestry.
  • Ardent rodeo fan.