Terry Farrell (born November 19, 1963) is an American actress, best known for her roles in the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Becker.
She was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa as Theresa Lee Farrell Grussendorf and raised in Boston, MA. Before becoming a model, she played a Christmas elf at a mall in Cedar Rapids. In 1978, at age 15, she left her hometown in Iowa for a summer in Mexico City as an exchange student. That time in her life made her fond of the big cities, so in her junior year in high school she submitted her image to the Elite Model Agency in New York. Shortly after at the age of 16, she was summoned to NY and within two days of arriving, had an exclusive contract with Mademoiselle Magazine.
After 18 months of modeling, she studied acting with Kate McGregor Stewart, while still modeling on the side. Her first major roles were in the short-lived 1983 television series Paper Dolls playing a model and the feature film Back to School with Rodney Dangerfield. In the spring of 1989 she began studying acting with Stella Adler, appearing in a number of guest-starring roles in series like Quantum Leap and The Cosby Show, until in 1993 she was offered a lead role in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
Farrell starred as Lieutenant-Commander Jadzia Dax, Deep Space 9's Starfleet Science Officer, a character who is host to a 300-year old symbiont and can draw upon the experiences of the symbiont's six previous hosts.
Athough she played the character for the series first six years, Farrell decided to leave at the end of her original six-year contract and not renew for the final seventh year with the other cast members. In "Tears of the Prophets" (the final episode of the sixth season, 1998), Jadzia Dax is left in command of DS9 and is killed by Gul Dukat.
After leaving Deep Space Nine, Farrell won the role of the bartender Reggie in Becker. She appeared in Becker for four years, until the producers decided to replace her with Nancy Travis.
Farrel lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Sprint spokesman Brian Baker, and her dog Romona. She enjoys cooking and deep sea fishing.
TV Series
- Paper Dolls. (1984). Laurie Caswell.
- Cosby Show. (1984). (guest star).
- Family Ties. (1986). (guest star) Liz Oberman.
- The New Twilight Zone. "After Hours" (1989). (guest star)
- Quantum Leap. "A Leap for Lisa" (1992). (guest star) Lisa Sherman.
- Star. (1993). Elizabeth.
- Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. (1993-1998). Jadzia Dax.
- Talk Soup. (1996). As herself.
- Becker. (1998). Reggie.
- Mimi and Me
TV Films and Movies
- Off the Wall. (1982).
- Portfolio. (1984). As an Elite Model.
- The Deliberate Stranger. (1986). Katie Hargreaves.
- Back to School. (1986). Valerie.
- Beverly Hills Madam. 1986. Julie Taylor.
- Off the Mark. (1987). Jenell Johnson.
- Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth. (1992). Joey Summerskill.
- Red Sun Rising. (1993). Karen Ryder.
- Reasons of the Heart. (1996).
- Legion. (1998). Major Doyle.
- Deep Core 2000. (2000). Allison Saunders.
- One True Love. (2000). Dana Boyer.
- Tripping the Rift. (2000). (voice). Six of One.
- Crossing the Line. (2000) Laura Mosbach.
- Gleason:The Jackie Gleason Story. (2002). Marilyn Taylor.
- Psychic Murders. (2002). Macy.
- Code 11-14. (2003). Michelle Novack.
Video Games
- Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: The Fallen. (2000). (voice). Jadzia Dax.
- Treasure Quest. (voice). Player's guide.
Quotes
On fans: "They're very bright and very respectful, I love being called 'Ms Farrell', I think that's so sweet! When the fans see you on the street, they're very discreet and don't want to offend you. But when I go on stage at a convention, I'm used to them screaming and shouting at me. And I expect that, because if I paid $30 or so to see me, I'd scream too!"