Peri Gilpin

Peri Gilpin (born Peri Kay Oldham; May 27, 1961) is an American actress who portrayed Roz Doyle in the NBC sitcom ''Frasier'' and Kim Keeler in the ABC Family drama series '' Make It or Break It''.

Career

As a child, Gilpin took drama classes at Dallas Children's Theater. In 1979, upon graduating from Skyline High School, Gilpin enrolled in University of Texas at Austin, majoring in drama, until she was expelled from the acting program at the end of sophomore year. Upon that, she took acting classes in London, then returned to Dallas and worked briefly as a makeup artist. She apprenticed for five summers at Williamstown Theatre Festival in Massachusetts, during her last summer, she was cast as the lead in Hawthorne Country, her first major starring role. She joined the Actors Equity in 1988.

Gilpin appeared on the TV series ''Cheers'', playing Holly Matheson in the 21st episode of the 11th season, which aired in April 1993.

From 1993 until 2004, Gilpin played Roz Doyle in the television series ''Frasier'', a spin-off of ''Cheers'', starring Kelsey Grammer as Frasier Crane, the role he had played on ''Cheers'' since 1984. She was given the role after being one of over 300 other actresses who answered the casting call. Gilpin’s fellow finalist for the role was Lisa Kudrow. Along with the principal cast, Gilpin won a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series in 1999.

In 2009, Gilpin appeared in the ABC Family drama ''Make It or Break It'', for which she received a Gracie Award in the category of "Outstanding Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Drama Series".

Gilpin and ''Frasier'' co-star Jane Leeves ran a production company, Bristol Cities (named from the cockney rhyming slang), whose projects included a Fox network pilot titled ''Minister of Divine'', an American remake of the British sitcom ''The Vicar of Dibley'' with Kirstie Alley (another ''Cheers'' regular) in a starring role. Gilpin is the voice artist for the character Jane Proudfoot in '' Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within''. She provided the voices of Desiree in the Nickelodeon animated television series '' Danny Phantom'', Volcana in '' Superman: The Animated Series'' and ''Justice League'', Hecate in ''Hercules'', and Kate Corrigan in the ''Hellboy'' animated films. Gilpin also did voice work for several Wells Fargo and Johnsonville Meats TV commercials.

Gilpin has appeared on the television series ''Medium'' and ''Desperate Housewives''. She has a supporting role on the television series ''Make It or Break It'' and has appeared on '' Law & Order: Criminal Intent''. She also starred alongside Teri Polo in the Lifetime film ''For the Love of a Child''. In 2012, Gilpin guest-starred with another ''Cheers'' alum, Ted Danson, in '' CSI: Crime Scene Investigation''. She had a recurring role in ''Men at Work'' on TBS as editor of ''Full Steam'' magazine. In the second season of ''Scorpion'', she was introduced as Katherine Cooper, a team superior in Homeland Security.

In 2023, Gilpin reprised her role as Roz Doyle in Paramount's ''Frasier'' reboot.

Personal life

Gilpin was born in Waco, Texas, to Baylor University students Jim O'Brien (born James Oldham) and Sandra Jo Hauck. After the birth of her sister, Patti Jo, in 1965, her parents divorced, and Sandra moved with her two daughters to Houston. In 1968, Sandra married her childhood friend Wes Gilpin; Peri and her sister took his surname. In 1969, the Gilpins moved to Dallas, where Peri grew up. In 1983, her father, a popular Philadelphia newscaster, died in a skydiving accident.

In 1997, Gilpin's mother died of leiomyosarcoma. Gilpin has led efforts supporting cancer research awareness since the time her mother was diagnosed with the disease. Her siblings also died of cancer. On April 30, 2020, Gilpin's sister, Patti, died after a long battle with cancer. On July 29, 2023, her brother, Marc Gilpin, died from complications related to a glioblastoma brain tumor at the age of 56. He was also an actor, having appeared in ''Jaws 2'' as a child.

On July 31, 1999, Gilpin married painter Christian Vincent. They have twins who were born to a surrogate mother on May 7, 2004.

Jane Leeves, Gilpin's co-star on ''Frasier'', is her neighbor and close friend.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

*
Peri Gilpin Interview with Ability MagazinePeri Gilpin
at Allmovie

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gilpin, Peri
1961 births
American television actresses
American voice actresses
Living people
Skyline High School (Dallas) alumni
Actresses from Dallas
Actresses from Waco, Texas
University of Texas at Austin College of Fine Arts alumni
20th-century American actresses
21st-century American actresses