Kathryn Elsbeth Erbe is an American

actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

. She is best known for her role as Alexandra Eames on '' Law & Order: Criminal Intent'', a

spin-off Spin-off may refer to: *Spin-off (media), a media work derived from an existing work *Corporate spin-off, a type of corporate action that forms a new company or entity * Government spin-off, civilian goods which are the result of military or gov ...

of ''

Law & Order ''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment, launching the '' Law & Order'' franchise. ''Law & Order'' aired its entire run on NBC, premiering ...

'', and Shirley Bellinger in the HBO series '' Oz''.

Early life

Erbe was born in

Newton, Massachusetts Newton is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is approximately west of downtown Boston. Newton resembles a patchwork of thirteen villages, without a city center. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, the population of ...

, the daughter of Elsbeth and Richard Erbe. Her father is a research geneticist. She graduated from

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, th ...

(NYU) in 1989.

Career

While an undergraduate student at NYU, Erbe was cast as the daughter of Lynn Redgrave's character on the sitcom '' Chicken Soup''. She later became a member of Steppenwolf Theatre Company and has starred in many of their productions, including ''

A Streetcar Named Desire ''A Streetcar Named Desire'' is a play written by Tennessee Williams and first performed on Broadway on December 3, 1947. The play dramatizes the experiences of Blanche DuBois, a former Southern belle who, after encountering a series of per ...

'', '' Curse of the Starving Class'', and ''

The Grapes of Wrath ''The Grapes of Wrath'' is an American realist novel written by John Steinbeck and published in 1939. The book won the National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize for fiction, and it was cited prominently when Steinbeck was awarded the Nobel Priz ...

'', which ran for six months and won the 1990

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual c ...

for Best Play. Erbe earned a Tony Award nomination in 1991 for her portrayal of Mary in '' The Speed of Darkness''. Erbe starred in such films as '' What About Bob?'', '' Stir of Echoes'', '' Rich in Love'', and the independent films ''Dream with the Fishes'', ''Love from Ground Zero'', and ''Entropy''. She played opposite David Caruso in ''

Kiss of Death Kiss of Death may refer to: * Kiss of Judas, Judas's betrayal of Jesus with a kiss identifying him to his executioners * Kiss of death (mafia), a Mafia signal that someone has been marked for execution Film and television * ''Kiss of Death'' ...

''. She portrayed Shirley Bellinger on the HBO series '' Oz'', including a scene in which she did full frontal nudity, to critical acclaim. She made a guest appearance on '' Homicide: Life on the Street'' in 1997. From 2001 to early 2010, she starred as Detective Alexandra Eames on the NBC/

USA Network USA Network (simply USA) is an American basic cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. It was originally launched in 1977 as Madi ...

series '' Law & Order: Criminal Intent'', alongside Vincent D'Onofrio. In 2010, both Erbe and D'Onofrio left ''Criminal Intent''. Erbe signed on to reprise the role of Detective Eames for the eight-episode final season of the series, joining Vincent D'Onofrio, who had already signed up to return as Detective Robert Goren. She has reprised the role in guest appearances on '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit''. In 2014, Erbe appeared in an episode of '' Last Week Tonight'' parodying her role on ''Law & Order: Criminal Intent''. She also recently played Fay Ambrose, the wife of Detective Harry Ambrose, in the

's '' The Sinner''.

Personal life

Erbe was married to actor Terry Kinney, who also starred in ''Oz'', from 1993 until their divorce in 2006. Together they have two children, a daughter, Maeve, and a son, Carson.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Erbe, Kathryn People from Newton, Massachusetts 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Actresses from Boston Actresses from Massachusetts American film actresses American stage actresses American television actresses Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute alumni Living people Tisch School of the Arts alumni Steppenwolf Theatre Company players 1965 births