Michaela Conlin (born June 9, 1978) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as

Angela Montenegro Angela Pearly-Gates Montenegro-Hodgins (born Pookie Noodlin Pearly-Gates Gibbons) is a fictional character in the television series ''Bones'' (2005–2017), portrayed by Michaela Conlin. She is a classically trained artist who creates forensic rec ...

on the Fox crime procedural comedy-drama '' Bones'' which she played from 2005 to 2017. She also known for her recurring roles in the Paramount series ''

Yellowstone Yellowstone National Park is an American national park located in the western United States, largely in the northwest corner of Wyoming and extending into Montana and Idaho. It was established by the 42nd U.S. Congress with the Yellow ...

'' (2018-2019), and the

Apple TV+ Apple TV+ is an American subscription streaming service owned and operated by Apple Inc. Launched on November 1, 2019, it offers a selection of original production film and television series called Apple Originals. The service was announced ...

series '' For All Mankind'' (2021).

Early life

Conlin was born in

Allentown, Pennsylvania Allentown ( Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Allenschteddel'', ''Allenschtadt'', or ''Ellsdaun'') is a city in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. The city has a population of 125,845 as of the 2020 census. It is the fastest-growing major city in Pennsylvania ...

on June 9, 1978 to a Chinese mother, an accountant, and an Irish father, a contractor. She performed in her first play at the age of seven, and continued to appear on stage in numerous

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

community A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, t ...

and

regional In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...

productions. Conlin attended Parkland High School in South Whitehall Township, Pennsylvania, where she starred in productions of ''

Bye Bye Birdie ''Bye Bye Birdie'' is a stage musical with music by Charles Strouse and lyrics by Lee Adams, based upon a book by Michael Stewart. Originally titled ''Let's Go Steady'', ''Bye Bye Birdie'' is set in 1958. The short story "Dream Man", authored ...

'' and ''

The Crucible ''The Crucible'' is a 1953 play by American playwright Arthur Miller. It is a dramatized and partially fictionalized story of the Salem witch trials that took place in the Massachusetts Bay Colony during 1692–93. Miller wrote the play as ...

''. After graduating from high school in 1996, she moved to New York City to study acting and was accepted to

New York University Tisch School of the Arts The New York University Tisch School of the Arts (commonly referred to as Tisch) is the performing, cinematic and media arts school of New York University. Founded on August 17, 1965, Tisch is a training ground for artists, scholars of the ar ...

. While working toward her

Bachelor of Fine Arts A Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) is a standard undergraduate degree for students for pursuing a professional education in the visual, fine or performing arts. It is also called Bachelor of Visual Arts (BVA) in some cases. Background The Bachel ...

in Theater, she appeared in several productions at the

Atlantic Theater Company Atlantic Theater Company is an Off-Broadway non-profit theater, whose mission is to produce great plays "simply and truthfully utilizing an artistic ensemble." The company was founded in 1985 by David Mamet, William H. Macy, and 30 of their a ...

, the Playwrights Horizons Theater School, Stonestreet Studios Conservatory, and she traveled to

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...

to study with the Experimental Theatre Wing's International Training Program.

Acting career

Television work

Following her graduation 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 ...

, Conlin was selected to be part of the cable documentary series '' The It Factor'', which focused on the lives of young actors in New York City. Soon after, she relocated to Los Angeles, where she landed her first starring role in the ABC drama series ''MDs'', playing an idealistic young intern taken under the wing of the hospital's two renegade doctors, played by

William Fichtner William Edward Fichtner (born November 27, 1956) is an American actor. He is known for his television roles as Sheriff Tom Underlay on ''Invasion'', Alexander Mahone on ''Prison Break'', Carl Hickman on '' Crossing Lines'', and Adam Janikowski o ...

and John Hannah. She followed that with a leading role in the ABC drama series '' The D.A.'', playing an outspoken political consultant to Steven Weber's district attorney. Conlin played

on the popular Fox drama '' Bones,'' which stars

Emily Deschanel Emily Erin Deschanel (; born October 11, 1976) is an American actress. She portrayed Dr. Temperance "Bones" Brennan in the Fox crime procedural series '' Bones'' (2005–2017). Early life Deschanel was born in Los Angeles, California, to c ...

and

David Boreanaz David Paul Boreanaz ( born May 16, 1969) is an American actor, television producer, and director known for playing the roles of vampire-turned-private investigator Angel on The WB/ UPN ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' supernatural drama (1997–200 ...

. In the series, Angela is married to Dr. Jack Hodgins (

T. J. Thyne Thomas Joseph Thyne (born March 7, 1975) is an American actor, best known for his role as Dr. Jack Hodgins in the television series ''Bones''. Life Thyne was born on March 7, 1975 in Stoughton, Massachusetts. He lived in Brockton, Hanover, ...

), while her father is

ZZ Top ZZ Top is an American rock band formed in 1969 in Houston, Texas. For 51 years, they comprised vocalist-guitarist Billy Gibbons, drummer Frank Beard and vocalist-bassist Dusty Hill, until Hill's death in 2021. ZZ Top developed a signature sou ...

Billy Gibbons William Frederick Gibbons (born December 16, 1949) is an American musician who is the guitarist and lead singer of the rock band ZZ Top. He began his career in the band the Moving Sidewalks, which recorded a full-length album entitled, ''Flash ...

, who plays a fictionalized version of himself. Angela's full name is Angela "Pookie Noodlin" Pearly Gates Montenegro, with Pearly Gates also being the name of Gibbons'

Les Paul guitar The Gibson Les Paul is a solid body electric guitar that was first sold by the Gibson Guitar Corporation in 1952. The guitar was designed by factory manager John Huis and his team with input from and endorsement by guitarist Les Paul. Its typ ...

. In 2008, Conlin was nominated for an Asian Excellence Award in the category of Supporting Television actress for her role on ''Bones''.

Films

In addition to her television work, Conlin portrayed Detective Heidi Sobel in the 2011 drama film ''

The Lincoln Lawyer ''The Lincoln Lawyer'' is a 2005 novel, the 16th by American crime writer Michael Connelly. It introduces Los Angeles attorney Mickey Haller, half-brother of Connelly's mainstay character Detective Hieronymus "Harry" Bosch. It was adapted as ...

''. She also appeared in ''Open Window'' and ''

Love the Hard Way ''Love the Hard Way'' is a 2001 crime drama film directed by . It is about the story of a petty thief who meets an innocent young woman and brings her into his world of crime while she teaches him the lessons of enjoying life and being loved. Th ...

''. In 2021, she portrayed Maria Li in ''

Bad Trip A bad trip (also known as challenging experiences, acute intoxication from hallucinogens, psychedelic crisis, or emergence phenomenon) is an acute adverse psychological reaction to classic hallucinogens. With proper screening, preparation, and su ...

''.

Personal life

Conlin is married and has two sons, Charlie and Theodore. Conlin is best friends with ''Bones'' co-star

, who played her best friend

Temperance "Bones" Brennan Dr. Temperance "Bones" Brennan, Ph.D. (born Joy Keenan) is a fictional character portrayed by Emily Deschanel in the American Fox television series ''Bones''. An anthropologist, forensic anthropologist, and kinesiologist, she is described i ...

on the show.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Conlin, Michaela Actresses from Allentown, Pennsylvania Actresses from Los Angeles American actresses of Chinese descent American film actresses American people of Irish descent American stage actresses American television actresses Living people Parkland High School (Pennsylvania) alumni Tisch School of the Arts alumni 1978 births