Monica Gregg Potter (née Brokaw; born June 30, 1971) is an American actress. She is known for her starring roles in the films ''

Con Air ''Con Air'' is a 1997 American action thriller film directed by Simon West and starring Nicolas Cage, John Cusack and John Malkovich. Written by Scott Rosenberg and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, the film centers on a prison break aboard a ...

'' (1997), ''

Patch Adams Hunter Doherty "Patch" Adams (born May 28, 1945) is an American physician, comedian, social activist, clown, and author. He founded the Gesundheit! Institute in 1971. Each year he also organizes volunteers from around the world to travel to va ...

'' (1998), and '' Along Came a Spider'' (2001). She also appeared in the horror films '' Saw'' (2004) and ''

The Last House on the Left ''The Last House on the Left'' is a 1972 American exploitation horror film written, directed and edited by Wes Craven in his directorial debut. The film follows Mari Collingwood ( Sandra Peabody), a hippie teenager who is abducted, raped, and ...

'', a 2009 remake film. Potter has also appeared on television, as a series regular on ''

Boston Legal ''Boston Legal'' is an American legal drama and comedy drama television series created by former lawyer and Boston native David E. Kelley, produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television for ABC. The series aired from October 3, 200 ...

'', as well as a

Golden Globe The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of ...

-nominated role as Kristina Braverman in the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

drama series '' Parenthood'' (2010–2015). She was a series regular in the CBS drama ''

Wisdom of the Crowd The wisdom of the crowd is the collective opinion of a diverse independent group of individuals rather than that of a single expert. This process, while not new to the Information Age, has been pushed into the mainstream spotlight by social infor ...

''. Potter is also known as the founder and principal owner of Monica Potter Home, an upscale home goods, natural skin care and home decor business in Cleveland, Ohio. With the family business struggling to make money, the company was featured on the reality TV show '' The Profit''.

Early life

Potter was born Monica Gregg Brokaw on June 30, 1971, in

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the United States, U.S. U.S. state, state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along ...

Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...

, to Nancy and Paul Brokaw. Her mother was a secretary in a hospital, and her father invented the first flame-resistant car wax. Potter has three sisters (Kerry, Jessica, and Brigette). Her maternal grandparents were Irish immigrants, and she was raised

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

.The Full Monica Article on Maxim.com :: Hot Girls, Babes, Sex, Photos, Videos, Gear, Entertainment
As a child, Potter wanted to be a nun. During her childhood she attended the Villa Angela Academy, and graduated from Euclid High School. She also spent part of her early years in Arab, Alabama. Potter had wanted to be an actress since childhood. She began acting at the

Cleveland Play House Cleveland Play House (CPH) is a professional regional theater company located in Cleveland, Ohio. It was founded in 1915 and built its own noted theater complex in 1927. Currently the company performs at the Allen Theatre in Playhouse Square wh ...

when she was in elementary school. Starting at age 12, she worked at a flower shop, and later in her teens, she worked in a sub sandwich shop and did some modeling for newspaper and magazine ads and local commercials. After appearing in several commercials in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

, Potter relocated to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

in 1994. In 1995 she appeared in the

Alan Jackson Alan Eugene Jackson (born October 17, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter. He is known for blending traditional honky-tonk and mainstream country pop sounds (for a style widely regarded as "neotraditional country"), as well as penning many ...

music video for " Tall, Tall Trees".

Career

Potter made her screen debut in 1994, on CBS soap opera ''

The Young and the Restless ''The Young and the Restless'' (often abbreviated as ''Y&R'') is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in fictional Genoa City (not the real-life similarly-named Genoa City, Wi ...

'' as Sharon Newman. In 1995, Potter was featured in the music video for the song " Tall, Tall Trees" by country artist

. She later appeared in several feature films, including ''

'' (playing the wife of

Nicolas Cage Nicolas Kim Coppola (born January 7, 1964), known professionally as Nicolas Cage, is an American actor and film producer. Born into the Coppola family, he is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Screen Actors Gui ...

's character) and starring opposite

Robin Williams Robin McLaurin Williams (July 21, 1951August 11, 2014) was an American actor and comedian. Known for his improvisational skills and the wide variety of characters he created on the spur of the moment and portrayed on film, in dramas and come ...

in ''

''. In 1998, she played the love interest of doomed distance runner Steve Prefontaine in the movie ''

Without Limits ''Without Limits'' is a 1998 American biographical sports film. It is written and directed by Robert Towne and follows the relationship between record-breaking distance runner Steve Prefontaine and his coach Bill Bowerman, who later co-founded ...

'', and also appeared in the British comedy '' Martha, Meet Frank, Daniel and Laurence'' (1998). In 2001, she had two major roles, co-starring with

Freddie Prinze, Jr. Frederick James Prinze Jr. (born March 8, 1976) is an American actor, television & film producer and screenwriter. He has starred in films such as ''I Know What You Did Last Summer'' (1997) and its sequel ''I Still Know What You Did Last Summer' ...

in '' Head Over Heels'', and in the thriller '' Along Came a Spider'' with

Morgan Freeman Morgan Freeman (born June 1, 1937) is an American actor, director, and narrator. He is known for his distinctive deep voice and various roles in a wide variety of film genres. Throughout his career spanning over five decades, he has received ...

, based on the

James Patterson James Brendan Patterson (born March 22, 1947) is an American author. Among his works are the '' Alex Cross'', '' Michael Bennett'', '' Women's Murder Club'', '' Maximum Ride'', '' Daniel X'', '' NYPD Red'', '' Witch & Wizard'', and ''Private'' ...

best-seller A bestseller is a book or other media noted for its top selling status, with bestseller lists published by newspapers, magazines, and book store chains. Some lists are broken down into classifications and specialties (novel, nonfiction book, cook ...

. In 2004, Potter played the role of Alison Gordon in the first '' Saw'' film. Later Potter worked on television. She was a cast member of the ABC legal drama ''

'' but left during the second season. In 2009, Potter became a cast member of the new TNT series '' Trust Me'' which was cancelled after the first season due to low ratings. In 2009, she had a lead role in the horror-thriller remake of

Wes Craven Wesley Earl Craven (August 2, 1939 – August 30, 2015) was an American film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and editor. Craven has commonly been recognized as one of the greatest masters of the horror genre due to the cultural imp ...

's ''

'', opposite

Tony Goldwyn Anthony Howard Goldwyn (born May 20, 1960) is an American actor, singer, producer, director, and political activist. He made his debut appearing as Darren in the slasher film '' Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives'' (1986), and had his breakthr ...

. Potter played the role of Kristina Braverman in the comedy-drama '' Parenthood'', receiving critical acclaim for her performance in the fourth season. In 2013, she won the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Drama Supporting Actress and was nominated for a

Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film The Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries, or Television Film is an award presented annually by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA). It is the Golden Globe Award given in honor of an actress who has del ...

for her role in the show. In 2014, Potter created Monica Potter Home, an upscale home goods, natural

skin care Skin care is a range of practices that support skin integrity, enhance its appearance, and relieve skin conditions. They can include nutrition, avoidance of excessive sun exposure, and appropriate use of emollients. Practices that enhance appea ...

and home decor business in Cleveland, Ohio. The business began based on her skin care regimen that made use of Sea Buckthorn

essential oils An essential oil is a concentrated hydrophobic liquid containing volatile (easily evaporated at normal temperatures) chemical compounds from plants. Essential oils are also known as volatile oils, ethereal oils, aetheroleum, or simply as the o ...

. Her father started using a balm, a natural product, on her when she was a young child because of her

eczema Dermatitis is inflammation of the skin, typically characterized by itchiness, redness and a rash. In cases of short duration, there may be small blisters, while in long-term cases the skin may become thickened. The area of skin involved c ...

. The business is a family affair; her mother and sisters work for her in the business. In 2017, with the business failing, she collaborated with

Marcus Lemonis Marcus Anthony Lemonis (born November 16, 1973) is a Lebanese-born American businessman, television personality and philanthropist. He is currently the chairman and CEO of Camping World, Good Sam Enterprises, Gander RV and The House Boardshop, ...

of CNBC's ''The Profit''. She and her business appeared with her family and coworkers on Season 5, Episode 4. In 2015, Potter was joined by her mother and all three sisters on ''

Celebrity Family Feud ''Celebrity Family Feud'' is a broadcast network spin-off of the syndicated American game show '' Family Feud''. Like the primetime ''All-Star Specials'' aired during the late 1970s and early 1980s by the show's then-network home ABC, the episod ...

''. The following year, she appeared in a

HGTV HGTV (an initialism for Home & Garden Television) is an American pay television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The network primarily broadcasts reality programming related to home improvement and real estate. As of February 2015, app ...

reality series titled ''Welcome Back Potter'', which chronicled the purchase and restoration of her childhood home in Cleveland, Ohio thirty years after the family sold it in 1987. In 2016,

Counting Crows Counting Crows is an American rock band from San Francisco, California. Formed in 1991, the band consists of guitarist David Bryson, drummer Jim Bogios, vocalist Adam Duritz, keyboardist Charlie Gillingham, David Immerglück, bass guitarist Mil ...

' frontman Adam Duritz confirmed that the band's song Mrs Potter's Lullaby, from the album '' This Desert Life'' (1999), was written about an imaginary version of her, as they had never met. Duritz explained that serendipity led to them meeting (for the first time) for a casual supper with industry friends the day the band was recording the song, and Potter returned to the studio with Duritz to watch them record. They became friends, and a tape he forgot he gave her on the night of the recording ended up salvaging the song, which the band felt they had ruined during post-production and had decided to not keep on the album.

Personal life

Potter was married to Tom Potter from 1990 to 1998; together they have two sons Daniel and Liam. In 2005, Potter married Daniel Christopher Allison, an orthopedic surgeon. Potter and Allison have one child, a daughter, Molly, born in 2005. In March 2015, Potter's husband joined the

US Navy Reserve The United States Navy Reserve (USNR), known as the United States Naval Reserve from 1915 to 2005, is the Reserve Component (RC) of the United States Navy. Members of the Navy Reserve, called Reservists, are categorized as being in either the Sele ...

as a physician, with the starting rank of

Lieutenant Commander Lieutenant commander (also hyphenated lieutenant-commander and abbreviated Lt Cdr, LtCdr. or LCDR) is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander. The corresponding ran ...

.Exclusive Q&A: 'Parenthood' TV star becomes Navy wife
militarytimes.com, 2015-03-27, accessed 2018-01-09 In February 2018, the couple filed for divorce. Potter's father died in 2002 of

cardiovascular disease Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels. CVD includes coronary artery diseases (CAD) such as angina and myocardial infarction (commonly known as a heart attack). Other CVDs include stroke, hea ...

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* *
Monica Potter
at the

American Film Institute The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private funding and public membership fees. Lead ...

MrsPotter.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Potter, Monica 1971 births 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses American film actresses American soap opera actresses American television actresses American people of Irish descent Catholics from Ohio Living people Actresses from Cleveland People from Arab, Alabama