Alysia Reiner is an American actress. She is best known for playing Natalie "Fig" Figueroa in the

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...

comedy drama series ''

Orange Is the New Black ''Orange Is the New Black'' (sometimes abbreviated to ''OITNB'') is an American comedy-drama streaming television series created by Jenji Kohan for Netflix. The series is based on Piper Kerman's memoir '' Orange Is the New Black: My Year in ...

'' (2013–2019), for which she won a

Screen Actors Guild Award Screen Actors Guild Awards (also known as SAG Awards) are accolades given by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). The award was founded in 1952 to recognize outstanding performances in movie and ...

for her role as part of the ensemble cast. Reiner starred in and produced the financial drama '' Equity'', which was bought at Sundance by Sony Pictures Classics and released nationwide. It is now being developed into a TV series by Tri-Star and ABC. Reiner has appeared in several

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer th ...

plays and won an Obie Award for her performance in ''

An Oak Tree ''An Oak Tree'' is a conceptual work of art created by Michael Craig-Martin (born 1941) in 1973. The piece, described as an oak tree, is installed in two units – a pristine installation of a glass of water on a glass shelf on metal brack ...

''. In ''

Sideways ''Sideways'' is a 2004 American comedy-drama road film directed by Alexander Payne and written by Jim Taylor and Payne. A film adaptation of Rex Pickett's 2004 novel of the same name, ''Sideways'' follows two men in their forties, Miles Ra ...

'', the critically acclaimed comedy–drama film, Reiner played Christine Ergarian, where she won her first ensemble cast SAG award. She played District Attorney Wendy Parks in the ABC

crime In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definitions of", in Ca ...

legal drama A legal drama is a genre of film and television that generally focuses on narratives regarding legal practice and the justice system. The American Film Institute (AFI) defines "courtroom drama" as a genre of film in which a system of justice play ...

TV series ''

How to Get Away with Murder ''How to Get Away with Murder'' is an American legal thriller television series that premiered on American Broadcasting Company, ABC on September 25, 2014, and concluded on May 14, 2020. The series was created by Peter Nowalk, and produced by Sh ...

'' and Sunny in the FX comedy '' Better Things''. In 2014, she also appeared in Season 4 of ''

Masters of Sex ''Masters of Sex'' is an American period drama television series that premiered on September 29, 2013, on Showtime. It was developed by Michelle Ashford and loosely based on Thomas Maier's biography ''Masters of Sex''. Set in the 1950s through th ...

'' on Showtime, as Lilian Izikoff on ''

Rosewood Rosewood refers to any of a number of richly hued timbers, often brownish with darker veining, but found in many different hues. True rosewoods All genuine rosewoods belong to the genus ''Dalbergia''. The pre-eminent rosewood appreciated in ...

'', and Trina in Michael Showalter's TBS series '' Search Party''.

Early life

Reiner was born in Gainesville,

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, a ...

, in 1970. She graduated from

Vassar College Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States, closely fol ...

and studied acting at the British American Drama Academy and the National Theater Institute at the

Eugene O'Neill Theater Center The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center in Waterford, Connecticut, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit theater company founded in 1964 by George C. White. It is commonly referred to as The O'Neill. The center has received two Tony Awards, the 1979 Special Awa ...

. Reiner is Jewish.

Career

Theatre

She joined Tim Crouch in the Obie Award–winning ''

'' at The Barrow Street and ''Jayson with a Y'' with

The New Group The New Group, is a New York City Off-Broadway theatrical troupe founded by Artistic Director Scott Elliott, that produced its first play, Mike Leigh's ''Ecstasy'', in 1995. The New Group is run by founding Artistic Director, Scott Elliott, and ...

. At The Beckett, she played roles in ''

Anaïs Nin Angela Anaïs Juana Antolina Rosa Edelmira Nin y Culmell (February 11, 1903 – January 14, 1977; , ) was a French-born American diarist, essayist, novelist, and writer of short stories and erotica. Born to Cuban parents in France, Nin was the ...

: One of Her Lives'' and ''Wasps in Bed''. She has been deemed "Off-Broadway Favorite" by Theatremania and was called "priceless" by ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

''.

Film and television

Reiner has appeared in several films, including ''

Kissing Jessica Stein ''Kissing Jessica Stein'' is a 2001 American independent romantic comedy film, written and co-produced by the film's stars, Jennifer Westfeldt and Heather Juergensen. The film also stars Tovah Feldshuh and is directed by Charles Herman-Wurmfel ...

'', '' The Vicious Kind'', '' Arranged'', ''Schooled'', '' That Awkward Moment'', and '' 5 Flights Up''. In 2004, she played the role of Christine Erganian,

Thomas Haden Church Thomas Haden Church (born Thomas Richard McMillen; June 17, 1960) is an American actor. After starring in the 1990s sitcom ''Wings'' and playing the lead for two seasons in '' Ned & Stacey'' (1995–1997)'','' Church became known for his film work ...

's character's fiancée, in the film ''

'', which won

Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture The Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast (or Ensemble) in a Motion Picture is an award given by the Screen Actors Guild to honor the finest acting achievements in film. Winners and nominees : 1990s 2000s 2010s 2 ...

. She also had roles in several independent films. On television, Reiner has appeared on more than 50 shows as series regular, guest star or in recurring roles, including Natalie Figueroa in the

comedy–drama series ''

''. In 2014 she joined the cast of ABC legal drama series, ''

'' produced by

Shonda Rhimes Shonda Lynn Rhimes (born January 13, 1970) is an American television screenwriter, producer, and author. She is best known as the showrunner—creator, head writer, and executive producer—of the television medical drama ''Grey's Anatomy'', it ...

, in a recurring role of D.A. Wendy Parks, a prosecutor who goes up against

Viola Davis Viola Davis (; born August 11, 1965) is an American actress and producer. The recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and two Tony Awards, she is the only African-American to achieve the Triple Cro ...

' character. In 2018 Reiner joined the cast of '' The Deuce'' as agent Kiki Rains. In 2014, Reiner announced that she will be launching Broad Street Pictures to produce films with strong female roles.

Personal life

Reiner has been married to actor David Alan Basche since 1997. The couple have a daughter, Livia, and reside in

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater Harl ...

, New York City. Reiner is involved with many nonprofit organizations and charities, including the Cancer Support Community, Actors for

Autism The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...

PEN International PEN International (known as International PEN until 2010) is a worldwide association of writers, founded in London in 1921 to promote friendship and intellectual co-operation among writers everywhere. The association has autonomous Internation ...

, SAY: The

Stuttering Stuttering, also known as stammering, is a speech disorder in which the flow of speech is disrupted by involuntary repetitions and prolongations of sounds, syllables, words, or phrases as well as involuntary silent pauses or blocks in which the ...

Association for the Young, Bent on Learning, Safe Kids Worldwide, The Young Women's Leadership Network, Amnesty International, Cool Effect, and Election Defenders.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Reiner, Alysia American film actresses Jewish American actresses American stage actresses American television actresses Actresses from Gainesville, Florida Living people 20th-century American actresses 21