Megan Gallagher (born February 6, 1960) is an American theater and television actress. Having studied at the

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a Private university, private performing arts music school, conservatory in New York City. Founded by Frank Damrosch as the Institute of Musical Art in 1905, the school later added dance and drama programs and became ...

under the supervision of

John Houseman John Houseman (born Jacques Haussmann; September 22, 1902 – October 31, 1988) was a Romanians, Romanian-born British Americans, British-American theatre and film producer, actor, director, and teacher. He became known for his highly publ ...

, Gallagher began her career on stage, and has appeared in several

Broadway theatre Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences#-re, -er, American and British English spelling differences), many of the List of ...

productions, winning a Theatre World Award for her role in ''

A Few Good Men ''A Few Good Men'' is a 1992 American legal drama film based on Aaron Sorkin's 1989 play, produced by Castle Rock Entertainment, financed and distributed by Columbia Pictures. It was written by Sorkin, directed by Rob Reiner, and produced ...

''. From there, Gallagher moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

to pursue acting in film and television; after making a screen debut in ''

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

'', she graduated to recurring roles in ''

Hill Street Blues ''Hill Street Blues'' is an American serial police procedural television series that aired on NBC in prime-time from January 15, 1981, to May 12, 1987, for 146 episodes. The show chronicles the lives of the Metropolitan Police Department staff ...

'' and ''

China Beach ''China Beach'' is an American war film, war drama television series set at an evacuation hospital during the Vietnam War. The title refers to My Khe Beach in the city of Da Nang, Đà Nẵng, Vietnam, nicknamed "China Beach" in English by Amer ...

'', and starring roles in ''

The Slap Maxwell Story ''The Slap Maxwell Story'' (sometimes seen in print as ''The "Slap" Maxwell Story'') is an American sitcom broadcast by American Broadcasting Company, ABC as part of its 1987-88 United States network television schedule, 1987–88 lineup. It sta ...

,'' ''

The Larry Sanders Show ''The Larry Sanders Show'' is an American television sitcom set in the office and studio of a fictional late-night talk show. Created by Garry Shandling and Dennis Klein, the show ran for six seasons and List of The Larry Sanders Show episodes, ...

'' and ''

Millennium A millennium () is a period of one thousand years, one hundred decades, or ten centuries, sometimes called a kiloannum (ka), or kiloyear (ky). Normally, the word is used specifically for periods of a thousand years that begin at the starting ...

''. The role of Catherine Black in that series had been written with Gallagher in mind.

Early life and education

Gallagher was born in

Reading, Pennsylvania Reading ( ; ) is a city in Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. The city had a population of 95,112 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, fourth-most populous ...

on February 6, 1960, to Aileen and Donald Gallagher. She was the fifth of six children. Her mother had also been an actor in her youth, retiring when she began a family. Gallagher credits her own career to her mother, who would take her to

productions as a child. She has also cited

Mary Tyler Moore Mary Tyler Moore (December 29, 1936 – January 25, 2017) was an American actress, producer, and social advocate. She is best known for her roles on '' The Dick Van Dyke Show'' (1961–1966) and ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' (1970–1977), whic ...

and

Katharine Hepburn Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12, 1907 – June 29, 2003) was an American actress whose Katharine Hepburn on screen and stage, career as a Golden Age of Hollywood, Hollywood leading lady spanned six decades. She was known for her headstrong ...

as influences on her career. She attended Wyomissing Area Junior/Senior High School, where she elected not to attend her high school prom in order to continue her rehearsals at a local community theatre
Genesius Theatre
Gallagher moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

to study acting at the

under the tutelage of

. She then relocated to

Career

Gallagher began her career on stage, appearing in a production of Paul Osborn ''Oliver Oliver'' before being cast in the 1989 Broadway production of

Aaron Sorkin Aaron Benjamin Sorkin (born June 9, 1961) is an American screenwriter, playwright and film director. Born in New York City, he developed a passion for writing at an early age. As a writer for stage, television, and film, Sorkin is recognized f ...

's ''

''. Her portrayal of LCDR JoAnne Galloway in the latter production earned her a Theatre World Award, and an

Outer Critics Circle Award The Outer Critics Circle Awards are presented annually for theatrical achievements both on Broadway and Off-Broadway. They are presented by the Outer Critics Circle (OCC), the official organization of New York theater writers for out-of-town news ...

. In 1993, she took part in Broadway productions of both parts of ''

Angels in America ''Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes'' is a 1991 American two-part Play (theatre), play by American playwright Tony Kushner. The two parts of the play, ''Millennium Approaches'' and ''Perestroika'', may be presented separate ...

: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes''—''Millennium Approaches'' and ''Perestroika''. Gallagher's television debut was in the miniseries ''

''. She gained the lead role in the pilot ''At Your Service'', and a guest spot in the first episode of ''

L.A. Law ''L.A. Law'' is an American legal drama television series created by Steven Bochco and Terry Louise Fisher for NBC. It ran for eight seasons and List of L.A. Law episodes, 172 episodes from September 15, 1986, to May 19, 1994. The series cente ...

''. She then went on to appear as a series regular towards the end of ''

'' run followed by a series regular role on ''

'' before going on to become a series regular in the second season of ''

''; she still maintains a friendship with ''China Beach'' co-star

Robert Picardo Robert Alphonse Picardo (born October 27, 1953) is an American actor. He is best known for playing the Doctor on '' Star Trek: Voyager''. He also appeared as Richard Woolsey in the ''Stargate'' franchise, the Cowboy in '' Innerspace'', Coach ...

. Gallagher's role of Catherine Black in ''

'' had been written by creator Chris Carter with her in mind specifically, as he had been impressed with her work as Jeannie Sanders on ''

''. Gallagher was also keen to work with Carter, having admired his creation of the character

Dana Scully Dana Katherine Scully, M.D., is a fictional character and one of the two protagonists in the Fox science-fiction, supernatural television series ''The X-Files'', played by Gillian Anderson. Scully is a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Spe ...

for ''

The X-Files ''The X-Files'' is an American science fiction on television, science fiction drama (film and television), drama television series created by Chris Carter (screenwriter), Chris Carter. The original series aired from September 10, 1993, to Ma ...

'', whom she saw as a positive example of an intriguing female character on television. Gallagher also appeared in the legal drama '' Suits'', acting alongside her Juilliard classmate

Wendell Pierce Wendell Edward Pierce (born December 8, 1962) is an American actor and businessman. Having trained at Juilliard School, Pierce rose to prominence as a character actor of stage and screen. He first Breakthrough role, gained recognition portraying ...

Personal life

Gallagher is married to actor Jeff Yagher, and has two children, a pair of twins. She is related by marriage to actress Catherine Hicks and make-up artist Kevin Yagher.

Filmography

Film

Television

Footnotes

References

* *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gallagher, Megan 1960 births Living people 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Actors from Reading, Pennsylvania Actresses from Pennsylvania American film actresses American stage actresses American television actresses Juilliard School alumni