Michaela Conlin (born June 9, 1978) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as
Angela Montenegro on the
Fox
Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush'').
Twelv ...
crime procedural comedy-drama ''
Bones'' which she played from 2005 to 2017. She also known for her recurring roles in the
Paramount
Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to:
Entertainment and music companies
* Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. The following busin ...
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 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, Ma ...
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, villag ...
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", author ...
'' 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 an ...
''. 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 a ...
.
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 Bachelor ...
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 acti ...
, the Playwrights Horizons Theater School, Stonestreet Studios Conservatory, and she traveled to
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...
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, ...
, 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 on ...
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
Steven Robert Weber (born March 4, 1961) is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his role as Brian Hackett on the television series ''Wings'' which aired from April 1990 to May 1997 on NBC, as Sam Blue in ''Once and Again'', and ...
's district attorney.
Conlin played
Angela Montenegro on the popular
Fox
Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush'').
Twelv ...
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 cin ...
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 fiction, supernat ...
. In the series, Angela is married to
Dr. Jack Hodgins (
T. J. Thyne), 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 so ...
's
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, '' Flas ...
, 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. 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''. She also appeared in ''Open Window'' and ''
Love the Hard Way''. 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
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 cin ...
, who played her best friend
Temperance "Bones" Brennan 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