Sara Rue (born Sara Schlackman; January 26, 1979) is an American actress. She is best known for her performances as Carmen Ferrara on '' Popular'', as Claude Casey on ''

Less than Perfect ''Less than Perfect'' is an American television sitcom created by Terri Minsky and starring Sara Rue and Sherri Shepherd which originally aired on ABC from October 1, 2002, to June 6, 2006. It follows Claude (Rue), who works at a television n ...

'', and as the Attorney General in '' Idiocracy''. In 2011, she hosted

The CW The CW Network, LLC (commonly referred to as The CW or simply CW) is an American commercial broadcast television network which is controlled by Nexstar Media Group through a 75% ownership interest. The network's name is derived from the firs ...

reality series '' Shedding for the Wedding.'' She had a recurring role in the comedy '' Rules of Engagement'', as Brenda, the softball teammate and good friend of Jeff Bingham. She had a regular role as Kim on the short-lived ABC sitcom ''

Malibu Country ''Malibu Country'' is an American sitcom that ran on ABC from November 2, 2012, to March 22, 2013. The series was created by David A. Stewart and marks Reba McEntire's return to series television, following up her previous sitcom '' Reba'' (200 ...

'', and appeared in the main cast of the

TV Land TV Land is an American pay television channel owned by Paramount Global through its networks division's MTV Entertainment Group. It was originally launched as Nick at Nite’s TV Land as a spinoff of Nick at Nite programing block consisting e ...

comedy series '' Impastor''. She is also known for her role as Olivia Caliban in the second season of the

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

series ''

A Series of Unfortunate Events ''A Series of Unfortunate Events'' is a series of thirteen Children's literature, children's novels written by American author Daniel Handler under the pen name Lemony Snicket. The books follow the turbulent lives of orphaned siblings List of A ...

''.

Early life

The elder of two daughters, Rue was born and raised in New York City, where her parents were active in

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 ...

. She is

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

Career

Rue began her acting career at the age of nine, appearing in the 1988 film '' Rocket Gibraltar'' as

Kevin Spacey Kevin Spacey Fowler (born July 26, 1959) is an American actor. Known for Kevin Spacey on screen and stage, his work on stage and screen, he List of awards and nominations received by Kevin Spacey, has received numerous accolades, including two ...

's daughter. Rue played a very young Roseanne in the first meeting of Roseanne and Dan at a dance on the TV show ''

Roseanne ''Roseanne'' is an American television sitcom created by Matt Williams (producer), Matt Williams that originally aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from October 18, 1988, to May 20, 1997, and briefly revived from March 27, 2018, to May ...

''. She starred in the comedy '' Grand'', before going on to work on '' Phenom''; '' Minor Adjustments''; '' Zoe, Duncan, Jack & Jane''; '' ER''; ''

The Division ''The Division'' is an American police procedural drama television series created by Deborah Joy LeVine starring Bonnie Bedelia. The series focuses on a team of female detectives and police officers in the San Francisco Police Department. Th ...

'' and '' Popular''. From 2002 to 2006, she starred in the main role of Claude Casey on the ABC sitcom ''

''. She has appeared in several films, including '' A Map of the World'', ''

Can't Hardly Wait ''Can't Hardly Wait'' is a 1998 American teen romantic comedy film written and directed by Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elfont. It stars an ensemble cast including Ethan Embry, Charlie Korsmo, Lauren Ambrose, Peter Facinelli, Seth Green, an ...

'', '' A Slipping Down Life'', '' Idiocracy'', '' Gypsy 83''. She also had a small part as a babysitter in

Gore Verbinski Gregor Justin "Gore" Verbinski (born March 16, 1964) is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He is best known for directing ''Mouse Hunt'', '' The Ring'', the first 3 ''Pirates of the Caribbean'' films, and '' Rango''. For '' ...

's adaptation of '' The Ring''. She impressed director

Michael Bay Michael Benjamin Bay (born February 17, 1965) is an American film director and producer. He is best known for making big-budget high-concept action films with fast cutting, stylistic cinematography and visuals, and extensive use of special eff ...

so much that a role was written into the movie ''

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Reci ...

'' for her. Rue appeared uncredited in the 2006

Mike Judge Michael Craig Judge (born October 17, 1962) is an American actor, animator, writer, producer, and director. He is best known for being the creator of the animated television series ''Beavis and Butt-Head'' (1993–1997, 2011, 2022–present). He ...

film ''Idiocracy'', in the role of the

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...

. In 2006, Rue starred in the stage musical ''Little Egypt'' with French Stewart,

Jenny O'Hara Jenny O'Hara (born February 24, 1942) is an American film, television, and stage actress. She is best known for Dixie in ''My Sister Sam'' (1986–1988), Janet Heffernan in ''The King of Queens'' (2001–2007), and Nita in ''Big Love'' (2006– ...

and Gregg Henry at the Matrix Theatre in Los Angeles. She guest-starred in ''

Two and a Half Men Two and a Half Men is an American television sitcom created by Chuck Lorre and Lee Aronsohn that aired on CBS for 12 seasons from September 22, 2003, to February 19, 2015. The series originally starred Charlie Sheen as Charlie Harper, a hedonis ...

'' as Berta's pregnant youngest daughter. She had a stint on the

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

sitcom ''

The Big Bang Theory ''The Big Bang Theory'' is an American television sitcom created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady for CBS. It aired from September 24, 2007, to May 16, 2019, running for 12 seasons and 279 episodes. The show originally centered on five charact ...

'', playing Dr. Leonard Hofstadter's physician girlfriend Dr. Stephanie Barnett for three episodes. Her first appearance on the show occurred on November 17, 2008. In 2009, Rue appeared in the movies ''Man Maid'' and '' For Christ's Sake''. She starred on the short-lived 2009 series '' Eastwick'', based on the novel and movie ''

The Witches of Eastwick ''The Witches of Eastwick'' is a 1984 novel by American writer John Updike. A sequel, '' The Widows of Eastwick'', was published in 2008. Plot The story, set in the fictional Rhode Island town of Eastwick in the early 1970s, follows the witc ...

''. In December 2009, she became a

spokesperson A spokesperson, spokesman, or spokeswoman is someone engaged or elected to speak on behalf of others. Duties and function In the present media-sensitive world, many organizations are increasingly likely to employ professionals who have receiv ...

for weight loss company

Jenny Craig Jenny Craig, Inc., often known simply as Jenny Craig, is an American weight loss, weight management, and nutrition company. At its peak, the company had more than 700 weight management centers in Australia, the United States, Canada, and New Ze ...

. In October 2010, Rue joined the cast of '' Rules of Engagement'' in a recurring role as Brenda, Jeff and Audrey's surrogate. It was announced in December 2011 that Rue would be writing and starring in a new show on The CW called ''Poseurs'', about a young woman named Lucy whose life is upended when her fiancé moves out and her fresh-from-rehab collegiate best friend, Alexandra, moves in. The two friends pose as a lesbian couple and actually get married in order to stay in the nice apartment building that only allows married couples. Rue starred in the ABC show ''

'' as

Reba McEntire Reba Nell McEntire ( ; born March 28, 1955), or simply Reba, is an American country music, country singer and actress. Dubbed "Honorific nicknames in popular music, The Queen of Country", she has sold more than 75 million records worldwide. Sin ...

's upbeat trophy wife neighbor, Kim Sallinger. ''Malibu Country'' ran for one season (2012–13). Rue had the title role of Deb Dorfman in the movie ''Dorfman in Love'' (2012). In 2014, Rue appeared in a recurring role as Candace, fiancee of Christy's ex-husband on the

sitcom '' Mom''. In 2015, she was cast as main character Dora in the TV Land comedy '' Impastor''. The show was cancelled after its second season in 2016. Rue had a recurring role as Nancy Granville on ABC's ''

American Housewife ''American Housewife'' is an American television sitcom created and written by Sarah Dunn and executive produced with Aaron Kaplan, Kenny Schwartz, Rick Wiener, and for the pilot only Ruben Fleischer. The show, which premiered on ABC on October ...

'' which was canceled after five seasons. In 2017, Rue was cast in the recurring role of Olivia Caliban on the second season of the

comedy drama series ''

''. She also has a reoccurring role in The Rookie.

Personal life

Rue married filmmaker Mischa Livingstone in 2001. They divorced in 2007. Rue married teacher Kevin Price on May 21, 2011, in a traditional

Jewish wedding A Jewish wedding is a wedding ceremony that follows Halakha, Jewish laws and Jewish culture, traditions. While wedding ceremonies vary, common features of a Jewish wedding include a ''ketubah'' (marriage contract) that is signed by two witnesse ...

. She gave birth to their first child, a daughter named Talulah, in February 2013. She and Price adopted a second daughter, Adelaide, in November 2016.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

References

Notes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rue, Sara 1979 births Actresses from New York City American child actresses American film actresses American television actresses Jewish American actresses Living people 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses 21st-century American Jews