BIO

Daphne Ashbrook (born in Long Beach, California) is a classic American actress. She was raised in San Diego, CA. where both her parents were very active on the stage. They met playing the leading roles in the play Dark of the Moon at The Old Globe Theatre. Raised in dressing rooms and theatre halls during rehearsals and performances the dye was cast.

At 8 years old she won an American College Theatre Festival award for her role of Suzanna (Shakespeare’s daughter) in A Cry of Players. At 19 she moved from San Diego to Los Angeles to begin trying to make a living as an actor. There she started her film career doing both television and film, with a healthy smattering of theatre thrown in along the way. In 1999 she won Best Supporting Actress in a film called Dumbarton Bridge in the Method Fest Film Festival and was nominated in 2001 for an Ovation Award for Best Actress in a Featured Role for her portrayal of Rosalie in Landscape of the Body.

Known for both her comic timing and deep emotional portrayals, she has appeared in many television and film roles including Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (as the titular character in "Melora") and the Doctor Who 1996 movie, in which she played the role of Doctor Grace Holloway. Her strong portrayal as Grace was favorably recieved by fans and the chemistry between her and star Paul McGann was tauted as one the best in the show's history. Though there was consternation among some because she was the first character to romantically kiss the Doctor. He had been a rather asexual character when previously portrayed and this set a precedent for the more sexually charged nature of the new Doctor Who series that began in 2005, where the Doctor has now kissed multiple characters.

In 2004, Ashbrook traveled to the United Kindgom, which was filmed and later released on DVD in 2005, "Daphne Ashbrook in the UK". This DVD documentary regarded her involvement with Doctor Who. The trip also involved her working on one of the Doctor Who audio dramas, where she performed in the Big Finish Productions audio play The Next Life opposite Paul McGann as the Eighth Doctor, but playing a different character named Perfection (this was the first time the two stars had worked together again since the 1996 telemovie). In 2006, she played Charlotte Howell in the audio drama Dark Shadows: The Book of Temptation for the same company. She has been to the UK twice thus far for Doctor Who convention events. Most recently she was featured in an extensive interview on the Doctor Who podcasts "Doctor Who: DWO Whocast" and "Doctor Who Podshock".

She is notable as being one of only nine actors, and only actress, to appear in both the Star Trek and Doctor Who franchises. The others are Simon Pegg, Guy Siner, Maurice Roëves, Christopher Neame, Barrie Ingham, Olaf Pooley, John Franklyn-Robbins and Alan Dale.

She had a pivotal recurring role on The O.C.. Her past TV work includes Law & Order: Los Angeles, Cold Case, CSI, Crossing Jordan, JAG, Murder She Wrote, Judging Amy, the Profiler, Guardian, & Cupid. She has appeared in many theatrical films and TV movies including the 2009 release "The Lodger" starring Alfred Molina and Hope Davis.

Please see imdb listing for full resume