Paget Brewster
{{Short description|American actress (born 1969)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2012}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Paget Brewster
| image = Paget Brewster.jpg
| caption = Brewster in 2009
| birth_name = Paget Valerie Brewster
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1969|03|10}}
| birth_place = Concord, Massachusetts, U.S.
| known_for = Emily Prentiss in Criminal Minds
| occupation = Actress
| years_active = 1990–present
| spouse = {{marriage|Steve Damstra|2014-2021}}
}}
Paget Valerie Brewster ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|p|æ|dʒ|ɪ|t|}} {{respell|PAJ-it}};[https://tvline.com/2017/07/25/criminal-minds-paget-brewster-season-13-cast-changes/ Interview] with Paget Brewster on TVLine, 2017-07-25. Michael Ausiello (the interviewer) says Brewster's name at 0:04 in the interview. born March 10, 1969{{cite tweet |last=Brewster |first=Paget |author-link=Paget Brewster |user=pagetpaget |number=1369717290619469825 |date=March 10, 2021 |title=I've been catpainted by @jaffezinn for my birthday, thank you, Jaffe! https://t.co/nlEuSoxFeX |language=en |access-date=May 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220501165630/https://twitter.com/pagetpaget/status/1369717290619469825 |archive-date=May 1, 2022 |url-status=live}}) is an American actress. She first received recognition for her recurring role as Kathy on the fourth season of Friends. She gained wider recognition as FBI Supervisory Special Agent Emily Prentiss on CBS's Criminal Minds. Brewster was a regular cast member of the show from 2006 to 2012, then made two guest appearances before returning as a regular in 2016.
Early life
File:Coat of Arms of William Brewster.svg
Brewster was born March 10, 1969,{{cite news|last=Rose|first=Mike|title=Today's famous birthdays list for March 10, 2023 includes celebrities Jon Hamm, Olivia Wilde|date=March 10, 2023|accessdate=March 10, 2023|url=https://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/2023/03/todays-famous-birthdays-list-for-march-10-2023-includes-celebrities-jon-hamm-olivia-wilde.html}} in Concord, Massachusetts.{{cite tweet |last=Brewster |first=Paget |author-link=Paget Brewster |user=pagetpaget |number=1431664982542934022 |date=August 28, 2021 |title=Finally went back to my birthplace in Concord, Mass. for the best pizza & grinders I've ever had in my life. I feared disappointment but no. @NewLondonPizza ! THEY STILL GOT IT! https://t.co/v7MvThTUR6 |language=en |access-date=May 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220502171351/https://twitter.com/pagetpaget/status/1431664982542934022 |archive-date=May 2, 2022 |url-status=live}} Both her mother, Hathaway Brewster ({{née}} Tew), and father, Galen Brewster, worked as school administrators at Middlesex School.{{cite tweet |last=Brewster |first=Paget |author-link=Paget Brewster |user=pagetpaget |number=1223453618327687169 |date=January 31, 2020 |title=@dreamypaget @MarkGags @TreasureCBS I am not bound to a specific scripture. I believe we all know good from evil and that there is something greater than us, could be God, could be Nature, could be Science. But I would love to be a teacher, like my parents. |language=en |access-date=May 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211021154902/https://twitter.com/pagetpaget/status/1223453618327687169 |archive-date=October 21, 2021 |url-status=live}}{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1967/04/09/archives/hathaway-tew-1966-debutante-engaged-to-wed-bradford-student-and.html | work=The New York Times | title=Hathaway Tew, 1966 Debutante, Engaged to Wed; Bradford Student and Galen Brewster to Marry in Summer | date=April 9, 1967}} She is a descendant of William Brewster and wife Mary Brewster.{{Cite web|url=https://www.tvguide.com/news/criminal-minds-paget-1003907/|title=Criminal Minds' Paget Brewster Gets a Devil of a Storyline}}
Brewster grew up in Massachusetts and moved to New York City to attend Parsons School of Design.{{cite tweet |last=Brewster |first=Paget |author-link=Paget Brewster |user=pagetpaget |number=1249525557143822336 |date=April 12, 2020 |title=@Sadiisstic So beautiful - I was never this talented and I went to Parsons School of Design in New York. Guys, you MUST follow your talent. You are amazing. |language=en |access-date=May 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210902033421/https://twitter.com/pagetpaget/status/1249525557143822336 |archive-date=September 2, 2021 |url-status=live}} During her first year, she made her acting debut and eventually dropped out of design school{{cite tweet |last=Brewster |first=Paget |author-link=Paget Brewster |user=pagetpaget |number=608048458918989824 |date=June 8, 2015 |title=I love this. I thought it too. Then I failed out of Parsons and apologized to all of my teachers. https://t.co/dougjZMMWg |language=en |access-date=May 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210902030528/https://twitter.com/pagetpaget/status/608048458918989824 |archive-date=September 2, 2021 |url-status=live}} to pursue her acting career.{{Cite web|date=2017-04-17|title=Things You Might Not Know About Criminal Minds Star Paget Brewster|url=https://www.fame10.com/entertainment/9-things-you-didnt-know-about-criminal-minds-star-paget-brewster/|website=Fame10}} In the mid-1990s, Brewster moved to San Francisco and enrolled in acting classes.
Career
In 1995, Brewster hosted a late-night talk show in the San Francisco Bay Area called The Paget Show for 65 episodes at KPIX-TV.{{cite web|url=http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/FALL-TV-PREVIEW-Paget-Brewster-Puts-Her-Money-2908912.php |access-date=2014-03-03 |title=Fall TV Preview / Paget Brewster Puts Her Money on 'Love' |work=San Francisco Chronicle |publisher=SFGate.com |first=Sylvia |last=Rubin |date=September 12, 1999 }} She first came to prominent attention in her recurring role as Kathy in the fourth season of NBC's Friends. She appeared in Andy Richter Controls the Universe and Huff. On film she played Ms. Indestructible, the female lead in James Gunn's low-budget superhero comedy The Specials (2000). She played Amy Pierson, a calculus teacher afraid of the water, in the independent film The Big Bad Swim, which premiered at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival.
In 2005, she began voice work as Judy Ken Sebben / Birdgirl, a recurring character on the animated series Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law (and later played a similar guest character on American Dad!).
File:Criminal Minds at Paley.jpg]]
Brewster had a long run with the show Criminal Minds, playing multilingual Supervisory Special Agent Emily Prentiss until the show's sixth season, when she and A. J. Cook were released from their contracts by CBS in a cost-cutting move. Owing to complaints from fans, both she and Cook were rehired and kept for the following season.{{cite magazine|first=Michael|last=Ausiello|url=http://ausiellofiles.ew.com/2010/06/25/criminal-minds-cook-brewster-return/|title= 'Criminal Minds' update: Cook and Brewster returning — but for how long?|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|date=June 25, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100627125131/http://ausiellofiles.ew.com/2010/06/25/criminal-minds-cook-brewster-return/|archive-date=June 27, 2010}} In February 2012, Brewster announced via Deadline that she was leaving Criminal Minds at the end of the season to return to her comedic and sitcom roots.{{cite tweet |last=Brewster |first=Paget |author-link=Paget Brewster |user=pagetpaget |number=194584190551990274 |date=April 23, 2012 |title=That's a wrap. To everybody at Criminal Minds, thank you for the best 6 years of my life. I love you. I always have, I always will. |language=en |access-date=May 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220315054024/https://twitter.com/pagetpaget/status/194584190551990274 |archive-date=March 15, 2022 |url-status=live}} Brewster reprised her role as Emily Prentiss in season nine for the 200th episode, and season 11 as a special guest star.{{cite web|url=http://www.tvguide.com/news/paget-brewster-criminal-minds-200th-episode-1077287.aspx|title=Paget Brewster on Criminal Minds 200th Episode Return: "It Was Bittersweet" |first=Joyce |last=Eng |date=February 4, 2014 |work=TV Guide |publisher=TVguide.com }} In 2016, Brewster returned to Criminal Minds once again as a series regular with Thomas Gibson's replacement.{{cite web|url=http://tvline.com/2016/08/30/paget-brewster-criminal-minds-season-12-prentiss-series-regular/|title=Criminal Minds: Paget Brewster Upped to Series Regular in Season 12 Following Thomas Gibson's Firing|last=Ausiello|first=Michael|date=August 30, 2016|access-date=August 6, 2022|publisher=TVLine}}
Brewster subsequently portrayed bureau chief PDA Paula Foster in the Public Integrity Unit of the District Attorney's office on NBC's long-running police drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Her character handled the case against SVU commanding officer Captain Donald Cragen (Dann Florek), suspected of murder after awakening next to a dead woman in the 13th-season finale.{{cite news|last=O'Connell|first=Michael|title=Paget Brewster to Guest on 'Law & Order: SVU' Season 14 Premiere (Exclusive)|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/paget-brewster-law-order-svu-season-premiere-criminal-minds-351148|access-date=July 20, 2012|newspaper=The Hollywood Reporter|date=July 18, 2012}}{{cite news|last=Daniels|first=Janice|title=Paget Brewster to Guest Star on 'Law & Order: SVU' — Her Next Role Possibly?|url=http://hollywoodtvcritics.wordpress.com/2012/07/20/paget-brewster-to-guest-star-on-law-order-svu/|access-date=July 20, 2012|newspaper=Hollywood TV Critics|date=July 20, 2012}}{{cite news|last=Raftery|first=Liz|title=Criminal Minds' Paget Brewster Lands Guest Spot on SVU|url=http://www.tvguide.com/News/Criminal-Minds-Paget-1050097.aspx|access-date=July 18, 2012|newspaper=TV Guide|date=July 20, 2012}}
Brewster was a regular on The Thrilling Adventure Hour, a staged production in the style of old-time radio that was recorded monthly at Largo in Los Angeles. She played the recurring character of Sadie Doyle, the alcoholic socialite who can communicate with the supernatural alongside her husband, Frank (Paul F. Tompkins), in the "Beyond Belief" segments. In early April 2013, Brewster appeared in Modern Family as Trish in episode 20, "Flip Flop", playing an art expert who is dating Gloria's ex-husband, Javier. In August 2013, Brewster appeared in episode 106 of the Drunk History television series on Comedy Central. In January 2015, Brewster began appearing on Community. In February 2014, it was announced that she had been cast in a new ABC comedy called St. Francis. In August 2016, it was announced that she would be reprising her role as Emily Prentiss on Criminal Minds and would once again be a series regular after co-star Thomas Gibson was fired by CBS over an on-set altercation. Brewster also regularly appears on Will You Accept This Rose, a podcast hosted by Arden Myrin about The Bachelor franchise.
Personal life
On the March 30, 2006, episode of Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Brewster revealed that she had received a handwritten note indicating Hugh Hefner would like her to pose for Playboy. She seriously considered the offer, but even though she said that she admired Playboy more than magazines such as Maxim and FHM, and her parents gave her their blessing, she eventually turned it down.{{cite web|url=http://www.ugo.com/channels/filmtv/features/huff/brewster2.asp|title=Paget Brewster Interview, Page 2|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071101092528/http://www.ugo.com/channels/filmtv/features/huff/brewster2.asp|archive-date=November 1, 2007|df=mdy-all}}
She has volunteered as an actress with the Los Angeles Young Storytellers Program.{{cite web|url=http://whois-actor.ru/film-actor/bbeafadg/Brewster-Paget|title=Paget Brewster|website=whois-actor.ru|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170822140238/http://whois-actor.ru/film-actor/bbeafadg/Brewster-Paget|archive-date=22 August 2017}}
On March 17, 2013, Brewster became engaged to composer Steve Damstra, a member of the bands Folded Light and Whirlwind Heat.{{cite tweet |last=Brewster |first=Paget |author-link=Paget Brewster |user=pagetpaget |number=313097162315673600 |date=March 16, 2013 |title=It's jade. And he's the best. Wait for the best, ladies, wait until you're 44 if that's what it takes! http://t.co/Bg8OUVXRUv |language=en |access-date=May 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210920212337/https://twitter.com/pagetpaget/status/313097162315673600 |archive-date=September 20, 2021 |url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=http://www.digitalspy.com/celebrity/news/a466329/criminal-minds-star-paget-brewster-reveals-engagement.html |title='Criminal Minds' star Paget Brewster reveals engagement |first=Kristina |last=Bustos |date=March 17, 2013 |work=Digital Spy}} Brewster and Damstra married on November 28, 2014, in Los Angeles, in a ceremony officiated by Matthew Gray Gubler, their close friend and Brewster's Criminal Minds co-star.{{cite tweet |last=Gubler |first=Matthew |author-link=Matthew Gubler |user=GUBLERNATION |number=540965055429226496 |date=December 5, 2014 |title=had the unique pleasure of getting to officiate the marriage of 2 of my best friends and now i have minister fever http://t.co/Gpx7wVOVAM |language=en |access-date=May 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220502155012/https://twitter.com/GUBLERNATION/status/540965055429226496 |archive-date=May 2, 2022 |url-status=live}}{{cite tweet |last=Brewster |first=Paget |author-link=Paget Brewster |user=pagetpaget |number=489206951772164099 |date=July 15, 2014 |title=Maybe I should have said one of those "sexy men" is gonna be my sexy husband November 28th. Hands off, ladies !! |language=en |access-date=May 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210913071111/https://twitter.com/pagetpaget/status/489206951772164099 |archive-date=September 13, 2021 |url-status=live}} {{As of|2016}}, the couple reside in Los Angeles.{{cite web | url = https://sfsketchfest2016.sched.com/artist/paget_brewster.1uiejhhi | title = Paget Brewster | website = sfsketchfest2016.sched.com}}
Filmography
=Film=
class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="width=95%;" |
Year
! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |
---|
1998
| Michelle | |
1999
| Frances | |
rowspan="2" | 2000
| data-sort-value="Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle, The" | The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle | Jenny Spy | |
data-sort-value="Specials, The" | The Specials
| Emily Tilderbrook / Ms. Indestructible | |
rowspan="3" | 2001
| Agent 15 | Agent 15 | Short film |
Hollywood Palms
| Phoebe | |
Skippy
| Julie Fontaine | |
2002
| Lea | |
2003
| Brainwarp | Lipstikk | Short film |
2004
| Eulogy | Aunt Lily | |
rowspan="2" | 2005
| Coach 'Binky' Beauregard | |
My Big Fat Independent Movie
| Julianne | |
rowspan="4" | 2006
| Cyxork 7 | Bethany Feral | |
data-sort-value="Big Bad Swim, The" | The Big Bad Swim
| Amy Pierson | |
Kidney Thieves
| Melinda | Short film |
Unaccompanied Minors
| Valerie Davenport | |
2007
| Sublime | Andrea | Direct-to-video |
2012
| Batman: The Dark Knight Returns |Voice |
2014
| Gumshoe | Stiletto | Voice, short film |
rowspan="3" | 2015
| Justice League: Gods and Monsters |Voice |
Uncle Nick
| Sophie | |
Welcome to Happiness
| Priscilla | |
rowspan="2" | 2017
| Axis | Dr. Lynch |Voice |
Batman and Harley Quinn
| Voice, direct-to-video |
rowspan="1" | 2018
| data-sort-value="Witch Files, The" | The Witch Files | Detective Strauss | Also producer |
2022
|Hypochondriac |Dr. Sampson | |
=Television=
class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="width=95%;" |
Year
! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable"| Notes |
---|
1997–98
| Friends | Kathy | 6 episodes, guest role (Season 4) |
rowspan="2"| 1998
| Ghost Cop | Anette | Episode: "Pilot" |
Max Q
| Rena Winter | Television film |
1998–2001
| Audrey Timmonds | Voice, 11 episodes |
1999
| data-sort-value="Expert, The" | The Expert | Dr. Jo Hardy | Episode: "Pilot" |
1999–2000
| Allison Conklin | Season 1 (13 episodes) |
rowspan="2"| 2000
| Star Patrol | Rachel Striker | Pilot |
One True Love
| Tina | Television film |
2000–01
| data-sort-value="Trouble With Normal, The" | The Trouble With Normal | Claire Garletti | Season 1 (13 episodes) |
rowspan="2"| 2001
| DAG | Patti Donovan | Episode: "Prom" |
Raising Dad
| Gracie | Episode: "Sex Ed" |
2002
| Ginger | Episode: "The Wedding Dance" |
2002–03
| Andy Richter Controls the Universe | Jessica Green | Seasons 1–2 (19 episodes) |
rowspan="2"| 2003
| data-sort-value="Snobs, The" | The Snobs | | Pilot |
Time Belt
| Col. Jocelyn Anchor | Episode: "Oh. shirt. Zombies." |
2004
| Rock Me, Baby | Debbie | Episode: "Look Who's Talking" |
2004–06
| Huff | Beth Huffstodt | Seasons 1–2 (25 episodes) |
rowspan="3"| 2005
| Jamie Eckleberry | Episode: "A Lungful of Alan" |
Duck Dodgers
| Rona Vipra | Voice, 2 episodes |
Amber Frey: Witness for the Prosecution
| Carol Carter | Television film |
2005–07
| Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law | Judy Ken Sebben / Birdgirl | Voice, 9 episodes |
2005–20
| Various voices | Seasons 1–4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14 & 17 (24 episodes) |
2005–06
| Stacked | Charlotte | 3 episodes |
rowspan="2"| 2006
| Child Services | Voice, episode: "Captain Girl" |
data-sort-value="Perfect Day, A" | A Perfect Day
| Allyson Harlan | Television film |
2006–12, 2014, 2016–20, 2022–present | 204 episodes |
2007, 2012
| Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Sheila Tierney / ADA Paula Foster | 3 episodes |
2008
| Lost Behind Bars | Lauren Wilde | Television film |
2009
| Myrna | Voice, episode: "Lucky See, Monkey Do" |
2011–13
| Dan Vs. | Elise / Various voices | Main role; Seasons 1–3 (53 episodes) |
2011
| My Life As an Experiment | Stacie Wilder | Pilot |
rowspan="3"| 2013
| Trish | Episode: "Flip Flop" |
Spy
| Erica | Pilot |
data-sort-value="Birthday Boys, The" | The Birthday Boys
| Keri | Episode: "Going All the Way" |
2013, 2015
| data-sort-value="Venture Bros., The" | The Venture Bros. | Amber Gold / Various voices | Voice, 3 episodes |
2013–19
| Herself / Emma Folsom | 8 episodes |
rowspan=4|2014
| Season 5 (1 episode) |
data-sort-value="Boondocks, The" | The Boondocks
| Various voices | Episode: "The New Black" |
Saint Francis
| Stephanie Quinlan | Pilot |
Key & Peele
| Det. Sally Ferguson | Episode: "Sex Detective" |
2014, 2016
| Viola | Voice, 2 episodes |
rowspan="6"| 2015
| Down Dog | Amanda Asher | Pilot |
Kroll Show
| Bobby's Mom | Episode: "The In Addition Tos" |
Community
| Season 6 (13 episodes) |
Moonbeam City
| Charisma Miller, Sophistica Miller | Voice, episode: "Lasers & Liars" |
W/ Bob & David
| Charlene Boyeur | Episode: "Episode 1" |
Justice League: Gods and Monsters Chronicles
| Lois Lane | Voice, episode: "Bomb" |
2015–18
| Dodo Bellacourt | Seasons 1–3 (22 episodes) |
2015–16
| Sara Kingsley | Season 1 (22 episodes) |
2016, 2021–22
| Gretchen Mercer, others | Voice, 3 episodes |
2016
| Mrs. Claus | Voice, episode: "Lost in the Mall" |
2017
| Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders | Emily Prentiss | Episode: "Type A" |
2018
| Veronica Victorious | Voice, episode: "Mall of Shame" |
2018–21
| Voice, main role |
2019
| Mom | Veronica Stone | Season 7 (3 episodes) |
2019–20
| Paige Sinclair | Voice, 4 episodes |
2020
| 2 episodes |
2021–2022
| Birdgirl | Judy Ken Sebben / Birdgirl | Voice, main role |
2021–present
| Narrator |
rowspan="3"|2022
|Lori |Episode: "The Good Mom" |
Tuca & Bertie
| | Voice, episode: "Leaf Raking" |
data-sort-value="Great North, The" | The Great North
|Ms. Anderson |Voice, episode: "Arranger-ous Minds Adventure" |
2024
|Jarnglumra |Voice, episode: "The Bride-Price"{{cite web|url=https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/tv-shows/Twilight-of-the-Gods/Jarnglumra/|title=Jarnglumra|work=behindthevoiceactors.com|accessdate=September 24, 2024}} |
2025
|Chira |Voice, episode: “Don Tyxote” |
Web
class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="width=95%;" |
Year
! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |
---|
2021
|Alpha Betas |Allison / Emily | Voice, episode: "This Is Alpha Team" |
References
{{reflist|2}}
External links
{{commons category}}
- {{IMDb name|0108295}}
- {{Twitter}}
- {{TV Guide person|paget-brewster/168761}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brewster, Paget}}
Category:20th-century American actresses
Category:20th-century American singers
Category:20th-century American women singers
Category:21st-century American actresses
Category:21st-century American women singers
Category:21st-century American singers
Category:Actresses from Massachusetts
Category:American film actresses
Category:American stage actresses
Category:American television actresses
Category:American voice actresses
Category:People from Concord, Massachusetts
Category:Middlesex School alumni