Erica Fawn Gimpel (born June 25, 1964) is an American actress, singer, dancer, and composer. She is best known for her roles on television shows Fame as Coco Hernandez[2] and on Profiler as Angel Brown. She is also known for her recurring roles on the television shows ER as Adele Newman and on Veronica Mars as Alicia Fennel. From 2018 to 2020, Gimpel had a series regular role as Trish on the series God Friended Me.

Erica Gimpel
Erica Gimpel, Joseph Gimpel (her father) and Phyllis Bash (her mother) singing Our Love Is Here to Stay (2018)
Born
Erica Fawn Gimpel

(1964-06-25) June 25, 1964 (age 60)[1]
New York City, U.S.
EducationHigh School of Performing Arts
Occupations
  • Actress
  • singer
  • dancer
Years active1982–present
Known for

Gimpel was a judge on RTÉ One's Fame: The Musical, an Irish TV talent show seeking a boy and a girl to play Nick and Serena respectively in the Irish touring production of Fame.[3]

In January 2010, Gimpel released her first CD, Spread your Wings and Fly.

Personal life

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Gimpel was born in Manhattan, New York City in 1964. She graduated from New York's High School of Performing Arts a few months after she started filming her role as a student at the same school for the television show Fame. She had toured the United States and Europe with her mother, singer Phyllis Bash, who was in the opera Porgy and Bess. Her father was Joseph Gimpel, an actor, singer and writer.

Career

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Film and television

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Gimpel has starred in numerous primetime and streaming shows including NCIS: New Orleans, Chicago Med, Grey's Anatomy, Shut Eye, True Blood, Criminal Minds, Nikita, Rizzoli & Isles, House, ER, Profiler, and Veronica Mars. One of Gimpel's favorite projects was playing Trish on the CBS drama God Friended Me for two seasons. She played Ellie Fielding in Mayfair Witches and Brittany Arrington on The Night Agent.

On film, she has appeared in Tuesday Morning Ride (1995), Smoke, King of New York, No Such Thing, Freaky Friday, Romeo and Juliet in Harlem, and Sylvie's Love, and in the independent feature Bang Bang (2023).

Theater

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Theater credits include originating the role of Mayme in Lynn Nottage's award-winning Intimate Apparel.,[4] Glory Bee in States of Shock,[5] and Nelly in Each Day Dies With Sleep.[6] Gimpel received the Stage Raw Award for Best Solo Performance for her work in the one-woman play Sister by Michael Phillip Edwards.[7]

Music

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Gimpel composed and performed the song "This Moment" on God Friended Me. She also co-wrote and performed the song "Goodbye" on Babylon 5.

Filmography

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Film

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YearTitleRoleNotes
1988Case ClosedKathyTV movie
1990King of New YorkDr. Shute
Penny Ante: The Motion PictureDale Martinez
1991HomicideWoman with Randolph
UndertowNina
1994The FenceJackie
AmateurIrate Woman
1995SmokeDoreen Cole
FlirtNurse
Tuesday Morning RideModineShort
The Price of LoveOfficer HudsonTV movie
1996Sticks & StonesMiss William
1997Touch MeKareen
1999Santa and PeteCassie MooreTV movie
Intimate BetrayalToniTV movie
2001No Such ThingJudy
ImpostorNewscaster No. 1
2003Freaky FridayHarry's Teacher
2004In Your EyesYolie
A Boyfriend for ChristmasBethTV movie
Betty's TreatsMrs. WilsonShort
Beck and CallLeahTV Short
2006Jane Doe: The Harder They FallMargaret MonroeTV movie
2007The ListGail
2009Veronika Decides to DieNurse White
Blue EyesSandra
2010Machete JoeErica
2013Tio PapiDet. Johnson
2015Cloudy with a Chance of LoveDr. Ruth HarrisTV movie
Sex, Death and BowlingShanti
2017Romeo and Juliet in HarlemNurse[8]
2020Sylvie's LoveEunice
2021Far MoreShanti
2024Bang BangSharon[9]

Television

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YearTitleRoleNotes
1982–87FameCoco HernandezMain Cast: Season 1–3, Guest: Season 4 & 6
1985Spenser: For HireShelleyEpisode: "Original Sin"
North and SouthSemiramisMain Cast
1986North and South, Book IISemiramisMain Cast
1988The Cosby ShowJenniferEpisode: "Waterworks"
1990American PlayhouseWendyEpisode: "Women & Wallace"
1994Law & OrderTempletonEpisode: "Breeder"
Touched by an AngelSydney JessupEpisode: "Tough Love"
1995New York UndercoverMelindaEpisode: "The Smoking Section"
1996Babylon 5CailynEpisode: "Walkabout"
1996–99ProfilerAngel BrownMain Cast: Season 1–3, Recurring Cast: Season 3-4
1997The Big EasyFelice CarlyleEpisode: "Driving Ms. Money"
1997–03ERAdele NewmanRecurring Cast: Season 3-4 & 6–8, Guest: Season 9
1999Any Day NowLaura SandersEpisode: "A Parent's Job"
2000The DistrictElla's LawyerEpisode: "The Real Terrorist" & "How They Lived"
2001RoswellFBI Agent Suzanne DuffRecurring Cast: Season 2
2002Touched by an AngelSydney JessupEpisode: "The Last Chapter"
MDsAllison GreelyEpisode: "Cruel and Unusual"
2003–04JAGVarese ChestnutEpisode: "A Merry Little Christmas" & "What If"
2004The DivisionAimee BreckridgeEpisode: "Bite Me"
2004–06Veronica MarsAlicia FennelRecurring Cast: Season 1-2
2005EverwoodDr. GansEpisode: "Surprise"
2006HouseElizabeth StoneEpisode: "Failure to Communicate"
Numb3rsPrincipal Riva BellEpisode: "Waste Not"
Criminal MindsSarahEpisode: "Profiler, Profiled"
2006–07Boston LegalAttorney Samantha FriedRecurring Cast: Season 2, Guest: Season 3
2007Close to HomeDr. UdellEpisode: "Protégé"
Murder 101: If Wishes Were HorsesPolice Sgt. Joanne MattersonEpisode: "If Wishes Were Horses"
2008Eleventh HourLizzie SummersEpisode: "Cardiac"
2009Grey's AnatomyBethany AndersonEpisode: "Invest in Love"
2011Prime SuspectPrincipalEpisode: "Wednesday's Child"
The Young and the RestlessDet. Harriet MauroRegular Cast
2011–12Rizzoli & IslesER DoctorGuest Cast: Season 2-3
2012NikitaCarla BennettRecurring Cast: Season 2
Criminal MindsSarahEpisode: "The Company"
True BloodFaerie ElderEpisode: "Sunset"
2013CultGinny YarrowEpisode: "The Good Fight" & "The Devil You Know"
2014Switched at BirthYvette GiffordEpisode: "Have You Really the Courage?"
EnormousCarolineEpisode: "Enormous"
2015Code BlackAlice SellersEpisode: "Black Tag"
2016The CatchRenée EtheridgeEpisode: "The Larágan Gambit"
Murder in the FirstCorinne HagerEpisode: "The Barbers of Seville"
2017Shut EyeAgent SimsRecurring Cast: Season 2
2018Chicago MedLydia SingletonEpisode: "An Inconvenient Truth"
2018–20God Friended MeTrishaRecurring Cast: Season 1, Main Cast: Season 2
2021NCIS New OrleansLynette CarterEpisode: "Leda and the Swan, Part 1 & 2"
20229-1-1Pauline BarrettEpisode: "Fear-o-phobia"
2023Mayfair WitchesEllieRecurring Cast
The Night AgentBrittany ArringtonEpisode: "The Marionette"

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "This day in history". Boston.com. June 25, 2011. Retrieved December 20, 2011.[permanent dead link]
  2. ^ Rothenberg, Fred (January 7, 1982). "'Fame' Series Pilot 'Sparkling'". The Sumter Daily Item. Archived from the original on October 15, 2021. Retrieved December 20, 2011.
  3. ^ Sweeney, Ken (January 23, 2010). "'Fame' beckons as 1980s star Coco seeks new talent". Irish Independent. Archived from the original on September 8, 2010. Retrieved December 20, 2011.
  4. ^ Bandler, Michael J. "Intimate Apparel". TheaterMania.com. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  5. ^ "States of Shock". IOBDB.com Internet off-broadway database. IOBDB. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  6. ^ "Each Day Dies with Sleep". Internet Off-Broadway Database. IOBDB.
  7. ^ "2nd Annual 'Stage Raw' Awards Winners Announced". broadwayworld.com. Broadway World. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  8. ^ "Romeo and Juliet in Harlem". imdb.com. IMDB. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  9. ^ "Bang Bang". IMDB. IMDB. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
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