Actress Profile:

Merrin Dungey has been performing all her life. She started at the age of
four with ballet and danced all the way into her teens. She performed in
piano recitals throughout her childhood and also competed as an ice skater.

Aside from the occasional school musical, Merrin didn?t really start acting
until she was 18 years old and hosted a local teen talk show. That
opportunity lead to several commercials, but she put everything on hold
when she was accepted to UCLA.

When she was a sophomore, Merrin became the youngest person to ever win the
UCLA School of Theater?s top acting prize at their Annual Acting Awards
ceremony.After graduation, she continued to hone her skills, studying with
Milton Katselas, who helped her develop her one-woman show, "Black Like
Who?," for the HBO Comedy Workspace.

Due to the overwhelming success of that show, Merrin signed with the William
Morris Agency. Since then, she has guest starred on numerous television
series, including "Friends," "Seinfeld," "Murphy Brown," "City of Angels"
and "ER"; and had recurring roles on "Malcolm in the Middle" and "The King
of Queens." As a stand-up comic, she has performed in the Montreal Comedy
Festival and on "Premium Blend" for Comedy Central. She also appeared in
the film, "EdTV," directed by Ron Howard.

Merrin resides in Los Angeles.

Source: ABC.com