Christa Miller-Lawrence (; born May 28, 1964) is an American actress known for her roles in television comedies. Her foremost roles include Kate O'Brien in the ABC sitcom The Drew Carey Show, Jordan Sullivan in the NBC/ABC comedy series Scrubs, Ellie Torres in the ABC/TBS sitcom Cougar Town, Liz Bishop in the Apple TV+ comedy drama Shrinking and voicing Cleopatra "Cleo" Smith and Candide Sampson in Clone High. She has also appeared in Seinfeld, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and CSI: Miami.
Early life Miller's days as a child model were curtailed after an operation for a benign bone tumor. After attending Convent of the Sacred Heart, she returned briefly to modeling, but soon took acting lessons, and gave up modeling when she moved to Los Angeles in 1990.
Career Miller's first role on television was in Kate & Allie, which starred her real-life aunt, Susan Saint James.tcm.com She then appeared in episodes of Northern Exposure, Fresh Prince of Bel Air, and Party of Five. She had a small role in the horror film Stepfather III (1992) with Priscilla Barnes.
She later appeared twice on Seinfeld, as two different characters. In the 1993 episode "The Sniffing Accountant", she played the prospective boss of George Costanza. She had intended to be a dramatic actress, and this role proved to be a turning point for Miller, who realized how much she enjoyed comedy. Two years later, she returned to Seinfeld in "The Doodle" to play George's girlfriend, Paula. This episode proved to be a boon to her career, as she convinced co-creator Larry David to provide her with a rough-cut video of the still-unaired episode when she auditioned for The Drew Carey Show, whose producers had initially thought she was too inexperienced. David's support helped Miller win over the producers of The Drew Carey Show,Rizzo, Carita. "Before They Were Stars", TV Guide, January 3, 2011, page 23 who cast her as Kate O'Brien, whom she played from 1995 to 2002.
In 2001, Miller's husband, writer-producer Bill Lawrence, conceived a new comedy drama, Scrubs. Miller was cast in a guest role as Dr. Cox's (John C. McGinley) acerbic ex-wife Jordan Sullivan. Originally, the character was intended to appear in only one episode; in season 2, the role became recurring. Miller also was the voice of Cleopatra in the short-lived animated show Clone High. She had a leading role in the 2008 two-part TV miniseries The Andromeda Strain. She also appeared in the CSI: Miami episode Divorce Party.
In 2009, Miller began starring on Cougar Town, a sitcom created and produced by her husband, and starring Courteney Cox, with whom Miller worked in a three-part story-arc of season 8 of Scrubs.
Since 2023, Miller portrays Liz Bishop on the Apple TV series Shrinking.
Personal life Miller married Bill Lawrence in 1999. They have three children, including singer / actor Charlotte Lawrence.
Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes1994Death of a CheerleaderTerri 1995 Love and Happiness 1997 Kiss & Tell Alex Stoddard 1999 Smiling Fish and Goat on Fire Kathy 2000 The Operator Janice Wheelan 2016 Hot Air Kate 2018 Breaking In Maggie Harris
Television Year Title Role Notes 1985, 1988 Kate & Allie Student Episode: "Allie's Affair" Blair Episodes: "Allie Doesn't Live Here Anymore" and "The Odd Couples" 1990 Northern Exposure Laurie Batan Episode: "Soapy Sanderson" 1992 Stepfather III Beth Davis Television film 1993, 1995 Seinfeld Ellen Episode: "The Sniffing Accountant" Paula Episode: "The Doodle" 1994 A Friend to Die For Terri Television film 1994 The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Girl Episode: "Who's the Boss?" 1994 Party of Five Theresa Episode: "Much Ado" 1995–2002 The Drew Carey Show Kate O'Brien Series regular, 183 episodes 2001–2010 Scrubs Jordan Sullivan Recurring role, 90 episodesNominated — Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film (2003–04)Also music supervisor 2002–2003;2023–2024 Clone High Cleopatra "Cleo" Smith (voice) Series regular, 13 episodes Candide Sampson (voice) Series regular, season 2–3 2008 The Andromeda Strain Dr. Angela Noyce Miniseries 2009 CSI: Miami Amy Lansing Episode: "Divorce Party" 2009–2015 Cougar Town Ellie Torres Series regular, 102 episodesGracie Award for Outstanding Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Comedy Series (2014)Also music supervisor 2015 Undateable Ally/Jackie 3 episodes 2019 Whiskey Cavalier Kelly Ashland Episode: "Two of a Kind"2020–2023Ted Lasso Music supervisor, 18 episodes 2021 Head of the Class Principal Maris Recurring role 2023–present Shrinking Liz Bishop Series regular, also music supervisor 2026–present Scrubs Jordan Sullivan Guest role (season 1); Recurring role (season 2)
Music videos Year Title Artist(s) Role 2022 "Morning" Charlotte Lawrence Mom
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