Karen Sillas

Karen Sillas
Born
New York City, U.S.
OccupationActress
Spouses
​
​
(m. 1989; div. 2006)​
Ivan Menchell
​
​
(m. 2007)​
Children2

Karen Sillas (/ˈsɪləs/) is an American stage and film actress.

Early life

The daughter of a Greek father and a Swedish mother, Sillas was born in Brooklyn.[1] She graduated from the Acting Conservatory of the State University of New York at Purchase.

Career

Sillas appeared in Hal Hartley's 1992 film Simple Men. In 1994, she starred in What Happened Was..., which won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival and launched Sillas into primetime television.[citation needed] In CBS's critically acclaimed[2][3] detective series Under Suspicion, Sillas portrayed Rose Phillips, the only female detective in an otherwise male-dominated squad room.[4] Sillas and Tom Noonan appeared in a virtual interview conducted by the film critic Sheila O'Malley, hosted by Film Forum, February 9, 2021, discussing the re-release of the digitized version of What Happened Was... on Film Forum's YouTube channel.[5]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1984 Kid Patsy Short film
1987 The Cartographer's Girlfriend Short film
1990 Trust Nurse Paine
1991 Liebestraum Nurse #3
1992 Simple Men Kate
1994 What Happened Was... Jackie Marsh
1994 Risk Maya
1995 Flirt Doctor Clint
1996 Female Perversions Renee
1998 Sour Grapes Joan
1998 Reach the Rock Donna
1999 Bad Money Jan Wells
2014 Ned Rifle Alice Gardner
2015 Stuff Trish Murdoch
2021 T11 Incomplete Kate Murphy

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1990 Monsters Ellen Episode: "Bug House"
1994 Law & Order Cynthia Thomas Episode: "Big Bang"
1994 Under Suspicion Detective Rose Phillips Lead character, 18 episodes
1996 The Beast Lt. Kathryn Marcus TV movie
1997 Night Sins Dr. Hannah Garrison TV movie
1997 Lies He Told Alyson Haywood TV movie
1999 The Sopranos Debbie Episode: "Nobody Knows Anything"
2003 CSI Miami Belle King Episode: "Dead Woman Walking"
2004 Without a Trace Martha Stanley Episode: "Legacy"
Law & Order: Criminal Intent Beth Landau Episode: "Consumed"
2005 Wanted Mariah Belichek 8 episodes

References

  1. ^ Brady, James (April 2, 1995). "In Step with: Karen Sillas". Wisconsin State Journal. Wisconsin, Madison. Parade Magazine. p. 140. Retrieved June 22, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ Jicha, Tom (September 16, 1994). "'Under Suspicion' Is A Prime Concept". Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved March 3, 2011.
  3. ^ Tucker, Ken (September 23, 1994). "TV Review: Under Suspicion". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on May 25, 2007. Retrieved March 3, 2011.
  4. ^ Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 1127. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7.
  5. ^ "WHAT HAPPENED WAS... Virtual Q&A with Filmmaker Tom Noonan and Actress Karen Sillas". YouTube. February 9, 2021. Archived from the original on December 13, 2021. Retrieved September 23, 2021.