Nana Visitor


Nana Tucker, known professionally as Nana Visitor, is an American actress, known for playing Kira Nerys in the television series and Jean Ritter in the television series Wildfire.

Early life

Nana Tucker was born July 26, 1957 in New York City, the daughter of Nenette Charisse, a ballet teacher, and Robert Tucker, a choreographer; she is a niece of actress/dancer Cyd Charisse.

Career

Visitor began her acting career in the 1970s on the Broadway stage in such productions as My One and Only. Her film debut came in the 1977 horror film The Sentinel. On television, Visitor co-starred in the short-lived 1976 sitcom Ivan the Terrible and from 1978 to 1982 had short-lived regular roles on three soap operas: Ryan's Hope, The Doctors, and One Life to Live. She adopted the stage name "Nana Visitor" in the early 1980s.
In 1984, she appeared in a season two episode of Hunter. In 1985, Visitor made appearances on the television series MacGyver, in the season one episode "Hellfire" as Laura Farren, and in the season two episode "DOA: MacGyver" as Carol Varnay. She also made an appearance in the fourth-season Remington Steele episode titled "Steele Blushing" the same year. In 1986, she appeared in "Hills of Fire", a fourth-season episode of Knight Rider, as well as third-season Highway to Heaven episodes "Love at Second Sight" and "Love and Marriage, Part II" as Margret Swann.
In 1987, Visitor appeared as Ellen Dolan in a failed television pilot for Will Eisner's pulp comic creation The Spirit, starring Sam J. Jones as the title character and Garry Walberg as her father, Commissioner Dolan.
In 1988, she made a guest appearance on the sitcom Night Court as a mental patient who is obsessed with the movies. That same year, she made a guest appearance on the television series In the Heat of the Night as the owner of the Sparta newspaper. She also made a guest appearance that year in an episode of Matlock. In 1989, Visitor appeared as a guest on the fifth episode of the television series Doogie Howser, M.D. as Charmagne, a rock star who has a throat nodule removed at Doogie's hospital, and as Miles Drentell's glamorous girlfriend, in "Success", a 1989 episode of Thirtysomethings second season.
In 1990, Visitor co-starred with Sandra Bullock in the short-lived sitcom Working Girl, which was based on the feature film of the same name.
From 1993 to 1999, Visitor appeared on ' as Major Kira Nerys, a former freedom fighter/terrorist from the planet Bajor, who fought against the occupation of her world by the Cardassians. After the occupation ended, she was appointed as first officer to the series' eponymous space station, built by the Cardassians and turned over to Starfleet management.
After DS9 ended, Visitor had a recurring role as villain Dr. Elizabeth Renfro on the television series Dark Angel and starred as Roxie Hart in the touring and Broadway companies of the musical Chicago. Visitor was then cast as Jean Ritter on the ABC Family series Wildfire, which premiered on June 20, 2005.
In 2008, she appeared as Emily Kowalski, a dying cancer patient in "Faith", an episode of the re-imagined Battlestar Galacticas fourth season. Visitor had a small role as Pamela Voorhees in the 2009 version of Friday the 13th. She has also lent her voice in a few guest appearances on the sitcom Family Guy, such as Rita in the episode "Brian's Got a Brand New Bag", and as the voice of the Enterprise in "Extra Large Medium". In 2011, she had a small part in the Hammer Horror film The Resident, playing the realtor. She appeared in
' episodes 7 and 8. In 2012, she appeared as Dr. Patty Barker, a canine psychotherapist, in "An Embarrassment of Bitches", a season four episode of ABC's ''Castle.

Personal life

Visitor was married to Nick Miscusi from 1989 to 1994. They have one child together. Visitor began dating her Star Trek: Deep Space Nine co-star Alexander Siddig and married him in June 1997. They divorced in April 2001. They had a son together, and her pregnancy was incorporated into her character and the series storyline, beginning in the 1996 fourth-season episode "Body Parts |Body Parts". She gave birth to her son Django on September 16, 1996, during production of the episode "The Assignment |The Assignment", though her character would remain pregnant until the fifth-season episode "The Begotten". In early 2002, Visitor became engaged to Matthew Rimmer, company manager for the musical Chicago, and they wed in April 2003.
Visitor and her Star Trek: Deep Space Nine co-star Terry Farrell were honored in 2001 when William Kwong Yu Yeung named two Small Solar System bodies he had discovered after them - asteroid 26733 Nanavisitor and asteroid 26734 Terryfarrell.

Filmography

Film

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1976Ivan the TerribleSvetlana PetrovskyFive episodes
1978–1979Ryan's HopeNancy FeldmanUnknown episodes
1982One Life to LiveGeorgina WhitmanUnknown episodes
1985HunterAmy LaurtonEpisode: "The Biggest Man In Town"
1985MacGyverLaura FarrenEpisode: "Hellfire"
1986Knight RiderSandra RuskEpisode: "Hills of Fire"
1986Highway to HeavenMargaret SwannTwo episodes
1987MacGyverCarol VarnayEpisode: "D.O.A.: MacGyver"
1987MatlockVanessa DouglasEpisode: "The Best Friend"
1987The ColbysGeorgina SinclairFour episodes
1987Scarecrow and Mrs. KingFelicia McMastersEpisode: "Do You Take This Spy?"
1988Night CourtMs. SandersEpisode: "Educating Rhoda"
1988In the Heat of the NightEvieEpisode: "Fate"
1989MatlockErin Whitley / Shannon BlackwellEpisode: "The Other Woman"
1989Doogie Howser, M.D.CharmagneEpisode: "The Short Goodbye"
1990Working GirlBryn NewhouseUnknown episodes
1990Murder, She WroteMarcia McPheeEpisode: "See You in Court, Baby"
1993MatlockDr. Clara FarmingtonEpisode: "The Divorce"
1993–1999'Kira NerysOFTA Television Award for Best Actress in a Syndicated Series
174 episodes
1998The Outer LimitsCecilia FairmanEpisode: "In Our Own Image"
2001Dark AngelElizabeth RenfroSix episodes
2003FrasierSharonEpisode: "Daphne Does Dinner"
2004According to JimVeronicaEpisode: "Who's the Boss?"
2005–2008WildfireJean RitterUnknown episodes
2008Battlestar GalacticaEmily KowalskiEpisode: "Faith"
2009–2014Family GuyRita/Woman in restaurant/Nancy Pelosi/Justin's Mom/Kate's Mom 12 episodes
2011'Olivia ColasantoEpisodes: "Immortal Sins", "End of the Road"
2011GrimmMelissa WincroftEpisode: "Beeware"
2017DynastyDiana DavisEpisode: "Company Slut"
2019Killer GrandmaYvonne Hutcherson

Stage

Video games

Web series