Penny Johnson Jerald (born March 14 1961) is an American actress with an extensive career in film and television, best known for her portrayals of Beverly Barnes on The Larry Sanders Show, of Kasidy Yates on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and of Sherry Palmer on 24. She is often credited (as on DS9) as Penny Johnson.

Trained at the Juilliard School, Jerald began her career with small guest roles, and appeared in Do The Right Thing in 1989,The Paper Chase from 1984 to 1986 and General Hospital in 1986, before she became recognized world over playing the title character's indispensable, unflappable personal assistant Beverly Barnes on The Larry Sanders Show. Throughout the 1990s, Jerald guest starred in many television series such as Parker Lewis Can't Lose, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Grace Under Fire, Cosby and Family Law.

Following Larry Sanders, Jerald appeared in the 1997 film Absolute Power and guest starred in 17 episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine playing adventurous freighter captain Kasidy Yates, who was also the romantic interest for the series' main character Benjamin Sisko, a role which she held from 1995 to the show's end in 1999. She also had a recurring guest role on ER playing Lynette Evans from 1998 to 1999. She then appeared as Roscoe Dellums in the Emmy Award winning TV movie "The Color of Friendship."

More recently, Jerald has guest starred on Frasier, The Practice, Touched by an Angel and The X-Files. Jerald earned her most well-recognised role in 2001 when she appeared in the pilot episode of the Kiefer Sutherland-led FOX series, 24, playing Sherry Palmer, the wife of Senator David Palmer. Given that each season of the show takes place over the course of one day, most actors on 24 are restricted to one or two outfits. To date, Jerald is the only real exception to this rule, having worn around six different costumes in the first season, two in the second season and at least three in the third season.

In 2003, Jerald played Condoleezza Rice in DC 9/11: Time of Crisis, a TV movie about the September 11 terrorist attacks. She reprised the role in the miniseries The Path to 9/11, which aired September 10-11, 2006, another TV movie about the September 11 terrorist attacks. Jerald also teaches acting workshops and produces and directs for Outreach Christian Theater Company, which she and her musician husband Gralin Jerald founded in 1994. The Jeralds have been married since 1982 and have one adult daughter, Danyel.

Jerald also guest-starred on the sitcom Eve, playing Shelly's mother Beverly. As of 2007, Penny currently has a recurring role on ABC midseason drama October Road.

Trivia

Penny Johnson Jerald appeared with her 24 co-star Dennis Haysbert in the Clint Eastwood-directed Absolute Power.

She appeared with Megalyn Echikunwoke, who played her character's daughter Nicole Palmer in 24, in the sci-fi TV series The 4400. The characters they play, Rebecca Parrish and Isabelle Tyler, respectively, were allegedly killed in a stand-off in "The Great Leap Forward", the final episode of season four.

External links

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DS9 cast

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