Kirsten Vangsness' Main TV Roles Show Character(s) Criminal Minds Penelope Ga… Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior Penelope Ga…

Main Movie Roles 2009 - In My Sleep

BIOGRAPHY:

Kirsten Simone Vangsness,an American actress, was born in Pasadena, CA to parents Errol Leroy Vangsness (born 5 Feb. 1938 in Milwaukee, WI) and wife Barbara Mary, née Marconi (born 1 Dec. 1942 in Philadelphia, PA). Her father is of Norwegian descent with roots in Gol and Sogn..

She graduated from Cerritos High School in Cerritos, California in June 1990.

Vangsness got her first big break in the theater where she won several awards, including the 15 Minutes of Female Best Actress Award, the Los Angeles Drama Critics Award for Best Emerging Comic Actress and the Golden Betty Award.

She is currently appearing on the CBS drama series Criminal Minds as FBI Technical Analyst Penelope Garcia. She also portrayed the same character on the spin-off, Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior. She is also a writer, and her work has been published in the Los Angeles Times Magazine.


TRIVIA:

• She is a solo performer and her writing has been published in the Los Angeles Times Magazine.
• She is a member of Theatre of NOTE in Los Angeles, California, and continues to perform there.
• Was updated as a featured performer in the 2006 season of Criminal Minds.
• Her day jobs included substitute teacher, child counselor, restaurant hostess, personal assistant, grant writer, and murder mystery dinner theater actress. Her first paid acting job was a Diet Dr. Pepper commercial.
• In 2005, she won the LA Drama Critics Circle Natalie Shafer Award for Best Emerging Comedic Actress. The award was given to her on March 21, 2005, at the Coronet THeatre.