Reiko Aylesworth as
Michelle Dessler Reiko Aylesworth was born on December 9, 1972 in Chicago, Illinois. She is part-Dutch, part-Welsh and part-Japanese. At the age of 13, Aylesworth relocated to Seattle, Washington, where she attended the University of Washington. She then spent one year performing as Wendy in a stage production of Peter Pan at the Intiman Theater Company.
Her participation in the play opened new doors for Aylesworth, as she was subsequently given the chance to try out for the popular soap opera,
One Life to Live . From there, she landed small roles in the films Random Hearts and You've Got Mail, and guest appeared in other television series, such as
Law & Order ,
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit ,
The Dead Zone , Now and Again,
The West Wing , All Souls and American Embassy.
Aylesworth expressed great interest in the popular television drama, 24, but when she auditioned in 2001 for the role of Nina Meyers, she was turned down and the part was given to actress Sarah Clarke. Aylesworth persevered and again auditioned for the show in 2002, this time for the role of Kate Warner. However, instead of securing the role, the producers offered her the part of recurring character Michelle Dessler instead. Aylesworth stayed with the show for almost five seasons, and despite the pleas of numerous fans, was written out of the show at the beginning of the fifth season. In one discussion about her character, Aylesworth remarked, “that's another thing. It's a great opportunity to play an intelligent, strong-willed woman. But also compassionate. It was important.”
After her appearance on 24, Aylesworth continued to work on other productions, such as the television series Conviction, and
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation , the play The Fearless and the films Mr. Brooks (where she acted opposite Kevin Costner) and The Killing Floor. At the beginning of 2007, she portrayed Simone Cashwell, head of rock star Mick Jagger's security detail, in the comedy series, The Knights of Prosperity.