American actress Emily Procter was born on October 8, 1968 in Raleigh, North Carolina. A journalism graduate of East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina, she began her career as a weather anchor at a local television station. She then moved to Los Angeles, where she hoped to make it big in show business. Her father paid for her acting training for the first two years, and before graduation, she has already appeared in several small roles. After a role in the short-lived comedy Platypus Man—her acting debut—she appeared in films such as Leaving Las Vegas, Crosscut and Jerry Maguire, and has made guest appearances in Friends and, memorably, as Lana Lang in Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, the first blonde to play the role anywhere.
In 1999, Procter was cast in the television drama The West Wing. She played the recurring role of Ainsley Hayes, the conservative Associate White House Counsel who impressed President Josiah Bartler (Martin Sheen) during a debate. Her character has a tendency to speak in an odd rhythm when nervous, and is also terrified of meeting with the President, more because of his liberal beliefs as opposed to her conservative upbringing.
A bigger breakthrough for Procter, however, came in 2002, when she was asked to join the cast of the CSI spin-off series CSI: Miami. She plays Detective Calleigh Duquesne, a ballistics expert whose sunny disposition and eternally optimistic outlook in life led to her being described by colleagues as “too happy.” Nevertheless, this attitude has never gotten in the way of her solving crimes and apprehending criminals.
Procter’s other credits include films such as Body Shots, The Big Tease, Turnover and Big Momma’s House 2, as well as television guest roles for shows like Just Shoot Me!, Early Edition, CSI and CSI: New York.
-Emily has stated that she likes to collect animal art pieces that she can use in her decorating.
-Emily has stated that she enjoys going to garage sales and flea markets in her free time.
-In a brief summary of the episode of CSI: Miami titled "Big Brother" in the "TV Week" section of the New York Post on Sunday, November 16th, 2003, her name was misspelled 'Emily Popper'.
-I like to watch people who I feel aren't aware of being watched. My favorite actors are that way.
-I think that's one of the greatest assests that you can have in life is for people to think that you could be stupid, because they don't expect much of you, so everything you do is a surprise.
-The first thing I'd do is give Calleigh a beer. That girl needs to relax.