American actress Jennifer Lien was born on August 24, 1974 in Chicago, Illinois. The youngest of three children, she moved to New York in order to pursue her acting career when she was just 16 years old. She began her work in the entertainment industry in 1990, doing voice work for the English language version of Baby Blood. After a small role on the series Brewster Place, she landed the part of Hannah Moore on Another World. This gained her exposure, and she continued to receive several roles afterwards.
In the early 1990s, Jennifer Lien was cast as Valerie Fox on the pilot episode of The Critic. Though this didn’t go on, she landed the part of Roanne on several installments of the series Phenom. In 1996, she voiced a character on the animated series Duckman: Private Dick/Family Man and later lent her voice to the character Elise Lenoir on The Real Adventures of Johnny Quest. In 1997, she became the voice behind Inza Lenson on Superman: The Animated Series. In addition to that, she was seen on films like Hoofboy and SLC Punk!, before she voiced a character on the film The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride.
Her breakthrough role came in 1995, when she landed the part of Kes on the hit sci-fi series Star Trek: Voyager. She continued to play the role until 2000, but she worked on other projects as well. One of Lien’s most notable big screen appearances was in American History X. The film that dealt with Neo-Nazi and racist issues enabled Lien to work alongside Edward Norton and Edward Furlong, taking on the role of Davina Vinyard. Following that and the finale of Star Trek: Voyager, Lien portrayed a nurse on the dramatic comedy Rubbernecking. She also rose to fame voicing the character Agent L on Men in Black: The Series. In 2003, she lent her voice to Alora of the series Battle Force: Andromeda. Another work credited to Jennifer Lien is her work in Adam Sandler’s comedy album They’re All Gonna Laugh At You, wherein she played the Valedictorian in the track “The Buffoon and the Valedictorian.”
- My mom is a real inspiration.
- I am a woman, and that plays a part in my performance. But I don't think about my role in a male/female sort of way. I just act.
- Star Trek has always been a widely respected television show and I was definitely interested in being part of something of such quality. When I read the pilot script it became obvious to me that Kes is a well-rounded character with a lot of potential.