Mary Elizabeth Chieffo(born November 7, 1992) is an American actress known for portraying theKlingonL'Rellon the television seriesStar Trek: Discovery.[1]
Mary Chieffo | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | November 7, 1992 |
| Education | Juilliard School(BFA) |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1998–present |
| Mother | Beth Grant |
Personal life
editChieffo was born on November 7, 1992,[2]inLos Angeles, California.[3]She grew up in the neighborhood ofValley Village, Los Angelesin California, only daughter of actors Michael Chieffo andBeth Grant.[3]
She attended the Drama division ofJuilliard Schoolin New York City, earning aBachelor of Fine Artsdegree in 2015.[4]One of her classmates was futureStar Trek: DiscoverycastmateMary Wiseman.[5]
Chieffo came out publicly as a lesbian on the red carpet prior to theStar Trek Dayevent held September 8, 2021, at theSkirball Cultural CenterinLos Angeles, California.[6]She later clarified that she identifies as "panromanticdemisexualand proudly in a lesbian relationship ".[7]A few days later, she confirmed via herTwitterfeed that she was dating writer and actor Madi Goff.[8]Chieffo wrote the introduction essay for the 2023 edition ofMarvel's Voices: Pride#1,[9]reflecting on the need for queer representation in media.[10]
Career
editHer first high profile acting position was onStar Trek: Discovery,where she played the recurring character ofL'Rell,aKlingonwarrior and spy who becomes leader of theKlingon Empireat the end ofSeason 1.[11]Her writing and producing debut wasOperation Othello,avirtual realityadaptation ofShakespeare'sOthello,where she also plays Lt.Iagoin a gender twist from the original play.[12]In 2022 she reprised her role as Iago in "Iago: The Green Eyed Monster", a 6-minute futuristic musical AR prequel to Othello, nominated for "Best Immersive Experience" in the 2022Tribeca Festival.[13]In 2024, she voiced a Klingon in an episode of the animated showStar Trek: Lower Decks.
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017–19 | Star Trek: Discovery | L'Rell[14] | recurring character (13 episodes) |
| 2020 | Operation Othello | EnsignIago | VR TV movie, she was also the writer and producer.[12] |
| 2022 | Iago: The Green Eyed Monster | Iago | VR short movie, she was also the writer and director.[13] |
| 2024 | Star Trek: Lower Decks | K'Elarra[15][16][17] | Voice, Episode: "A Farewell to Farms" |
References
edit- ^"'Star Trek: Discovery's' Mary Chieffo transforms into Klingon L'Rell ".USA Today.September 25, 2017.
- ^"Mary Chieffo on Twitter".RetrievedAugust 28,2018.
- ^ab"At Home With Beth Grant".HGTV.RetrievedNovember 4,2016.
- ^"Chieffo on the Rigors and Joys of Juilliard".juilliard.edu.July 9, 2018.
- ^"Juilliard Students Form G44 Productions, Release First Short Film".Broadway World.New York City. June 5, 2013.
- ^Ennis, Dawn (September 13, 2021)."Online Outrage Over A Homophobic Slur at Celebration of 'Star Trek Day'".Forbes.RetrievedNovember 7,2021.
- ^Kaplan, Rebecca (February 14, 2022)."Mary Chieffo TalksStar Trek,Coming Out and Acting ".Geek Girl Authority.RetrievedJuly 13,2023.
- ^Chieffo, Mary [@marythechief] (October 4, 2021)."…and sometimes the onions are just too intense"(Tweet).RetrievedNovember 7,2021– viaTwitter.
- ^"Get Your First Look at the Uplifting and Celebratory Stories in This Year'sMarvel's Voices: Pride#1 ".Marvel.com.April 26, 2023.RetrievedJuly 29,2023.
- ^Mary Chieffo (w). "Our Super Power: Introduction [column]"Marvel's Voices: Pride,no. 1 (June 14, 2023).Marvel Comics.
- ^"When Star Trek Makes You a Star: A Tale of Two Classmates Reaching New Heights With Discovery".E! Online.November 10, 2017.
- ^abPetski, Denise (May 14, 2019)."JuVee's Shakespeare-Inspired VR Series Pilot 'Operation Othello' Heads To Cannes".Deadline.RetrievedMarch 29,2022.
- ^abSolsman, Joan E. (June 9, 2022)."Tribeca Immersive Unveils VR, AR and World's Biggest Holographic Screen".CNET.RetrievedDecember 22,2022.
- ^"'Star Trek: Discovery' Casts Klingons Chris Obi, Shazad Latif, Mary Chieffo ".Variety.December 12, 2016.
- ^Dinh, Christine (November 12, 2024)."WARP FIVE: Mary Chieffo on Her Klingon Love and Return in Star Trek: Lower Decks".StarTrek.com.RetrievedNovember 18,2024.
- ^Pascale, Anthony (November 9, 2024)."Interview: Mary Chieffo On Returning To Star Trek For A New Flavor Of Klingon In 'Lower Decks'".trekmovie.com.RetrievedNovember 18,2024.
- ^Orquiola, John (November 9, 2024)."Mary Chieffo Celebrates Her Star Trek: Lower Decks Klingon Comeback".ScreenRant.RetrievedNovember 18,2024.