Biography
A skilled actress with the unique ability to toggle between tough-as-nails conviction and all-too-human vulnerability, actress Catherine Dent possesses the sort of classy timeless beauty that -- when combined with modern sensibility -- makes her the perfect addition to the cast of the acclaimed television police drama
The Shield. Though she has received widespread recognition for her role as the street-smart officer Danielle "Danny" Sofer on the series, Dent has also made impressive appearances on the big screen with memorable supporting roles in such features as
Auto Focus and
21 Grams. Dent is a Baton Rouge, LA, native who studied her craft at the North Carolina School of the Arts. It didn't take long for the ambitious actress to make her feature debut opposite screen legend
Paul Newman in the 1994 drama
Nobody's Fool. Her subsequent roles opposite
Jim Carrey and
Ashley Judd in
The Majestic and
Someone Like You proved that Dent had what it takes to make it in Hollywood. She did stage work in both Broadway and regional theater giving testament to her deep-rooted love of acting. Though she was an increasingly familiar face to television viewers throughout the '90s -- thanks to guest roles in
The X-Files,
Frasier, Law & Order, and
The Sopranos -- it was a recurring role in the long-running soap
One Life to Live (beginning in 1997) that truly put Dent on the map with television viewers. That same year, Dent made a lasting impression by joining the cast of
The Shield; she also made her first foray into science fiction territory as a mother whose contact with extraterrestrials profoundly affects her life in the
Steven Spielberg produced Sci Fi Channel miniseries
Taken. A supporting role in
21 Grams was quick to follow, with a substantial role in the 2005 black comedy
The Unseen, assuring audiences that they'll be seeing plenty more of Dent in the years to follow. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide