Jaime Murray
Age: 48
Birthplace: London, England
Jaime Murray (born 21 July 1976) is an English actress, known for playing Stacie Monroe in the BBC series Hustle and Lila West in the Showtime series Dexter. She is also known for her recurring roles as Gaia in the Starz miniseries Spartacus: Gods of the Arena, as Olivia Charles in The CW series Ringer, as Helena G. Wells in the Syfy series Warehouse 13, and as Stahma Tarr in the Syfy series Defiance.
Early life and education
Murray was born in London, England, to Elaine and English actor Billy Murray. She was named after Lindsay Wagner's character Jaime Sommers in the 1970s television series The Bionic Woman. Just before taking her A Levels, Murray was diagnosed with dyslexia. She briefly studied philosophy and psychology at the London School of Economics, but dropped out to train at the Drama Centre London, where she graduated in 2000.
Acting
Murray's first taste of stardom was miming the lyrics in the original video of Stretch & Vern's dance track "I'm Alive"(1996). Some of her early television appearances included minor guest roles in BBC One's Casualty, The Bill, Love Soup, and ShakespeaRe-Told: The Taming of the Shrew.
Murray starred as Stacie Monroe in series 1 through series 4 of Hustle. In one episode, Murray so impressed her co-star Robert Vaughn with her modeling of a Wonder Woman costume that, according to several online sources, he showed it to studio executives in Hollywood. On the strength of this, Murray was invited to audition for the title part of the Wonder Woman (2009) movie. Later, Murray reprised her role as Stacie Monroe in Hustle, series 8.
Relocating to Los Angeles, Murray starred in Dexter as Lila Tourney, Dexter Morgan's Narcotics Anonymous sponsor and the main antagonist in Season 2. Dexter spends one night in a hotel with Lila without any sexual contact, the revelation of which leads to his breakup with his girlfriend Rita Bennett. Lila and Dexter have a brief relationship, but he eventually comes to believe that Lila is in fact a sociopath who hangs out in support groups in an attempt to vicariously experience emotions in a safe environment, by closely observing them in recovering addicts. She becomes obsessed with Dexter, believing that she sees through Dexter's "mask", and he is her soulmate.
In mid-2008, Murray joined the cast of The CW's series Valentine, playing the lead character, Grace Valentine. The show began airing in October 2008 but was cancelled by the end of the month.
Murray was cast in another CW show, The Beautiful Life: TBL, as a wardrobe stylist, but the show was canceled before she was able to appear.
Murray finished shooting Possessions in 2010 and soon thereafter began shooting The Rapture. She starred in the horror film Devil's Playground(2010), directed by Mark McQueen, and then appeared as Helena G. Wells on the Syfy series Warehouse 13. Murray's portrayal of Helena G. Wells received critical praise. Her portrayal was described as "saucy", "superb", as able to "anchor a series", and "endlessly fascinating". Her absence as the villainess in the season 3 Christmas episode, "The Greatest Gift", was bemoaned with the lamentation "she would have done it better". Murray was nominated for a 2012 Portal Award for her portrayal of Helena G. Wells on Warehouse 13.
Murray also made a guest appearance on the Fox series The Finder, where she played a drug coordinator. Murray starred in the Starz miniseries Spartacus: Gods of the Arena, as Gaia, a longtime friend of Lucretia.
Murray made an appearance on the Partially Examined Life philosophy podcast, playing a part in Sartre's No Exit, alongside Lucy Lawless, Mark Linsenmayer, and Wes Alwan.
She stars as Stahma Tarr in the Syfy series Defiance, which premiered on 15 April 2013.
Modeling
Murray modeled clothing in television advertisements for Debenhams department store. She is signed to Models 1 in Londonand has appeared in men's magazines such as GQ, Mayfair, and FHM, as well as women's magazines such as Hello!, Cosmopolitan, and OK!.
Personal life
Murray married Bernie Cahill, a partner in an entertainment management company, in May 2014.
Filmography
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2005 | Animal | Saleswoman | |
2007 | Deaths of Ian Stone, TheThe Deaths of Ian Stone | Medea | |
2007 | Botched | Anna | |
2010 | Devil's Playground | Lavinia | |
2012 | Possessions | Chloe | |
2013 | Samuel Bleak | Vivian Bleak | |
2013 | Fright Night 2: New Blood | Gerri Dandridge | Direct-to-video |
2015 | Rapture, TheThe Rapture | Fiona | In post-production |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2001 | Bill, TheThe Bill | Tania Matthews | Episode: "A Pound of Flesh" |
2002 | Casualty | Sonia Guzman | Episode: "Thicker Than Water" |
2002 | Bill, TheThe Bill | Melanie | 3 episodes |
2003 | Keen Eddie | Kiki | Episode: "Pilot (a.k.a. Eddie)" |
2004 | Doctors and Nurses | Bella Olazabal | Episode: "Bella Bella" |
2004-2007, 2012 |
Hustle | Stacie Monroe | Main cast (series 1-4, 8); 25 episodes |
2005 | Love Soup | Natalie Brown | Episode: "Death and Nurses" |
2005 | ShakespeaRe-Told | Bianca Minola | Episode: "The Taming of The Shrew" |
2005 | Agatha Christie's Poirot | Ruth Kettering | Episode: "The Mystery of the Blue Train" |
2007 | Dexter | Lila West | 10 episodes |
2008-2009 | Valentine | Grace Valentine/Aphrodite | Main cast; 8 episodes |
2009 | Mentalist, TheThe Mentalist | Nadia Sobell | Episode: "Carnelian Inc." |
2009 | Eli Stone | Diane Rundlet | Episode: "Flight Path" |
2009 | NCIS | ICE Agent Julia Foster-Yates | Episode: "Semper Fidelis" |
2009 | Beautiful Life: TBL, TheThe Beautiful Life: TBL | Vivienne | 5 episodes |
2010-2014 | Warehouse 13 | Helena "H.G." Wells | 15 episodes |
2011 | Spartacus: Gods of the Arena | Gaia | Miniseries; 4 episodes |
2011-2012 | Ringer | Olivia Charles | 10 episodes |
2012 | Finder, TheThe Finder | Amadea Denaris | Episode: "An Orphan Walks Into a Bar" |
2012 | Childrens Hospital | Kitty Black | Episode: "British Hospital" |
2013-2015 | Defiance | Stahma Tarr | Main cast |
2015 | Sleepy Hollow | Carmilla Pines | Episode: "Kali Yuga" |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2010 | Suite 7 | Jessy | Episode: "Good in Bed" |
2012 | Jan | Andie | 4 episodes |
Year | Title | Artist |
---|---|---|
2012 | "Goodbye in Her Eyes" | Zac Brown Band |