Early life

Jennifer Ann Lien was born in Illinois in August 1974, the youngest of three children, and joined the Illinois Theatre Center at the age of 13.

In a 1992 interview, Lien said: "My childhood was wild because I was very uncomfortable living where I lived (the South Side of Chicago). It was very industrial - if you didn’t fit in you got your ass kicked. I was just my own person, and I adopted this really tough skin because I had to if I wanted to survive. A lot of my friends were into drugs, and I saw a lot of them die."

In a 1993 interview, Lien said: “When I was a little kid in Chicago, I always used to pretend I was somebody else. I wrote little plays, I was a tomboy, I hung out with the guys a lot. I never had much interest in hanging out with girls. I was always writing plays or watching movies or reading books, and when I was in seventh grade in junior high, I joined the drama club and found that I could fit right in, I could relax, I could do anything I wanted. I began to think I could make a difference, I could make people happy. I felt like I made the world just a little better for a while. Then, on the advice of an eighth grade teacher, I went to acting class, and then got an agent. I did industrial films and some theatre. Soon, casting directors started hiring me and then I got an interview with the people from AW. They liked me, asked me to come to New York, so here I am!”

Career

Her first television appearance was in a bubblegum advertisement playing twins. Her first appearance on a television series was playing a music academy student in an episode of Brewster Place starring Oprah Winfrey in 1990, the same year she provided her voice for the dubbed English language version of Baby Blood, a French horror film. Lien moved to New York in 1991 after she was cast in the role of Hannah Moore on the series Another World in 1991, where she attended and graduated the Professional Children's School while working on this series.

In a 1992 interview, Lien said: “A couple of years ago, I was trying to get an audition for a baseball movie, so I said that I could play baseball. We’d always played a lot while I was growing up, like in the backyard. But when I showed up at the audition, I was faced with these Goliath-like, testosterone women who could really play. I did survive the two days of training and auditions, but I basically pulled every muscle in my body!”

In 1993, she was cast as Roanne in Phenom, a sitcom starring Judith Light. That year she also participated in the recording of Adam Sandler's comedy album They're All Gonna Laugh At You in which she played the part of the Valedictorian on the track "The Buffoon And The Valedictorian", as well as one of the daughters on the track "Oh, mom...".

In 1994, she was cast as Kes on Star Trek: Voyager. Her character is Ocampan, a species in the Star Trek universe that lives for just 8 or 9 years, who joins the crew of the starship after it is stranded 75,000 light-years from Earth. Her contract was not renewed at the beginning of season 4, to allow the budget to bring on Jeri Ryan, who joined the cast as Seven of Nine. In 2000, Lien returned for a season 6 episode of Star Trek: Voyager titled "Fury", where she had input into the script.

In a 1995 interview, Lien said the following about a Voyager co-star: “I’m so lucky that so many of my scenes are with Ethan. He’s such an incredibly talented guy, really great and so funny. He’s always making us laugh. It’s the best possible situation for an actress to play opposite him.”

In a 1996 interview, Lien said the following about two Voyager co-stars: “I was working on a scene in Sickbay the other day with Kate and Bob Picardo, and they - they know what they’re doing. They’re both such good actors. I thought, ‘Oh, God, I’m so lucky to be here!’ I didn’t say anything to them because - I don’t know why I didn’t say anything. It’s probably just not the kind of thing you say to people. I was seeing talent, experience and wisdom in action, inventiveness and creativity happening in front of me. It’s a good job I have.”

Richard Lutz wrote: “The medical personnel in Star Trek best embody the humane values embedded in this franchise; the most notable of which is Kes, thanks in large part to Jennifer Lien whose remarkable performance brought to life a beautiful child-like being (Ocampa) whose short lifespan and humanity reminds us that the most important element in a life worth living is a loving connection with our fellow human beings.”

After Voyager, Lien appeared in the movie American History X as older sister Davina Vinyard alongside Edward Norton's character Derek Vinyard. In 1998, Lien appeared in SLC Punk! playing Sandy, the wild girlfriend of Matthew Lillard's character Stevo. She also voiced Agent "L" for the first three seasons of Men in Black: The Animated Series (1997-1999) and the first 7 episodes of the 2000 season.

Conventions

Lien has attended sci-fi conventions in relation to her role as Kes when she was working on Voyager and after her film career ended.

In a 1995 interview, Lien said the following about these conventions: “The conventions are something within themselves, a unique world. It’s a very different experience in that I can talk to other people involved in the world of Star Trek, like authors and actors from other Star Trek shows. I also get to meet people from other SF shows, because they tend to have guests from other series at the conventions I attend. The fans love the conventions, love meeting the people involved in their favorite shows. That makes you want to give them everything you can. I try to tell them what’s going on, share my laughter and tell them about the wonderful experience I’ve been having on Voyager. The feedback is just so positive. The fans seem to really like the show, and that’s good. If they have any negative feedback, they give it to me, too, which is fine. They’re usually pretty respectful, and they come up with things that are very interesting - positive and negative - and I get sucked into it.”

Personal life

Lien is married to writer and filmmaker Phil Hwang; their first child, Jonah, was born on September 5, 2002. Upon the birth of her son, Lien retired from acting and voice-over work but was credited as executive producer on her husband's 2008 film Geek Mythology. In August 2010, Lien said she intended to work as a nutritionist after completing her studies.

In a 2000 interview, it was revealed that Lien likes every kind of music and plays the trombone, which she started learning in her high school band. This interview also revealed that Lien has given her support to charities helping people suffering from AIDS and has worked with Camp 40, of which she said: “I want to be doing what I can for people who need it.”

In July 2012, Lien was arrested for an alleged domestic assault. In April 2015, Lien was arrested and charged with evading arrest, resisting arrest, reckless endangerment and aggravated assault in relation to a speeding offense. In September 2015, Lien was arrested for two counts of misdemeanor exposure in relation to an argument with a neighbor. In February 2016, Lien paid restitution for a police cruiser damaged in the April 2015 incident, and the state agreed to a six month deferral of the 2015 charges so she can continue to receive mental health treatment. In March 2016, Lien was charged with DUI.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1990	Baby Blood	Yanka (voice)	Voice-over debut
1998	American History X	Davina Vinyard
1998	Hoofboy	N/A	Short (18 min)
1998	The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride	Young Adult Vitani	Uncredited
1998	SLC Punk!	Sandy
2001	Rubbernecking	Nurse

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1990	Brewster Place	Music Academy Student	Episode: "One Small Step at a Time"
1991-1992	Another World	Hannah Moore	Unknown episodes
1993-1994	Phenom	Roanne	22 episodes
1994	The Critic	Valerie Fox	Episode: "The Pilot"
1995	Inside the New Adventure: Star Trek - Voyager	Herself	TV special
1995-1998, 2000	Star Trek: Voyager	Kes	68 episodes (regular cast member 1995-1997)
1996	Duckman: Private Dick/Family Man	Movie Actress (voice)	Episode: "Apocalypse Not"
1996	The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest	Elise (voice)	Episode: "Eclipse"
1996	Star Trek: 30 Years and Beyond	Herself / Kes	TV special
1997	Superman	Inza Nelson (voice)	Episode: "The Hand of Fate"
1997-2000	Men in Black: The Series	Elle (voice)	40 episodes
1998	Spawn	Merrick (voice)	Episode: "Hellzapoppin"
2003	Battle Force: Andromeda	Alora (voice, rumored)	2 episodes

Theater

Year	Title	Role	Notes
Pre 1992	Androcles and the Lion	Lavinia	Illinois Theatre Center
Pre 1992	Edmund	Glenna	Illinois Theatre Center
Pre 1992	Emergency Room	Shiela Brooks	Illinois Theatre Center
Pre 1992	Othello	Bianca	Illinois Theatre Center
Pre 1992	The Tempest	Miranda	Illinois Theatre Center
Pre 1992	Show Boat	N/A	Illinois Theatre Center
Pre 1992	When You Comin' Back, Red Ryder?	Cheryl	Illinois Theatre Center

[ Source: Wikipedia ]