Career

Chapman first appeared on television at the age of 13 in a Kentucky Fried Chicken commercial. She went on to appear in a number of films and television shows, including White Men Can't Jump, Seinfeld, The Wonder Years and China Beach. She made her science fiction television in Star Trek: The Next Generation as Lt. Rager, a recurring character who appeared in such episodes as "Schisms" and "Galaxy's Child".

She made her debut in the series Space: Above and Beyond during the pilot episode, playing main cast character Lt. Vanessa Damphousse. While filming the pilot and the early part of the series, Chapman was on a leave of absence from a post-graduate film production programme at the University of Southern California.

She initially auditioned with Randy Stone, senior vice-president of talent and casting at Twentieth Century Fox Television, and then two days later with David Nutter, the director of the pilot. By her own admission, the character didn't have a great deal to do in that initial two-part episode, so much so that when she was required to audition, the lines she read were from a different character as they hadn't yet developed Damphousse. The writers took elements of Chapman's own experiences and backstory and wrote it into the new character's as they were developing her. The series was cancelled after one season, despite an organised fan campaign to renew it.

Personal life

Chapman is a graduate of Dartmouth College with a degree in Spanish. She had originally chosen to major in Drama, but switched part-way through after discovering the extent of the foreign language programme at the college. She also wrote a short play while there, called Home Run, which she sent to actress Chip Fields to appear in and assist Chapman in directing. She is also a qualified teacher in California, and for a short time taught kindergarten until she chose to pursue acting full-time.

Filmography

• Thief
  • episode "In the Wind" (as Lanai Chapman) ...
  • episode "No Direction Home" (as Lanai Chapman) ... as Sheronda Jones
• Dense (2004) ... as Yvette
• The Division
  • episode "Wish You Were Here" (as Lanai Chapman) ... as Prosecutor
  • episode "Beyond the Grave" (as Lanai Chapman) ... as District Attorney
• The District
  • episode "Goodbye, Jenny" ... as Jenny McClure
  • episode "Drug Money" ... Jenny McClure
• Judging Amy
  • episode "The Frozen Zone" (as Lanai Chapman) ... as Winnie Van Exel
  • episode "Between the Wanting and the Getting (as Lanai Chapman) ... as Winnie Van Exel
  • episode "Everybody Falls Down" (as Lanai Chapman) ... as Winnie Van Exel
• Rat Race (2001) ...as Merrill Jennings
• C-16: FBI
  • episode "My Brother's Keeper" ... as Angela Robinson
  • episode "The Art of War" ... as Angela Robinson
• The Pretender
  • episode "Under the Reds" ... as Julie Thorton
• Space: Above and Beyond ... as Lt. Vanessa Damphousse
  • episode "...Tell Our Moms We Done Our Best" ... as Lt. Vanessa Damphousse
  • episode "And If They Lay Us Down To Rest..." ... as Lt. Vanessa Damphousse
  • episode "Sugar Dirt" ... as Lt. Vanessa Damphousse
  • episode "Stardust" ... as Lt. Vanessa Damphousse
  • episode "R&R ... as Lt. Vanessa Damphousse
  • episode "Pearly" ... Lt. Vanessa Damphousse
  • episode "Dear Earth" ... Lt. Vanessa Damphousse
  • episode "Toy Soldiers" ... Lt. Vanessa Damphousse
  • episode "The Angriest Angel" ... Lt. Vanessa Damphousse
  • episode "Never No More" ... Lt. Vanessa Damphousse
  • episode "Level of Necessity" ... Lt. Vanessa Damphousse
  • episode "Who Monitors the Birds?" ... Lt. Vanessa Damphousse
  • episode "The River of Stars" ... Lt. Vanessa Damphousse
  • episode "Choice or Chance" ... Lt. Vanessa Damphousse
  • episode "Hostile Visit" ... Lt. Vanessa Damphousse
  • episode "The Enemy" ... Lt. Vanessa Damphousse
  • episode "Eyes" ... Lt. Vanessa Damphousse
  • episode "Ray Butts" ... Lt. Vanessa Damphousse
  • episode "Mutiny" ... Lt. Vanessa Damphousse
  • episode "Pilot" ... Lt. Vanessa Damphousse
• The Secrets of Lake Success ... as Melanie Jones
• Seinfeld
  • episode "The Pilot, Part 2" ... as Sid Fields' Housekeeper
  • episode "The Old Man" ... as Sid Fields' Housekeeper
• The Jacksons: An American Dream (1992) TV Mini Series... Played Katherine's Sister. Named is unknown.
• Star Trek: The Next Generation
  • episode "Schisms" ... as Ensign Sariel Rager
  • episode "Relics" ... as Ensign Sariel Rager
  • episode "Night Terrors" ... as Ensign Sariel Rager
  • episode "Galaxy's Child" ... as Ensign Sariel Rager
• Martin
  • episode "Things I Do for Love" (voice) ... as Caller #1
• White Men Can't Jump (1992) ... as Lanei
• The Wonder Years
  • episode "Kodachrome" ... as Miss Shaw
• The Importance of Being Earnest (1992) ... as Cecily
• China Beach
  • episode "Souvenirs" ... as Glitter
• A Mother's Courage: The Mary Thomas Story (1989) ... Mary (16 years)

[ Source: Wikipedia ]