Merrin Dungey

Biography: MERRIN DUNGEY Francie on the ABC Television Network's Alias. She was born on August 6, in Sacramento, California. Merrin Dungey (pronounced DUN-JEE) has been performing all her life. She started at the age of four with ballet and danced all the way into her teens. She performed in piano recitals throughout her childhood and also competed as an ice skater. Aside from the occasional school musical, Merrin didn't really start acting until she was 18 years old and hosted a local teen talk show. That opportunity lead to several commercials, but she put everything on hold when she was accepted to UCLA. As a sophomore Merrin became the youngest person to ever win the UCLA School of Theater's top acting prize at their Annual Acting Awards ceremony. After graduation she continued to hone her skills, studying with Milton Katselas who helped her develop her one-woman show, Black Like Who?, for the HBO Comedy Workspace. Due to the overwhelming success of that show, Merrin signed with the William Morris Agency. Since then she has guest starred on numerous television series, including Friends, Seinfeld, Murphy Brown, City of Angels, and ER, and has had recurring roles on Malcolm in the Middle and The King of Queens. As a stand-up comic, she has performed in the Montreal Comedy Festival and on Premium Blend, for Comedy Central. She also appeared in the film EdTV, directed by Ron Howard.… Expand