Terry Farrell is a noted American actress and a successful fashion model, known for her roles in popular television productions like ‘Star Trek: Deep Space Nine’ and ‘Becker’. Born and raised in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, she moved to the New York City at the age of 17 in order to start her career in modeling; soon she landed a contract with ‘Mademoiselle’.
After a successful stint as model, during which period she was featured in number of editorials for ‘Vogue’, she debuted on television at the age of 21 with the prime time soap opera, ‘Paper Doll’. However, she had to wait for nine more years before she was cast as Jadzia Dax in ‘Star Trek: Deep Space Nine’, a role that made her a household name.
It was followed by ‘Becker’, another of her popular television production. At 39, when she was at the height of her popularity, she retired from acting and settled down to family life.
Childhood & Early Life
Terry Farrell was born on November 19, 1963, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa as Theresa Lee Farrell. Her father, Edwin Francis Farrell, Jr., was a blue collar worker while her mother was Kay Carol Christine (née Bendickson).
Born third of her parents’ five daughters, Terry has two older and two younger sisters, one of whom is called Christine. Nothing is known about her other sisters.
It is believed that her father died of heart attack when Terry was very young. Later, her mother married David W. Grussendorf, who adopted Terry and her sister, Christine.
As a child, she loved red meat and corn and according to her own admission, almost grew up on them. She must have also been a bright student. When she was fifteen years old, she spent the summer as a foreign exchange student in
Mexico City.
Her trip to Mexico City opened her eyes and very soon she began to yearn for a more exciting life in a bigger city. Encouraged by her friends and acquaintances, she submitted her photos to the Elite modeling agency in New York City at the age of sixteen.
Career
Sometime in 1980, on getting a call from Elite modeling agency, Terry Farrell dropped out of school and moved to the New York City to start her career in modeling. Within two days of arriving, she signed an exclusive contract with the women’s magazine, Mademoiselle.
She continued to model fulltime for one and half years, appearing on the covers of the Italian and German editions of ‘Vogue’. These apart, she was also featured in numerous editorials for American ‘Vogue’.
Sometime in 1981 or 1982, she decided to shift to acting and enrolled in a drama class. Side by side, she also continued part time modeling, possibly to earn her keep.
In 1984, she got her first big break, starring as Laurie Caswell in 13 episodes of ABC Prime time soap opera, ‘Paper Doll’, that ran from September 23 to December 25, 1984. Also in the same year, she appeared as Sally in the ‘The World’s Worst Date’ episode of ‘Spencer’.
In 1986, she debuted in films, appearing as Valerie Desmond in the comedy film, ‘Back to School’. In the same year, she also appeared in two television films, as Julie Tyler in ‘Beverly Hills Madam’ and Katie Hargreaves in ‘The Deliberate Stranger’.
In 1986, she also appeared in two television series; in ‘The After Hours’ episode of ‘The Twilight Zone’ and ‘The Big Fix’ episode of ‘Family Ties’.
In 1987, her second film, ‘Off the Mark’, was released. Two years later, she began studying acting with the well-known acting teacher, Stella Adler.
In 1991, she returned to the television, appearing as Mimi Molloy in TV film, ‘Mimi & Me’. It was followed in 1992 by ‘Red Dwarf ’, ‘Quantum Leap’ and ‘Grapevine’. Also in 1992, her third film, ‘Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth’, was released.
In 1993, she had her biggest break, appearing as Jadzia Dax in the popular science fiction television series, ‘Star Trek: Deep Space Nine’, starring in 148 of its episodes till 1998. Meanwhile in 1994, she appeared as Det. Karen Ryder in the feature film, ‘Red Riding Sun’.
From November 1998, she began to star in her second most popular television series ‘Becker’. She appeared in 94 episodes and was part of the series 1992. Also in 1998, she appeared as Major Agatha Doyle in the TV film, ‘Legion’ and Maggie Livingston in feature film, ‘Reasons of the Heart’.
In the new millennium, she appeared in few more feature and television films; ‘Deep Core (2000), ‘Tripping The Rift’ (2000), ‘One True Love’ (2000), ‘Psychic Murders’ (2002), ‘Crossing the Line’ (2002). ‘Gleason’ (2002) and ‘Code 11-14’ (2003). Thereafter, she practically retired from acting and returned to television in 2017 with ‘Renegades’.
