Kellie Waymire

Waymire was born in Columbus, Ohio to Jack and Vickie Waymire. She had two siblings, Tony and Rebecca. The family moved frequently, living in Lake Tahoe, Nevada; Denver, Colorado; Tampa, Florida; and Houston, Texas. In Houston, Waymire attended Lamar High School where she became interested in acting and was the drama club's president.[2] She then attended Southern Methodist University where she won the Greer Garson Award.[3]

Waymire completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theater at SMU, and earned a Master of Fine Arts from the University of California, San Diego in 1993.[4]

After graduating from college, Waymire moved to New York City.[2] She began her television career in the role of "Emily" on the soap opera One Life to Live in 1993.[1]

In 1997, she moved to Los Angeles[2] and continued her career in a number of primetime television shows, including The Practice, Judging Amy, The X-Files, Wolf Lake, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, NYPD Blue, and Yes Dear.[5]

Waymire was predominantly cast in offbeat or humorous roles. Two of her highest-profile roles were recurring ones on Six Feet Under, where she played Melissa, a prostitute; and on Star Trek: Enterprise, as Crewman Elizabeth Cutler.[6] She had previously portrayed the role of Lanya in Star Trek: Voyager in the episode "Muse". She guest-starred in the Season 9 Seinfeld episode "The Blood", as a sickly mother who wants someone to take care of her son in the event of her death.[7]

In 2003, Waymire was cast as a regular in the short-lived Fox sitcom The Pitts.[1] It was canceled after four weeks.[8] Among her final onscreen roles were guest spots on Friends (in the episode "The One Where Ross Is Fine", aired a month before her death), Everwood, and Wonderfalls, the last two of which aired after her death.[6] The latter was dedicated to her memory. She appeared in a number of feature films, including a role as Jane in the comedy-drama Playing by Heart (1998).[1]

In addition to her film and television work, Waymire was active in regional theater around the United States.[1] She played the lead in A.R. Gurney's play Sylvia at San Diego's Old Globe Theatre in 1996. She appeared in a revival of the Noël Coward play Present Laughter at the Pasadena Playhouse in 1998, and in many other stage productions across the country.[9] At the time of her death, she was starring as Anne in the stage adaptation of Kate Crackernuts at the 24th Street Theatre in Los Angeles.[2]

On November 13, 2003, Waymire died in her home in Venice, Los Angeles, California of cardiac arrest caused by an undiagnosed cardiac arrhythmia, likely related to mitral valve prolapse, a condition with which she had been diagnosed as a teenager. Her funeral was held on November 23, 2003, in West Milton, Ohio.[2][10]

On December 8, 2003, a public memorial was held at the Ralph Freud Playhouse, Macgowan Hall at UCLA.[6]

The Kellie Waymire Scholarship Fund was established in her honor.[2]

• "Kellie Waymire". on Memory Alpha
• "Kellie Waymire Interview". Star Trek. CBS Entertainment. May 2002. Retrieved 2013-07-14.
• Kellie Waymire at IMDb