Marisol Nichols (born November 2, 1973) is an American actress, known for her roles as Principal Ramirez on the Nickelodeon animated series The Loud House, Nadia Yassir on the Fox series 24, and Hermione Lodge on the CW drama series Riverdale.

Early life Nichols was born in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, and grew up in Naperville, Illinois, with her mother, who is of Mexican descent, and her stepfather, Randy. Her biological father was of Russian-Jewish and Hungarian-Jewish descent. She is the oldest of three siblings, having two younger brothers.

Career In 1996, she appeared in episodes of Due South and Beverly Hills, 90210. In 1997, she made her movie debut as Audrey Griswold in the film Vegas Vacation with Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo. She also had supporting roles in the films Scream 2, Friends 'Til the End, Can't Hardly Wait, Jane Austen's Mafia and The Sex Monster.

From 2000 to 2002, she starred in the Showtime drama series Resurrection Blvd.. In 2001, she played Bahraini Princess (Sheika) Meriam Al Khalifa in the made-for-TV movie The Princess and the Marine. In 2003, she made guest appearances on episodes of Friends, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Nip/Tuck and Charmed. Marisol's Charmed episode, "Chris-Crossed", was the show's highest-rated non-season-premiere episode. In 2006, she appeared in six episodes of Cold Case and starred in the film Big Momma's House 2.

She starred in the short-lived TV series Blind Justice in 2005 and In Justice, in 2006. In 2007, she starred in 24 as Special Agent Nadia Yassir. In 2008, she starred in the film Felon with Stephen Dorff.

In 2010, Nichols portrayed Sarah Monahan in the short-lived supernatural crime drama The Gates, a summer series on ABC. She also had a cameo in Kristin Chenoweth's music video for "I Want Somebody (Bitch About)". Nichols also portrayed "The Desert Wolf" on MTV's show Teen Wolf.

Nichols has appeared in both NCIS and NCIS: Los Angeles (as different characters). She starred in NCIS: Los Angeles in 2010, as Tracy Keller, former partner and potential romantic interest for Special Agent G. Callen (Chris O'Donnell) in the sixth episode of Season 2. In NCIS, she appeared as ATF Special Agent Zoe Keats, the girlfriend of Tony DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly) for several episodes of season 12.

In 2012, Nichols starred in the ABC TV series GCB, with Leslie Bibb, Kristin Chenoweth, Annie Potts, Jennifer Aspen and Miriam Shor.

In 2016, Nichols began starring as Hermione Lodge, the mother of Veronica Lodge, in the teen drama series Riverdale, loosely based on the Archie comic book series. On February 23, 2020, Nichols rumored that she would be leaving Riverdale ahead of its fifth season, making season four her last on the show. However, in June 2020, Nichols revealed that after having a talk with showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, she would be staying on for season five.

On the Nickelodeon animated television series The Loud House, Nichols recurs as the voice of Principal Ramirez.

In 2026, Marisol Nichols will star in the Lifetime film She Stole My Son's Heart portraying a detective who alongside her rookie partner goes to look for a missing woman and retrieve her before her heart gives out.

Personal life In November 1999, Nichols married Andrea Sorrentino, whom she met in Italy while filming the movie My Father's Shoes. They later divorced. In April 2008, she married director Taron Lexton. They have a daughter, born in September 2008. In November 2018, Nichols filed for divorce. Note: While Nichols in the Chicago Tribune (July 2, 2000) gives a marriage date of November 18, 1999, Entertainment Tonight gives marriage years of 1995 to 1998.

Nichols resides in Los Angeles, California.

In the 1990s, Nichols became a Scientologist, having been introduced to it by her chiropractor.

In 2026, Marisol Nichols signed up with Brave Artist Management.

Volunteer work and activism In an interview with Marie Claire, Nichols said that she was raped when she was eleven, and that it "changed the entire trajectory of my life in a day." This inspired her to start a non-profit organization called Foundation for a Slavery Free World and has regularly spoken publicly about sex trafficking and ways to prevent children from becoming trafficked victims.

In 2012, as her career slowed down, Nichols began working with former FBI and CIA agents, Navy SEALs and Green Berets, as well as local law enforcement who have left government agencies and gone independent to help trap child sex predators. Her role involved acting as "bait", playing whatever role the situation called for, such as pretending to be a parent who was pimping out a child. In partnership with nonprofit organization Operation Underground Railroad, Nichols' work took her across the United States and other countries globally, including Haiti and Venezuela.

Filmography

Film Year Title RoleNotes 1997 Vegas Vacation Audrey Griswold 1997 Scream 2 Dawnie 1997 Friends 'Til the End Alison 1998 Can't Hardly Wait Groupie 1998 Jane Austen's Mafia Carla 1999 Lucia 1999 Bowfinger Young Actress at Audition 2000 Sirena Garcia 2001 Meriam Al Khalifa Nominated—ALMA Award for Outstanding Actress 2001 Laud Weiner Laud's Assistant 2003 Stephanie 2004 Homeland Security Agent Jane Fulbar 2006 Big Momma's House 2 Liliana Morales 2007 Delta Farce Maria 2008 Struck Jamie Short film 2008 Felon Laura Porter 2013 The Program (SSR-7) Commander Montgomery Short film 2016 Lost Girls Romina Short film 2018 Cucuy: The Boogeyman Rebecca Martin 2021 Spiral: From the Book of Saw Capt. Angie Garza 2022 The Valet Isabel

Television Year Title RoleNotes 1996 My Guys Angela TV Pilot 1996 Due South Melissa Episode: "Some Like It Red" 1996 Beverly Hills, 90210 Wendy Stevens Episode: "Ray of Hope" 1997 ER Angie Episode: "The Long Way Around" 1997 Diagnosis: Murder Sally Tremont Episode: "Malibu Fire" 1998 Cybill Book Store Clerk Episode: "Fine Is Not a Feeling" 1999 Odd Man Out Lauren Episode: "The First Girlfriend's Club" 1999 Boy Meets World Kelly 2 episodes 2000 Malcolm & Eddie Kelly Episode: "Swooped" 2000–2002 Resurrection Blvd. Victoria Santiago Main role 2002 Alias Rebecca Martinez Episode: "Dead Drop" 2002 Joanne Yarrow Episode: "Hunted" 2003 Rochelle Episode: "Murder.com" 2003 Friends Olivia Episode: "The One with Rachel's Dream" 2003 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Jane Episode: "All for Our Country" 2003 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Bettina Amador Episode: "Mother" 2003 Nip/Tuck Antonia Ramos Episode: "Antonia Ramos" 2003 Charmed (Future) Bianca Episode: "Chris-Crossed" 2004 Cold Case Elisa Recurring role 2005 Blind Justice Karen Bettancourt Main role 2006 In Justice Sonya Quintano Main role 2007 24 Nadia Yassir Main role 2009 Life Whitney 'Plum' Paxman Episode: "Initiative 38" 2009 Devon Williams 2 episodes 2010 Sarah Monohan Main role 2010 NCIS: Los Angeles Tracy Keller Episode: "Standoff" 2012 GCB Heather Cruz Main role 2012 Private Practice Lily Reilly Episode: "The World According to Jake" 2014–2015 NCIS Zoe Keates 3 episodes 2015–2016 Teen Wolf The Desert Wolf Recurring role 2015–2016 Criminal Minds Natalie Colfax 2 episodes 2017–2023 Riverdale Hermione Lodge Main role (seasons 1–5), special guest star (season 5–7); 67 episodes 2020–present The Loud House Principal Ramirez (voice) Recurring role 2020 Holly & Ivy Nina Television film 2021 Christmas CEO Christmas Winnacker Television film 2022 We Wish You a Married Christmas Becca Television film 2026 She Stole My Son's Heart Detective Vicky Sanchez Upcoming television film

Music videos Year Artist SongNotes 2011 Kristin Chenoweth "I Want Somebody (Bitch About)" Directed by Roman White

References

External links