Carrie Preston (born June 21, 1967) is an American actress, director, and producer. She is best known for her roles as Arlene Fowler in the HBO fantasy drama series True Blood (2008–2014) and as Elsbeth Tascioni in the CBS legal drama series The Good Wife (2010–2016) and the two spinoffs The Good Fight (2017–2022) and Elsbeth (2024–present). For her work on The Good Wife, Preston received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series.
Preston also appeared in the CBS crime drama series Person of Interest (2012–2016), the NBC comedy series Crowded (2016), and the TNT crime drama series Claws (2017–2022). She has starred in films such as the romantic comedy My Best Friend's Wedding (1997), the comedy-drama Transamerica (2005), the romantic comedy Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008), the drama Doubt (2008), the drama To the Bone (2017), the slasher horror They/Them (2022), and the comedy-drama The Holdovers (2023).
Early life and education Preston was born in Macon, Georgia, the daughter of Pam and Ray Preston. Her brother is actor John G. Preston.
She attended the College of Charleston where she appeared in a production of The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds. She earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Evansville (1990), followed by an acting diploma from the Juilliard School's Drama Division (Group 23: 1990–1994).
Career Preston has worked on numerous projects with her husband, actor Michael Emerson, whom she married in 1998. Emerson played Ben Linus on television's Lost, and Preston was a guest star in episode 20 of season 3, "The Man Behind the Curtain" as Ben's mother Emily in flashback scenes, though she and Emerson never shared scenes together. The couple were featured in the 2004 comedy film Straight-Jacket and the 2008 feature film, Ready? OK!. She appeared in several episodes of Person of Interest as Grace Hendricks, the former fiancée of Emerson's character, Harold Finch.
Preston is co-owner of the production company Daisy 3 Pictures with James Vasquez and Mark Holmes. For seven seasons she played Arlene Fowler on True Blood.Eramo, Steven. Actress Goes Through Transformation on "True Blood", Newsarama.com, November 7, 2008; retrieved June 25, 2011. On July 31, 2010, Preston and Emerson read A. R. Gurney's play Love Letters at the Charleston Stage; they performed it as a fundraiser for the venue.
Preston had a recurring role playing Elsbeth Tascioni, an eccentric but extremely effective trial lawyer on CBS's The Good Wife. First introduced in season one and recurring on seasons three through seven, the character was a fan favorite, and Preston won the 2013 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for her work on the show.
Preston later had a recurring character in the 2014 second season of the Kevin Bacon-led thriller, The Following. She portrayed Judy, a prostitute and ill-fated groupie of Joe Carroll. Preston has appeared in a number of films as a supporting character. Including several critically acclaimed films such as Doubt and Duplicity, where she starred alongside stars such as Meryl Streep, Viola Davis, Clive Owen, and Julia Roberts.
In 2015, she landed a leading role on the short-lived NBC comedy series Crowded where she starred opposite Patrick Warburton. In the 2015 final season of The Good Wife, she earned her second Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series nomination. Preston was originally slated for a four-episode arc, but due to commitments on her new show, she was able to appear only in one episode.
Preston was then cast in the drama-comedy Claws playing Polly Marks (Polly-Pol), a mild-mannered preppy with an "ankle bracelet" who recently served time in prison for identity theft. The series was greenlit for a 10-episode first season.
In 2016, Preston reprised her role as Elsbeth Tascioni on The Good Wife spin-off The Good Fight.
In 2023, CBS announced a spin-off series, Elsbeth, in which Preston would reprise her role, though as the central character. It was ordered to series on May 9, 2023, and premiered on February 29, 2024. On April 18, 2024, CBS renewed the series for a second season.
Filmography
Film
Year Title Role Notes1985Just a FriendMint Jennifer1997My Best Friend's WeddingAmanda Newhouse The JourneyLaura SinghFor Richer or PoorerRebecca YoderNorville and TrudySam1998Mercury RisingEmily Lang1999GuineverePattyWoman WantedMonica2000 The Legend of Bagger VanceIdalyn Greaves2004Straight-JacketSally Stone The Stepford WivesBarbara2005TransamericaSydney Schupak2007Lovely by SurpriseMarianTowelheadEvelyn Vuoso2008Ready? OK!Andrea DowdVicky Cristina BarcelonaSallyDoubtChristine Hurley2009DuplicityBarbara BofferdThat Evening SunLudie Choat2010VirginiaBetty A Bag of HammersLynette Patterson2011SironiaGrace2013Who's Afraid of Vagina Wolf?Chloe / Angel TitsVino VeritasClaireBeneath the Harvest SkyKim2014 5 Flights UpMiriam Carswell2016EquityAbbySix LA Love StoriesDiane Mackey2017To the BoneSusanAnd Then I GoMs. ArnoldDaisy WintersAunt Margaret2018 30 Miles from NowhereSylvia 2022Space OddityJane McAllister They/Them Dr. Cora Whistler 2023 The Holdovers Lydia Crane
Television Actress Year Title Role Notes1998Significant OthersPatti PasternakEpisode: "My Left Kidney"1998Grace and GlorieCharlene StilesTV film1999Spin CityGayleEpisode: "Carter & Stuart & Bennett & Deirdre"1999Sex and the CityMadeline DunnEpisode: "The Chicken Dance"2001EmerilB.D. BensonMain role2003Good Morning, MiamiKieraEpisode: "The Slow and the Furious"2003–04, 2006Law & Order: Criminal IntentMegan Colby / Doreen Whitlock / Lena CopelandEpisodes: "Zoonotic", "Magnificat", "Bedfellows"2004WonderfallsSister KatrinaEpisode: "Wound-up Penguin"2004Hope & FaithSally JonesEpisode: "Queer as Hope"2005NumbersVicky SitesEpisode: "Dirty Bomb"2005 The InsideKelly ComackEpisode: "Pre-Filer"2006Arrested DevelopmentJan EaglemanEpisode: "Fakin' It"2007LostEmily LinusEpisode: "The Man Behind the Curtain"2007Desperate HousewivesLucyEpisode: "You Can't Judge a Book by Its Cover"2008–2014True BloodArlene FowlerMain role2009Private PracticeYvonne PierceEpisode: "Do the Right Thing"2010–2016 The Good WifeElsbeth TascioniRecurring role (seasons 1, 3–7)2011True Blood: Jessica's BlogArlene FowlerEpisode: "The Ethics of Glamouring"2011Law & Order: Special Victims UnitBella ZaneEpisode: "Educated Guess"2012Royal PainsJackie Van ArkEpisode: "Hurts Like a Mother"2012–2016Person of InterestGrace HendricksRecurring role (seasons 1–3, 5)2014 The FollowingJudyEpisodes: "Resurrection", "For Joe", "Trust Me"2014Getting OnDenya ThorpEpisode: "The 7th Annual Christmas Card Competition"2014Recorded LivesRisaTV series2015HappyishDebbieMain role2016CrowdedMartina MooreMain role2016Grace and FrankieKrystleEpisode: "The Goodbyes"2017When We RiseSally Miller GearhartTV miniseries2017 The Celebrity PerspectiveGuestTV series2017Dating Game KillerCarol JensenTV film2017–2022 The Good FightElsbeth TascioniRecurring role and director (5 episodes)2017–2022ClawsPolly MarksMain role2018BrockmireElleRecurring role (season 2)2018RuPaul's Drag RaceHerselfGuest judge, episode: "The Bossy Rossy Show"2021Dr. DeathRobbie McClungEpisodes: "Feet of Clay", "Hardwood Floors"2024–presentElsbethElsbeth TascioniMain role; also executive producer
Director Year Title Episodes2019–21Claws"What is Happening in America" "Chapter Three: Ambition"2021–22The Good Fight"And the Fight Had Détente" "The End of Democracy"2023Your Honor"Part Seventeen" "Part Eighteen"
Stage Year Title Role Notes 1995 Indiscretions Madeleine (standby) Ethel Barrymore Theatre The Tempest Miranda Broadhurst Theatre 1997 Antony and Cleopatra Octavia the Younger The Public Theater 1998 Freedomland Polly Underfinger Playwrights Horizons 2000 Straight-Jacket Sally Stone Playhouse 91 She Stoops to Conquer Kate Hardcastle Center Stage 2001 Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Honey Guthrie Theater Chaucer in Rome Sarah Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater 2002 Boys and Girls Shelly Duke on 42nd Street No Foreigners Beyond This Point Paula Wheaton Center Stage 2004–05 The Rivals Julia Melville Vivian Beaumont Theater 2005 Cycling Past the Matterhorn Amy Harold Clurman Theater Hamlet Ophelia McCarter Theatre Center 2006 Festen Mette Music Box Theatre 2010 Love Letters Melissa Gardner Charleston Stage
Other works Year Title Notes200529th & GayProducer, director, editor2007Feet of ClayProducer, director2008Ready? OK!Producer2012That's What She SaidProducer, director2013Roger, the ChickenProducer, "Roger, the Chicken: Dinner"2014Darwin: The SeriesDirector2014Recorded LivesProducer2016Happy Lucky Golden Tofu Panda Dragon Good Time Fun Fun ShowProducer, director
Awards and nominations Year Association Category Nominated work Result2008FilmOut San DiegoBest Narrative FeatureReady? OK!Best Actress2009SXSW Film FestivalBest EnsembleThat Evening SunSatellite AwardsBest EnsembleTrue Blood2010Screen Actors Guild AwardsOutstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series2012SoHo International Film FestivalBest Showcase Feature FilmThat's What She SaidGolden Derby TV AwardsDrama Guest ActressThe Good WifeCritics' Choice Television AwardCritics' Choice Television Award for Best Guest Performer in a Drama Series2013Golden Derby TV AwardsDrama Guest ActressCritics' Choice Television AwardCritics' Choice Television Award for Best Guest Performer in a Drama SeriesPrimetime Emmy AwardPrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series2014Golden Derby TV AwardsDrama Guest ActressCritics' Choice Television AwardCritics' Choice Television Award for Best Guest Performer in a Drama Series2016Primetime Emmy AwardPrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series
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