It’s Jeri Ryan’s birthday. And to note the occasion, StarTrek.com thought we’d share some tidbits about the life and career of Star Trek: Voyager's Seven of Nine.
Born in Germany
Ryan was born in Munich, and her birth name was Jeri Lynn Zimmerman. A proud Army brat, her Master Sergeant father served overseas and she was raised on several military bases in America and Germany.
Here She Is….
While attending college at Northwestern University in Chicago, Ryan earned money by participating in local beauty pageants. She even won a few. And, as Miss Illinois in 1990, she came in fourth in that year's Miss America pageant.
Seven Won Her Over
Initially, Ryan was not interested in auditioning for Seven of Nine. But when she received her audition pages, one of her scenes featured Seven as she recounted memories of laughing as a pre-assimilated child. That convinced her to give it everything she had. She won the role, of course, and debuted as Seven of Nine in “Scorpion, Part II.”
Love Was in the Air
During the show's run, Ryan and writer-producer Brannon Braga dated. They kept it quiet for a while, but eventually went public with their romance.
Seven Again
Back in 2014, Ryan reprised her role as Seven of Nine, or at least the character’s voice, for Star Trek Online's Delta Rising.
That Outfit
So, did Ryan keep her Seven of Nine cat suit or burn the thing? "They didn’t let me keep the cat suit,” Ryan told StarTrek.com in 2011. “I would have loved to have burned it; not so much the cat suit as the corset that was under it. But, no, they didn’t let me have that. I do, however, have an alcove. I figured, 'That’s the least you can give me! Give me my alcove.' (Laughs). So I ha(d) it in my game room."
Ryan Today, Part 1
Ryan, on Twitter, describes herself as “Actress, wife, mom, foodie, and gardener. Not necessarily in that order. Occasional binge-tweeter.” Her most recent credits include Bosch, on which she played the femme fatale Veronica Allen, and Major Crimes, in which she returned for one last go-round as her recurring attorney character, Linda Rothman. She’s also wrapped an upcoming film called The Relic, which she shot late last fall in Louisville, Kentucky.
Ryan Today, Part 2
Ryan lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Christophe Eme, a respected chef and restaurateur who’s set to open a new wine bar, Kass, in March. Alex Ryan and Gisele Lynn Eme are Ryan's two children. She had Alex with her first husband, Jack Ryan, and Gisele with her second husband, Eme.
Please join StarTrek.com in wishing Ryan a happy birthday.
