Roxann Dawson (Born 11 September 1958) is a 65 year old American actress and director best known for her indelible role of B’Elanna Torres, the half-human/half-Klingon engineer on Star Trek: Voyager – the fifth series in the Star Trek franchise.
Roxann was fantastic in her role, so much so that she garnered a cult following. The role won her three American Latino Media Arts (ALMA) Awards alongside other coveted nominations. Her achievements so far are no surprise to many as the actress first honed her acting skills at the University of California, Berkeley before kicking off her successful journey to the film industry.
Summary of Roxann Dawson’s Biography
- Full Name: Roxann Dawson
- Nickname: Roxann Biggs and Roxann Biggs-Dawson
- Gender: Female
- Date of Birth: 11 September 1958
- Roxann Dawson’s Age: 65 years old
- Place of Birth: Los Angeles, California, United States
- Ethnicity: Hispanic
- Nationality: American
- Religion: Christianity
- Sexual Orientation: Straight
- Marital Status: Married
- Roxann Dawson’s Husband: Eric Dawson
- Roxann Dawson’s Ex-Husband: Casey Biggs (m. 1985–1987)
- Children: Emma Rose Dawson, Mia Meicai Dawson
- Parents: Rosalie Caballero, Richard Caballero
- Roxann Dawson’s Height in Inches: 5 feet 4 ½ inches
- Roxann Dawson’s Height in Centimetres: 163.8 cm
- Weight: 59 kg (130 lbs)
- Body Measurements: 33-26-33 inches
- Roxann Dawson’s Net Worth: $6 million
Roxann Dawson Graduated From UCB In 1980
Roxann Dawson was born on the 11th of September, 1958, in Los Angeles, California, USA. Her other names are Roxann Biggs and Roxann Biggs-Dawson. Her father’s name is Richard while her mother is Rosalie Caballero.
She is an alumnus of the University of California, Berkeley from where she graduated in 1980 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Theater Arts. Similar to most actresses that studied theater in college, Roxann Dawson immediately began her career after college.
She Began Her Professional Career As A Stage Actress
Beginning her professional career as a stage actress, Dawson had her debut role in the 1982 Broadway production of A Chorus Line where she played as Diana Morales. While in New York, Roxann performed in many off-Broadway productions including Julie Taymor’s The Tempest, and as a member of the Circle Repertory Company, she created roles in the original productions of The Early Girl and V&V Only among others.
She had roles in a handful of other plays before making her screen debut in an episode of the TV series, Another World. She appeared on the NBC drama Nightingales in 1989 and during that time she met her second husband, Eric Dawson. After that show was canceled, she was cast in a guest role on Matlock and Jake and the Fat Man. Though Roxann Dawson has appeared in a handful of movies and television series, none has left a bigger impact than Star Trek: Voyager.
Nowadays, Roxann has stepped away from acting, taking up projects as a film producer, writer, and director. She had her directorial debut on Star Trek: Voyager with the episode Riddles, and has gone on to produce TV series such as Crossing Jordan (2007), Cold Case (2007-09), and Scandal (2012). As a playwright, Roxann has written many plays including Desire to Fall and Passage Through the Heart. The latter premiered in 1997 at the University of Minnesota and was an Irene Ryan finalist.
She co-authored the book Entering Tenebrae, Tenebrae’s Hope, and Tenebrae Rising. A trilogy of books published by Simon and Schuster, she did these alongside Daniel Graham.
Her Directorial Credits Exceeds Her Acting Credits
After her directing work in Star Trek: Voyager, the gorgeous actress’ directing career blossomed and she has thus far directed over 55 acting projects, a tally that has surpassed that of her acting works pegged at 36 films and TV series combined. In 2001, she served as the director of one episode of The Heartbreak Cafe, followed by ten episodes of Star Trek: Enterprise.
She subsequently directed a few episodes of many TV series including Any Day Now (2002), Charmed (2003), The Division (2003-04), Medical Investigation (2005), Close to Home (2006), Lost (2006), and The O. C (2006). She additionally directed 12 episodes of Crossing Jordan (2004-07), as well as eight episodes of Cold Case (2005-09). After serving as the director of Melrose Place and Hawthorn in 2009, Roxann Dawson gained the attention of a wider audience with her terrific work in Heroes from 2007 to 2010.
Over the years, she has showcased her exceptional directing skills in numerous projects including The Closer (2008-11), The Mentalist (2010-12), The Good Wife (2012), Vegas (2012-13), Major Crimes (2013-14), Agents of S. H. I. E. L. D. (2013-15), Chance (2016-17), The Americans (2017-18), The Deuce (2017-19), Breakthrough (2019), The Morning Show (2019), This Is US (2019-2020), and Penny Dreadful: City of Angels (2020).
Roxann Has Won Accolades For Her Directing Works
Thanks to the Star Trek franchise, Roxann Dawson was able to get the big break she so deserved. She won an ALMA Award in the category Outstanding Latino/a Cast in a Made-for-Television Movie or Mini-Series for Foto Novels: In the Mirror in 1998. On the directing front, she received GMA Dove Award for Inspirational Film of the Year for her work in Breakthrough. She was also nominated for a Hugo Award in the category Best Dramatic Presentation for Heroes in 2008 and further got nominated for an Image Award in the category Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series for Heroes, also in 2008.
Judging from the success of the show and the nominations and other projects that followed, Roxann, who played one of the main characters benefitted hugely. Her earnings from the show coupled with other projects have helped her build up a net worth of $6 million.
Roxann Dawson Is Now In Her Second Marriage
Dawson has been married twice. She was first married to actor Casey Biggs, but they eventually divorced. The short-lived marriage lasted for barely two years from 1985 to 1987. Casey later became a recurring cast member on Deep Space Nine, playing the Cardassian Damar.
In May 1994 Roxann Dawson married casting director Eric Dawson, whom she met while working on the series Nightingales. They have two daughters together, Emma and Mia. They welcomed their first child, Emma Rose Dawson on January 16, 1998. Mia was born in the next year, specifically on October 31, and was adopted from China in the year 2000.
As we learned from an interview conducted by their church, Roxann converted to Catholicism at the time of her marriage despite having been raised in an atheist household and was inspired by her faith to direct the film Breakthrough.
Roxann Dawson’s Husband Is a Multi-award Winning Director
Roxann’s husband Eric is a native of Lincoln, Nebraska and was born on the 10th of June, 1962 making him four years older than the actress. He is the son of Bob and Mary Dawson. In addition to Nightingales, Eric Dawson has been the casting director for over 170 projects, among them are 9-1-1, Supernatural, Quantico, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, American Horror Story, The Good Doctor, The Mentalist, Major Crimes, Glee, The Rookie, and others.
For his work in the American Horror Story and Feud, he was nominated for Primetime Emmy Awards which he finally won with Glee in the Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series category. He is also a recipient of Hoyt Bowes Award and Artios Awards for his work in Nip/Tuck and Glee.