Biography
Actress Jamie Ray Newman was born on April 2, 1978 in Farmington Hills, Michigan. She began performing at age 11, initially becoming a fixture in the Detroit theater scene. Her passion for stage also translated to her founding Apolle Theatre Productions, while she still studied in high school. After winning plaudits for her acting from several groups, she attended Boston University to pursue further acting training, before moving to Northwestern University, where she majored both in English and drama. While a student there, she spearheaded the Ignition Festival for Women in the Arts, where she acted for stage, and also performed with her own jazz quartet.
Newman moved to Los Angeles in 2000, where she continued performing with her jazz group, and also took small roles in movies such as Catch Me If You Can and television shows such as The Drew Carey Show. In 2001, she got her big break, when she was cast as Kristina Cassadine in the daytime soap General Hospital. She stayed on the role until 2003, when her character was killed off through an explosion. That same year, she became part of the acclaimed satirical play Turnaround, which was performed in Los Angeles.
Newman then began taking guest roles on several other television shows, such as Crossing Jordan, Supernatural, Medium and Bones. Memorably, she took the recurring role of a drug addict’s ex-wife, Mindy O’Dell, in Veronica Mars, as well as a short role in Stargate Atlantis. She also took minor roles in films such as Rumor Has It… and Made of Honor. More recently she took recurring roles in shows such as Mental, Nip/Tuck and Lincoln Heights, while working with her current cover band, School Boy Crush. She is set to star in the upcoming series Eastwick.
