Shiri Appleby is an American actress and television director. She is best known for her leading roles as Liz Parker in the WB/UPN science fiction drama series Roswell (1999–2002) and Rachel Goldberg in the Lifetime/Hulu drama series Unreal (2015–2018). Her major film credits include A Time for Dancing (2000), Swimfan (2002), Havoc (2005), Charlie Wilson's War (2007), and The Devil's Candy (2015).
Appleby starred as intern Daria Wade in the final season of the NBC medical drama series ER (2008–2009). She later portrayed Cate Cassidy in The CW drama series Life Unexpected (2010–2011) and Lucy Lambert in the web comedy series Dating Rules from My Future Self (2012). Appleby also had recurring roles on the NBC drama series Chicago Fire (2012–2013) and the HBO comedy-drama series Girls (2013–2014).
Early life Appleby's Israeli-born mother is of Moroccan Jewish descent, and her father is Canadian and of Ashkenazi Jewish descent; he is from Los Angeles. During her youth, her mother worked as a Hebrew school teacher, while her father worked as a tour guide at Universal Studios Hollywood. She grew up in what she says was a "middle-class" household in Calabasas, California and kept kosher in her home. She attended Hebrew school and had a .
Shiri Appleby graduated from Calabasas High School in Calabasas in1997. She attended University of Southern California from 1998 to 1999, where she studied English. After two years she got the starring role in Roswell and was working steadily, but while shooting Life Unexpected in 2010, Appleby started to work towards a psychology degree from the online University of Phoenix. It took her 14 months, while also working, to complete the degree in 2012.
Career Appleby began her acting career at the age of four, starting with advertisements for various products including Cheerios and M&M's. She began acting and taking acting classes because her parents were concerned that she was so shy and introverted. Her first advertisement was for Raisin Bran, but it was never aired. She made guest appearances on many television programs, most notably thirtysomething (1987), Doogie Howser, M.D. (1989), ER (1994), Baywatch (1989), Xena: Warrior Princess (1995), 7th Heaven (1997), Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990), before landing her break-out role in the series Roswell (1999–2002), where she tried out for the roles of Isabel and Maria before landing the leading role of Liz Parker.
Appleby has been featured in a number of music videos, including Bon Jovi's video for "It's My Life" with Will Estes, and the 2004 video for the song "I Don't Want to Be" by Gavin DeGraw, opposite Scott Mechlowicz. She appeared in Sense Field's music video for "Save Yourself," which is part of the Roswell soundtrack and featured in the first season DVD box set. In 2006, she had a recurring role on the short-lived ABC drama Six Degrees as Anya, a young assistant in a relationship with a much older photographer. Later in the same year, she played Hildy Young in the new USA Network series To Love and Die, that began airing in late December 2008. She also participated in a short film called Carjacking directed by Dan Passman and co-starring Geoff Stults. In 2007, she appeared in the movie What Love Is alongside Cuba Gooding Jr., Matthew Lillard, and Anne Heche. Appleby participated in another short film Love Like Wind from Shaolin Film Productions. At the end of 2007, she appeared as Charlie Wilson's press secretary in the film Charlie Wilson's War, which stars Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts. In 2008, Appleby had a recurring role on the 15th and final season of ER (her second time on the show), playing an intern named Daria Wade. In 2010, Appleby starred in The CW network drama Life Unexpected as Cate Cassidy, a radio talk show host whose daughter whom she gave up for adoption becomes a part of her life. The show was canceled after two seasons. In 2012, she starred as the main character of Dating Rules from My Future Self, which she also produced.
In 2013, she had a role in the Lena Dunham's Girls, an HBO series including a controversial "money shot" scene. She said the role allowed her to break out of a career where she was often typecast as being sweet. Appleby said that she was invited to read for a role when she was on the set of Girls because she was interested in directing and shadowed director Jesse Peretz. After a table read with the cast, she was offered a part.
In 2013, she was cast in the leading role in Unreal, a Lifetime series about the inner workings of a reality program (a show within a show), which premiered on June 1, 2015. It was produced by former The Bachelor producer, Sarah Gertrude Shapiro, a former producer of The Bachelor, and writer Marti Noxon. Appleby said that she spent time with a producer to quiz them about the work as part of researching her role as a reality dating show producer. She said that one of the appeals of the show was that the central focus was not about her character being in a romantic relationship. The show received strong reviews and was picked up for four seasons. In 2016, Appleby directed her first episode of Unreal, titled "Casualty". She directed multiple episodes of the series. In July 2018, the series ended. In 2017, Appleby starred in Janicza Bravo's first full-length feature, Lemon, which debuted at Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. In 2021, Appleby had a cameo role in the last scene of Season 3 Episode 13 of Roswell, New Mexico, having directed an episode in each of the first two seasons of Roswell.
Personal life Appleby gave birth to a girl in March 2013. Appleby and chef and restaurateur Jon Shook, the baby's father, later married. Their second child, a son, was born in December 2015. In Hebrew, the word shiri means "my song" or "my poem" and it may simply mean "sing" (second person female imperative). Appleby said her parents said that when she was born, she was like a song in their hearts.
She has a scar above her left eyebrow that she got when a neighbor's dog bit her when she was young. Getting over her fear of dogs, she went on the show Emergency Vets, accompanying staff veterinarian Kevin Fitzgerald (she overcame another phobia in the same episode by holding a live snake, one of Fitzgerald's patients).
Films Year Title Role Notes1987Annie Winslow1989Curse II: The BiteGrace Newman1990I Love You to DeathMillie1993Family PrayersNina1999Free sample girl1999Bridget Manilla1999Deal of a LifetimeLaurie Petler2002Samantha "Sam" Russell2002SwimfanAmy Miller2003Sarah2003Carla2004UndertowViolet2005When Do We Eat?Nikki2005HavocAmanda2006I-See-You.ComRandi Sommers2006I'm Reed FishJill Cavanaugh2006Carjacking Az/CaryShort film2007Rebecca Fay2007What Love IsDebbie2007Charlie Wilson's WarJailbait2007Love Like WindThe GhostShort film2012SusanShort film2013Seven Minutes to Save the WorldCarolineShort film2015The Devil's CandyAstrid Hellman2016The MeddlerTV Daughter2016An EntanglementViolet NovakShort film2017LemonRuthie2023Your Place or Mine Vanessa
Television Year Title Role Notes1985Santa BarbaraLittle GirlEpisode #3591987Blood Vows: The Story of a Mafia WifeUnknownTV movie 1987 Thirtysomething Little Hope Episode: "The Parents Are Coming"1988Mystery Magical SpecialShiriTV special1988Go Toward the LightJessicaTV movie1988Nicole2 episodes 1988 Freddy's Nightmares – A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Series Marsha at 10 Episode: "Freddy's Tricks and Treats"1988Dear JohnGirlEpisode: "Hello/Goodbye"1989Knight & DayeAmy EscobarMain cast1989Who's the Boss?Kid #1Episode: "To Tony, with Love" (season 6)1990Knots LandingMary Frances – age 102 episodes1990Debbie LavenderEpisode: "Teach the Children"1991Sunday DinnerRachelMain cast1992Perfect FamilySteffTV movie1993Doogie Howser, M.D.Molly HarrisEpisode: "Love Makes the World Go 'Round... or Is It Money?"1993RavenJessEpisode: "The Guardians of the Night"1993Against the GrainClaireEpisode: "Pilot"1994ERMs. MurphyEpisode: "24 Hours"1995Brotherly LoveFairy #1Episode: "A Midsummer's Nightmare"1997BaywatchJennieEpisode: "Hot Water"19977th HeavenKarenEpisode: "Girls Just Want to Have Fun"1997City GuysCindyEpisode: "Bye Mom"1998Xena: Warrior PrincessTara2 episodes1999Beverly Hills, 90210RenéEpisode: "Local Hero"1999Movie StarsLoriEpisode: "Pilot" (scenes deleted)1999–2002RoswellLiz ParkerMain cast2000Nerd2 episodes2000Batman BeyondCynthia (voice)Episode: "Terry's Friend Dates a Robot"2004DarklightLilith/ElleTV movie2005Everything You WantAbby MorrisonTV movie, Love Surreal2005Pizza My HeartGina PrestolaniTV movie2006Thrill of the KillKelly HoldenTV movie 2006–2007 Six Degrees Anya Recurring role2008Welcome to The CaptainHeatherEpisode: "The Wrecking Crew"2008Fear ItselfTracyEpisode: "Community"2008To Love and DieHildy YoungTV movie2009UnstableMegan WalkerTV movie 2008–2009 ER Dr. Daria Wade Recurring role 2010–2011 Life Unexpected Cate Cassidy Main cast 2011 Royal Pains Stella Episode: "Rash Talk" 2012 Franklin & Bash Emily Adams 2 episodes 2012–2013 Chicago Fire Clarice Carthage Recurring role 2013 Kristin's Christmas Past Kristin Cartwell TV movie 2013 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Amelia Albers Episode: "Military Justice" 2013–2014 Girls Natalia Recurring role 2014 Elementary Dalit Zirin Episode: "The Hound of the Cancer Cells" 2015–2018 Unreal Rachel Goldberg Main cast 2015 Code Black Carla Niven Recurring role 2019 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Kitty Bennett Episode: "Dearly Beloved" 2019 Drunk History Margaret Howe Lovatt Episode: "Drugs" 2021–2022 Roswell, New Mexico Dr. Allie Meyers Recurring role
Web Year Title Role Notes 2005 Quarterlife Debra Unknown episodes 2011 Whole Day Down Moon Episode: "Genesis" 2012 Dating Rules from My Future Self Lucy Lambert 10 episodes, also producer (seasons 1 & 2)
Director Year Title Episode(s) Notes 2012 Dating Rules from My Future Self "The Last Shrimp" 2012 Sketchy "Got the Check" 2016–2018 Unreal 4 episodes 2019–2020 Roswell, New Mexico 2 episodes 2019 Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists "Lost and Found" 2019 Light as a Feather 2 episodes 2020 Mixed-ish Episode: "Doctor! Doctor!" 2021–2022 New Amsterdam 2 episodes 2021–2024 Grown-ish 8 episodes 2021–2022 The Wonder Years 2 episodes 2021 Queens Episode: "Who You Calling a Bitch?" 2022 Black-ish Episode: "My Work Friend's Wedding" 2022–2023 Young Sheldon 4 episodes 2022 Maggie Episode: "A Mysterious Invitation Awaits You" 2023 Unprisoned 2 episodes 2023 Minx Episode: "A Stately Pleasure Done Decree"2026The Hawk2 episodes
Accolades Year Association Category Work Result 1993 Young Artist Awards Best Young Actress in a Cable Movie Perfect Family 2014Online Film & Television AssociationOFTA Television Award for Best Guest Actress in a Drama SeriesLaw & Order: Special Victims Unit 2016 Critics' Choice Television Awards Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actress in a Drama Series Unreal2016Women's Image Network AwardsWIN Award for Outstanding Show Directed By a WomanUnreal
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