Vanessa Angel

Angel's acting career kicked off in 1985 with a small role in John Landis's *Spies Like Us* — she played a Russian spy, which, honestly, is not a bad way to start. From there, the work built gradually: a supporting appearance in Abel Ferrara's *King of New York* in 1990, a role in *Sleep with Me* (1994), and then the job that changed everything. Cast as Lisa in USA Network's *Weird Science* — a series adapted from the 1985 John Hughes film — she became the face of the show for its run from 1994 to 1995, playing a computer-generated woman brought to life who's equal parts mentor, chaos agent, and straight-faced comedian. It's a harder role to pull off than it looks, and she made it work. The Farrelly brothers came calling next. *Kingpin* (1996) is the kind of film that didn't get its full due on release but has since earned a devoted following, and Angel's performance as Claudia — caught between Harrelson's hapless Munson and the film's broader carnival of bad decisions — is a big reason it holds up. She's funny without mugging for it. That's rare. Since then, her filmography has kept expanding in ways that don't always get enough attention. *Kissing a Fool* (1998), recurring television work on *Stargate SG-1* and *Baywatch*, guest appearances on *Entourage* and *Californication*, and a role on *Being Mary Jane* show an actress who's stayed genuinely active across genres and formats. She's currently based in Los Angeles and has upcoming projects — *Sticky* and *The Roaring Game* — in the pipeline. Hard to say if either will break through the way *Weird Science* did, but the track record suggests she's not particularly worried about it.