Biografi
A word that immediately captures Christie Lynn's acting talent is versatile. With her natural beauty and deep emotional range, Christie has earned the reputation of a chameleon for seamlessly transforming from one character to another. Skilled in both drama and comedy, she is now a seasoned actress with over forty television series and an impressive array of films to her credit.
Christie grew up primarily in the small town of Orange Park, Florida. Her acting journey began in high school with local commercials and industrial films, though her passion for acting started much earlier. As a child, she loved pretending to be Olivia Newton-John from the film Grease (1978), acting out scenes with neighborhood friends.
She earned her Screen Actors Guild card right after high school by securing a guest role on the TV show Super Force (1990), followed by a larger guest appearance on Swamp Thing (1990), which caught the attention of local casting directors. Recognizing the need to pursue her passion in Hollywood, Christie moved to Los Angeles, immersing herself in acting classes with renowned coaches such as Cameron Thor, Howard Fine, Jay R. Goldenberg, Uta Hagen, Eric Morris, and studying with the comedy troupe The Groundlings.
Her dedication quickly paid off. Christie landed a starring role in the soap opera Forever (1996), which filmed on location in Mexico City for a year. After completing 160 episodes, she returned to Los Angeles and secured her first lead role in the TV pilot USMA West Point (1998). She then consistently appeared on television, guest-starring on many of Aaron Spelling’s popular shows including Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990), 7th Heaven (1996), and Charmed (1998). More recently, her television work includes recurring roles on Bones (2005), Malcolm in the Middle (2000), General Hospital (1963), and Days of Our Lives (1965), as well as guest spots on Justified (2010), Chase (2010), Castle (2009), Boston Legal (2004), House (2004), Three Rivers (2009), Saving Grace (2007), ER (1994), Las Vegas (2003), Monk (2002), Without a Trace (2002), and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000), among others.
Christie’s film career launched spectacularly in 2001 when esteemed casting directors Jane Jenkins and Janet Hirshenson (known for A Beautiful Mind (2001) and The Da Vinci Code (2006)) selected her for the lead role of Susie Downey, a cheerful church girl with a secret, in the comedy The Groomsmen (2003), also known as What Boys Like.
She followed this with the role of Catherine Carter Corbin, a Southern belle, in Ted Turner’s Civil War epic Gods and Generals (2003), alongside Robert Duvall, Stephen Lang, and Jeff Daniels.
Other notable films include the thriller The Last Stop Cafe (2003), which earned her a Best Actress nomination at the Eerie Horror Film Festival for portraying a serial killer on the run. She also starred in the dark psychological drama Inside Irvin (2004) as a tormented agoraphobic, receiving rave reviews. Todd Davis of CBS Radio praised her work as worthy of Academy Award recognition.
Shortly thereafter, Christie starred in Grace (2006), one of two characters in this award-winning short film. Actor/director Laurence Fishburne lauded the film’s “sensitive, illuminating performances.” Her raw portrayal of the suicidal Rae won her a Leading Actor Accolade award in 2007 and a Best Actress nomination at the Method Fest film festival.
In 2008, Christie embraced her biggest and most rewarding role yet—becoming a mother. She welcomed her daughter, Abby Ryder, on March 14, 2008.
After taking time off to focus on her family with husband John Fortson, an actor, Christie returned to work, landing two consecutive film roles. She played May Keifner, a dry-witted, bold woman, in Ticket Out (2012), starring alongside Ray Liotta and Billy Burke, produced by Oscar-nominated director Chris Noonan (Babe (1995), Miss Potter (2006)). She then appeared in The Crazies (2010), a remake of George A. Romero’s classic, portraying Deardra Farnum, a protective mother in a small town plagued by deadly events. The film was directed by Breck Eisner (Sahara (2005)) and produced by Michael Aguilar (The Departed (2006)).
When she’s not acting, Christie enjoys spending time with her family, practicing yoga, hiking, traveling, surfing, cooking, savoring afternoon tea, and playing gin rummy—especially when she beats her husband.
Exciting opportunities lie ahead for this beautiful, multi-talented chameleon who continues to bring authentic, compelling characters to life time and again.
