Rachael Harris (born January 12, 1968) is an American actress and comedian. The accolades she has received include nominations for an Independent Spirit Award and a Saturn Award.
In film, Harris has had lead roles as Susan Heffley in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid film series (2010–2012) and Linda White in Natural Selection (2011). She has also had notable supporting roles in For Your Consideration (2006), The Hangover (2009), Bad Words (2013), Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (2014), Old Dads (2023), and Mother of the Bride (2024).
In television, Harris has had main cast roles as Cooper on the ABC sitcom Notes from the Underbelly (2007–2008), Joanne Dunlevy on the Fox sitcom Surviving Jack (2014), Dr. Linda Martin on the Fox and Netflix fantasy series Lucifer (2016–2021), and Nora on season 1 of the Disney+ and Hulu horror series Goosebumps (2023). She had a recurring role as Sheila Sazs on the USA Network series Suits (2012–2019).
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Early life, family and education
Harris was born in Worthington, Ohio. She graduated from Worthington High School in 1986. Her first award in the arts came during a first grade talent show, performing "Please Mr. Postman" by the Carpenters, winning the talent show with the performance due to her brother stuffing the ballot box.
While attending Otterbein College, Harris acted onstage in dramas such as 'night, Mother and The Cherry Orchard. A professor recommended Harris perform comedy instead of drama. Initially, she resisted; her intent was to be a stage actress. She graduated in 1989, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts in theatre.
Career
Harris' first acting job during college was in Cincinnati on the showboat Majestic, playing Maria from The Sound of Music.
After college, Harris moved to New York City and secured a commercial agent. She worked as a hostess at restaurants along Broadway and the Upper East Side. Meanwhile, she auditioned for theater roles, eventually landing a job performing children's theater.
Harris made her film debut in 1992 as the Treehouse Mom in Treehouse Trolls. She recalled the experience during the audition: "Treehouse Trolls, that just came out of an audition in this shitty theater. Like, it wasn't even a theater. It was a room. Near Times Square. And I was like, "I hope this is a legitimate audition. I could be going in for a porn. I don't know." She debuted on television on SeaQuest DSV in 1993.
Harris' agent was relocating to Los Angeles and recommended that Harris come along for commercials and TV. In LA, she performed at the Tamarind Theatre. After an appearance on Star Trek: Voyager in 1997, Harris went on to a recurring role in The WB's Sister, Sister through 1998.
A friend recommended Harris to come and watch the improvisational comedy troupe The Groundlings. She enjoyed the group so much she decided to take classes and eventually landed a gig with the main company in 2000. She went on to teach for a time with The Groundlings school also. Working with the Groundlings helped for mockumentary screenwriter and director Christopher Guest to notice Harris. In 2000, she had a role in Guest's feature film Best in Show.
In 2002, Harris performed on the sitcom on Friends, appeared in I Love the '80s, and landed TV commercial work which included ads for Avis and GEICO. Amongst the early commercial work, this was credited as helping Harris land a career in Hollywood. She had a stint as a correspondent for The Daily Show's 2002–2003 season which was considered a breakout role for her into comedy. In 2003 she had roles in A Mighty Wind, Daddy Day Care, and started appearances on Reno 911! from 2003 to 2022. In 2004 Harris hosted The Smoking Gun, made multiple appearances on such VH1 documentaries as I Love the '90s, Best Week Ever, The West Wing, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and an Expedia commercial.
Personal life
Harris was married to actor Adam Paul from 2003 to 2008.
Harris and violinist Christian Hebel married on April 30, 2015. They have two sons, born in 2016 and 2018. Harris filed for divorce from Hebel in 2019.
