Alessandra Olivia Toreson (born May 29, 1987), known professionally as Alessandra Torresani, is an American actress. She is known for playing Zoe Graystone in the science fiction television series Caprica and Claire in The Big Bang Theory.
Jun 9 2009
people.comEarly life
Alessandra Olivia Toreson was born on May 29, 1987, in Palo Alto, California.1 Her mother Marcia Glow was a chief executive officer, while her father James Sylvester Toreson ran startup tech companies.2 She began studying dancing and singing when she was two years old. At the age of 8, she landed a job doing interviews between cartoons on The WB Television Network. She holds a black belt in taekwondo.3
She has stated that she is "half-Jewish."4
Career
Torresani's television debut was at age nine when she hosted the "Kids' WB Club" for San Francisco's KBWB (Channel 20). She co-starred in the Disney Channel Original Movie Going to the Mat. Her other television credits include guest appearances on Even Stevens, JAG, ER, The War at Home, Malcolm In The Middle, Arrested Development, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation among others. In May 2008, Torresani was cast as Zoe Graystone in Syfy's Caprica,5 a prequel spin-off of Battlestar Galactica, which debuted in 2009.
In 2009, Rolling Stone announced that she was cast to play Lita Ford in The Runaways, a biopic about the all-girl punk band of the same name.6 Variety later reported that it was Scout Taylor-Compton who would play Ford.7 In 2010, Torresani was featured as a Girl of Maxim.8
In 2013, Torresani starred in the comedy web series Husbands, which first aired on September 13, 2011.9
In 2016, she appeared in five episodes of The Big Bang Theory, playing the role of bartender and aspiring screenwriter Claire.
Torresani lives with bipolar disorder and hosts EmotionAL Support with Alessandra Torresani, a mental health podcast.10
She is married to Sturgis Adams and has one daughter, Lady Francis Adams.11
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Lost and Found | Park Girl | |
| 2000 | Mad Song | Alex | |
| 2000 | Baby Bedlam | Becky | |
| 2010 | Annie Goes Boating | Annie | Short film |
| 2012 | Playback | Brianna | |
| 2013 | The Moment | Emma | |
| 2016 | Car Dogs | Sheri | |
| 2018 | Step Sisters | Amber | Direct-to-video film |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | KaBlam! | n/a | Episode: "Brothers Tiki" |
| 1998 | ER | Kate | Episode: "Stuck on You" |
| 1999 | Working | Tiffany | Episode: "The Prodigy" |
| 1999 | My Last Love | Emma | Movie |
| 2000 | Popular | Emily/Emma | Episode: "Baby, Don't Do It!" |
| 2000 | Even Stevens | Mimi Nagurski | Episode: "Luscious Lou" |
| 2003 | Newton | Holly Pryor | Movie |
| 2001, 2003 | Malcolm in the Middle | Sara Coleman/Kirsten | Episodes: "Malcolm's Girlfriend", "Thanksgiving" |
| 2004 | Going to the Mat | Mary Beth Rice | Movie |
| 2004 | JAG | Susan Smithfield | Episode: "Coming Home" |
| 2004 | Arrested Development | Ann Veal | Episode: "Let 'Em Eat Cake", character was portrayed by Mae Whitman in every other appearance |
| 2004 | Grounded for Life | Carolyn | Episode: "I'm Looking Through You" |
| 2005 | Love, Inc. | Holly | Episode: "Major Dad" |
| 2005 | The War at Home | Alison | Episode: "The Bigger They Come" |
| 2006 | Grand Union | Meaghan McBride | Movie |
| 2007 | Bones | Teenaged Girl Elf | Episode: "The Santa in the Slush" |
| 2008 | Happy Campers | Dylan Dixon | Movie |
| 2008 | Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles | Jordan Cowan | Episode: "The Turk" |
| 2009 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Bree Lindale | Episode: "Turn, Turn, Turn" |
| 2009–10 | Caprica | Zoe Graystone | Series regular (16 episodes) |
| 2011 | RuPaul's Drag Race | Herself/Guest judge | Episode: "Queens in Space" |
| 2011 | Warehouse 13 | Meagan Reese | Episode: "Shadows" |
| 2011–13 | Husbands | Haley | 8 episodes |
| 2011 | American Horror Story | Stephanie Boggs | Episodes: "Halloween: Part 2", "Piggy Piggy" |
| 2014 | Two and a Half Men | Kathy | Episode: "Thirty-Eight, Sixty-Two, Thirty-Eight" |
| 2015 | The Fosters | Brooke | Season 3. 3 episodes |
| 2015 | Workaholics | Crystal | Episode: "Dorm Daze" |
| 2016–17 | The Big Bang Theory | Claire | Recurring (season 9)Guest (season 10) |
| 2016 | Lucifer | Naomi | Episode: "Pops" |
| 2020 | Batwoman | Duela Dent | Episode: "Grinning from Ear to Ear" |
External links
References
"Alessandra Torresani: Biography, Latest News & Videos". TV Guide; retrieved August 15, 2012. https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/alessandra-torresani/299794 ↩
Hart, Hugh (January 21, 2010). "Alessandra Torresani Gets Inside Caprica's Prime Cylon". Wired. https://www.wired.com/underwire/2010/01/alessandra-torresani/all/1 ↩
Goldman, Eric (January 28, 2010). "Caprica: Alessandra Torresani on Life as a Cylon", ign.com; accessed March 18, 2015. http://tv.ign.com/articles/106/1063989p1.html ↩
Miller, Bruce R. (January 22, 2010). "'Caprica' star is ready for her close-up". Sioux City Journal. Archived from the original on March 3, 2011. Retrieved January 27, 2023. That's a holdover from "90210," a series she didn't get. She was up for the role of Silver, "but I wasn't Jewish enough, even though I'm half-Jewish. What? https://web.archive.org/web/20110303232720/https://siouxcityjournal.com/entertainment/television/article_e04e60a5-e577-5704-8c1d-17a09ff1cf70.html ↩
"Alessandra Toressani also joins 'Caprica'". Zap2it. May 12, 2008. Archived from the original on May 31, 2014. Retrieved February 27, 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20140531181333/http://www.zap2it.com/tv/news/zap-ericstoltztorresanicapricafrancesfishereureka,0,1628699.story ↩
Kreps, Daniel (June 9, 2009). "Alessandra Torresani Cast As Lita Ford in "The Runaways" Biopic". Rolling Stone. https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/alessandra-torresani-cast-as-lita-ford-in-the-runaways-biopic-20090609 ↩
Goldberg, Matt (June 24, 2009). "Will The Real Fake Lita Ford Please Stand Up?". Collider. http://collider.com/will-the-real-fakelita-ford-please-stand-up/2987 ↩
"Sci-Fi has a new Red Hot Robot!". Maxim. February 8, 2010. Retrieved November 26, 2016. http://www.maxim.com/women/alessandra-torresani-gallery-gallery ↩
"Jane Espenson Talks 'Husbands'". The Bambola Factory. July 26, 2011. https://thebambolafactory.tumblr.com/post/8105367900/jane-espenson-talks-husbands ↩
"EmotionAL Support with Alessandra Torresani on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved 2021-07-02. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/emotional-support-with-alessandra-torresani/id1476940278 ↩
https://people.com/parents/alessandra-torresani-husband-sturgis-adams-welcome-baby-girl/ https://people.com/parents/alessandra-torresani-husband-sturgis-adams-welcome-baby-girl/ ↩