KaDee Strickland Bio
Katherine Dee Strickland (born December 14, 1975), known professionally as KaDee Strickland, is an American actress whose career spans film and television. She is best known for portraying Dr. Charlotte King on the ABC medical drama Private Practice, a role she played from 2007 to 2013. Strickland first gained attention in the late 1990s with a small appearance in The Sixth Sense and went on to appear in a string of Hollywood productions, including Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid, The Grudge, Fever Pitch, American Gangster, and The Family That Preys. Beyond her on-screen work, she is an advocate for survivors of sexual assault and works closely with the organization RAINN.
Early Life and Background
Katherine Dee Strickland was born on December 14, 1975, in Blackshear, Georgia, to Susan, a nurse, and Dee Strickland, a high school football coach, principal, and superintendent. Her familiar nickname, KaDee, was created by her parents, who combined the “K” from her given name Katherine with her father’s name and middle name, Dee. She was raised in the nearby small town of Patterson, Georgia, which she has described as a “one-stoplight town,” and during her childhood she worked for eight years picking tobacco on a local farm.
Growing up in a close-knit Southern family, Strickland was well known locally for her extracurricular achievements. She served as Homecoming Queen in elementary, middle, and high school, and was student council president and a cheerleader. Although she never initially considered a career in the arts, that changed when she took part in a one-act play during high school. She later recalled the experience as a moment of destiny, saying she knew immediately what she wanted to do with her life.
Strickland has cited the Woody Allen film Annie Hall as a formative childhood influence, recalling that watching the picture made her want to be part of that world. After graduating from high school, she set her sights on studying drama in New York City, but her parents preferred she live in a smaller city. She ultimately enrolled at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, where she earned a fine arts degree. In 2006, the university honored her with its Silver Star Alumni Award.
Path to Acting
While studying at the University of the Arts, Strickland joined the Screen Actors Guild and began working part-time as a waitress. She also interned at a casting agency, where one of her duties was reading lines with actors auditioning for small roles in local film and television productions. That internship led to her first film role and launched her professional screen career. After graduating, she continued her acting training in New York City before relocating to Los Angeles in late 2003.
Strickland’s earliest screen credits include a brief appearance in The Sixth Sense in 1999, a small role in Girl, Interrupted alongside Winona Ryder and Angelina Jolie, and work in independent films such as Diamond Men and Bomb the System. She also built stage experience in productions like A Requiem for Things Past and John Patrick Shanley’s Women of Manhattan, while making guest appearances on television shows including Law & Order: Criminal Intent and All My Children. By 2003, she had earned supporting parts in Woody Allen’s Anything Else and the romantic comedy Something’s Gotta Give, projects that helped her transition from student roles to larger studio films.
KaDee Strickland Career
Early Career (1999–2003)
KaDee Strickland’s professional career began in 1999 with a brief appearance in M. Night Shyamalan’s supernatural drama The Sixth Sense. She received the small two-line part after impressing the writer-director while reading lines at an audition. The experience, she has said, helped her learn to control her emotional performance on screen. That same year, she appeared in the independent film The Sterling Chase and earned a small role in James Mangold’s drama Girl, Interrupted.
During her early years in Philadelphia and New York, Strickland supplemented her film work with stage appearances and television guest spots. She took part in productions such as A Requiem for Things Past and John Patrick Shanley’s Women of Manhattan, and she made nine guest appearances on the daytime drama All My Children. By 2003, she had secured supporting roles in the romantic comedies Anything Else and Something’s Gotta Give, laying the groundwork for the leading parts that followed.
Breakthrough (2004–2008)
Strickland’s first lead role came in 2004 with the jungle-set horror sequel Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid, in which she played a research scientist joining an expedition in Borneo. Producer Doug Belgrad cast her after seeing her work in Something’s Gotta Give. That same year, she starred in the U.S. remake of the Japanese horror film The Grudge, directed by Takashi Shimizu and produced by Sam Raimi. Her performance in the bed-hiding scene earned her a 2005 Teen Choice Award nomination for Choice Movie Scary Scene, and she was soon dubbed the horror genre’s “newest scream queen.”
In 2005, Strickland shifted gears with the Farrelly brothers’ baseball-themed romantic comedy Fever Pitch, starring opposite Drew Barrymore and Jimmy Fallon. Critics praised her energy in the role, and the film raised her profile beyond the horror genre. She followed this with a role as a lawyer and love interest in Ridley Scott’s crime drama American Gangster (2007), which starred Russell Crowe and Denzel Washington, and with the Tyler Perry drama The Family That Preys (2008).
On television, Strickland joined the David E. Kelley-produced Fox series The Wedding Bells in March 2007. Although the show was canceled after one month, she was quickly added to the cast of the Grey’s Anatomy spin-off Private Practice later that year. Her portrayal of Dr. Charlotte King, chief of staff and a specialist in urologic surgery, made her a familiar face to television audiences and remained her signature role until the series concluded in 2013.
Notable Works and Milestones
Across her career, Strickland has built a varied résumé that includes leading roles in horror, romantic comedy, and prestige drama. Her signature television work remains Dr. Charlotte King on Private Practice, while her most recognizable film performances include Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid, The Grudge, Fever Pitch, American Gangster, and The Family That Preys. In 2006, the University of the Arts honored her with its Silver Star Alumni Award in recognition of her achievements.
KaDee Strickland Award Nominations
Strickland’s verified award nominations include a 2005 Teen Choice Award nomination for Choice Movie Scary Scene for her work in The Grudge. She has continued to take on prominent television roles in the years since, including parts in Secrets and Lies, Shut Eye, and the second season of the anthology series Cruel Summer.
KaDee Strickland Awards Won
Public records show a 2005 Teen Choice Award nomination for Choice Movie Scary Scene for The Grudge. In 2006, Strickland received the University of the Arts Silver Star Alumni Award in recognition of her professional accomplishments and her continued connection to her alma mater.
KaDee Strickland Family
Strickland was born to Susan, a nurse, and Dee Strickland, a high school football coach, principal, and superintendent. She was raised in Patterson, Georgia, alongside extended family and has often spoken warmly about her Southern upbringing and the close support of her parents, who encouraged her to pursue her artistic ambitions while staying grounded.
Personal Life
Strickland married fellow actor Jason Behr on November 10, 2006, in Ojai, California, in a ceremony inspired by Japanese culture. The two met on the set of The Grudge in 2004, bonded over a shared interest in Japanese culture, and began a relationship soon after filming ended. Behr proposed to her on her birthday. The couple has a son, Atticus Elijah Behr. Strickland has also been an outspoken advocate for survivors of sexual assault, working closely with RAINN since her Private Practice character was the focus of a sexual assault storyline.