Molly Price Bio
Molly Price is an American actress best known for her long-running portrayal of Police Officer and Detective Faith Yokas on the NBC drama series Third Watch, which aired from 1999 to 2005. She has built a steady career of recurring and guest roles on television and supporting co-starring parts in feature films.
Early Life and Background
Molly Price was born in North Plainfield, New Jersey, and grew up in that community before pursuing formal training in the performing arts. She graduated from North Plainfield High School in 1984 and continued her studies at Rutgers University, New Brunswick, where she completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.
Price’s early exposure to performance came through local theater and academic training, which provided the foundation for her transition to professional screen work in the early 1990s. Her education at Rutgers University combined practical stage work with conservatory-style training that prepared her for diverse roles across stage, film, and television.
Path to Celebrity
Molly Price’s on-screen career began with guest work that demonstrated versatility across dramatic formats. Her first television appearance came in a 1991 episode of the NBC drama Law & Order, and she returned to that series in multiple guest roles, portraying different characters over subsequent years.
Through the 1990s Price expanded into feature films and series regular work, gaining experience in both comedy and drama. She was a regular cast member on the CBS sitcom Bless This House from 1995 to 1996 and accumulated supporting film credits that raised her profile with casting directors and producers.
Molly Price Career
Early Career (1991–1998)
Price made her television debut in 1991 on Law & Order, a role that marked the beginning of steady screen work. Throughout the early 1990s she took guest roles on television while appearing in supporting parts in feature films, including Jersey Girl in 1992 opposite Jami Gertz and Dylan McDermott.
In 1995 Price joined the principal cast of Bless This House, a CBS sitcom that ran from 1995 to 1996, which offered her series-regular experience and national exposure. During this period she also co-starred in independent and studio films such as Kiss Me, Guido in 1997, building a resume that balanced television series work with film appearances.
Breakthrough (1999–2005)
Molly Price’s career-defining moment came in 1999 when she was cast as Police Officer Faith Yokas on the NBC crime drama Third Watch. She remained a central cast member for the series’ full run from 1999 to 2005, portraying a character who matured from patrol officer to detective and whose storylines intersected with ensemble arcs on both the police and emergency-services sides of the series.
1999 was also a prolific year for Price in feature film work; she appeared in Pushing Tin, Woody Allen’s Sweet and Lowdown, and Random Hearts, among other projects that year, which broadened her visibility in cinema alongside her television commitments. During the Third Watch years she returned periodically to guest-starring television roles and appeared in films such as Chasing Sleep in 2000.
Price’s work on Third Watch also connected to her personal life, as her husband Derek Kelly made recurring guest appearances on the series playing a firefighter. The show addressed real-world events in episodes such as the special 9/11 installment, where Price drew on her experiences as a firefighter’s wife to inform the portrayal of her character’s emotional response.
Notable Works and Milestones
Molly Price’s most widely recognized role remains Faith Yokas on Third Watch, a performance sustained over six seasons that anchored her reputation as a reliable dramatic performer. Her film credits include Jersey Girl, Kiss Me, Guido, Pushing Tin, Sweet and Lowdown, and Not Fade Away in 2012, reflecting a steady presence in independent and studio films across two decades.
After Third Watch, Price continued to secure recurring television roles and notable guest appearances, including a recurring role as Effie Barrow on the Cinemax series The Knick from 2014 to 2015, a co-starring part on the Showtime series Happyish in 2015, and a guest appearance in the FX anthology drama Feud in 2017. She has also appeared on series such as The Good Wife, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, ER, The Mentalist, and Body of Proof, demonstrating range across procedural and character-driven shows.
Molly Price Family
Molly Price is married to New York City Fire Department firefighter Derek Kelly; the couple wed in 2001. Her husband has appeared as a recurring guest star on Third Watch in a role aligned with his real-life profession.
Personal Life
Price lives a professional life centered on acting work in film and television and has spoken publicly about the influence of family life on certain performances, most notably in the special Third Watch episode addressing the aftermath of the September 11 attacks. She has maintained a career characterized by steady, character-driven roles rather than headline celebrity stardom.
Price continues to work in television and film, appearing in guest and recurring roles while accepting supporting parts in features, which has allowed her to sustain a multi-decade acting career beginning in 1991. Her training at Rutgers University and experience on stage and screen have underpinned a versatile body of work across drama and comedy formats.