Paget Brewster Bio
Paget Valerie Brewster (born March 10, 1969) is an American actress known for her role as FBI Supervisory Special Agent Emily Prentiss on CBS’s Criminal Minds. She first gained broader recognition for her recurring portrayal of Kathy on the NBC sitcom Friends and has since built a diverse career in television, film, and voice work. Brewster has appeared in films such as The Specials (2000) and The Big Bad Swim and provided voices for animated series like Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law.
Across the 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s, Brewster has sustained a long-running presence in both comedic and dramatic roles. She is also recognized for her work as a host and a stage performer, contributing to projects across genres and formats. Brewster continues to be active in television, voice acting, and podcast appearances.
Early Life and Background
Paget Valerie Brewster was born on March 10, 1969, in Concord, Massachusetts. Both her mother, Hathaway Brewster, and her father, Galen Brewster, worked as school administrators at Middlesex School. She is a descendant of William Brewster and his wife Mary Brewster, early figures connected with the Plymouth Colony.
Brewster grew up in Massachusetts before relocating to New York City to attend the Parsons School of Design. During her first year at the design school, she made her acting debut and eventually dropped out to focus on acting as a career. In a later interview, she recalled briefly working as a receptionist in a bordello during this period.
In the mid-1990s, Brewster moved to San Francisco and enrolled in acting classes, sharpening her craft and laying the groundwork for her professional career. Her formal training in design, combined with stage work in California, helped shape her transition into performing.
Path to Acting
Brewster’s first notable professional credit came in 1995, when she hosted a late-night talk show in the San Francisco Bay Area called The Paget Show, which ran for 65 episodes on KPIX-TV. The show offered her early on-camera experience and helped establish her comedic timing and presence in front of an audience.
She later moved to Los Angeles and began booking guest roles on television series, building a steady résumé of small but memorable parts. Her earliest film credit included work on low-budget and independent productions that allowed her to develop her range across genres.
By the end of the 1990s, Brewster had assembled the experience needed to compete for larger roles. She soon caught the attention of casting directors working on network television, which led to her first significant recurring role.
Paget Brewster Career
Early Career (1996–2000)
Brewster first came to prominent attention with her recurring role as Kathy in the fourth season of NBC’s Friends. The role introduced her to a wide network audience and helped establish her as a reliable comedic performer capable of holding her own in an established ensemble.
She also appeared in the sitcom Andy Richter Controls the Universe and the drama Huff, expanding her television footprint. On film, Brewster played Ms. Indestructible, the female lead in James Gunn’s low-budget superhero comedy The Specials (2000), a role that highlighted her talent for offbeat, comedic characters. In 2005, she began voice work as Judy Ken Sebben and Birdgirl on the animated series Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law, and later voiced a similar guest character on American Dad.
Breakthrough (2005–2016)
In 2005, Brewster joined the cast of CBS’s Criminal Minds as multilingual Supervisory Special Agent Emily Prentiss. Her portrayal of Prentiss quickly became one of her defining roles, earning her a loyal fan base and critical notice. She remained with the show through its sixth season, when she and A. J. Cook were released from their contracts in a cost-cutting move. Owing to fan complaints, both actresses were rehired and kept for the following season.
In February 2012, Brewster announced via Deadline that she would leave Criminal Minds at the end of the season to return to her comedic and sitcom roots. She reprised the role of Emily Prentiss in the show’s ninth season for the 200th episode and returned again in season eleven as a special guest star. In 2016, she returned to the series as a regular cast member following the departure of co-star Thomas Gibson.
Beyond Criminal Minds, Brewster portrayed bureau chief ADA Paula Foster in the Public Integrity Unit of the District Attorney’s office in the 14th season of NBC’s Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in 2012. She played Amy Pierson, a calculus teacher afraid of the water, in the independent film The Big Bad Swim, which premiered at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival. She was also a regular on The Thrilling Adventure Hour, a staged production in the style of old-time radio recorded monthly at Largo in Los Angeles, where she played the recurring character of Sadie Doyle.
Brewster made guest appearances across several popular series, including Modern Family in 2013 as Trish, Drunk History on Comedy Central in 2013, and Community starting in January 2015. She regularly appears on Will You Accept This Rose, a podcast hosted by Arden Myrin about The Bachelor franchise.
Notable Works and Milestones
Brewster’s signature work remains her portrayal of Emily Prentiss on Criminal Minds, a role that defined much of her career and earned her a dedicated audience. Her recurring role as Kathy on Friends remains an early career milestone, while voice work on Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law showcased her versatility in animation. Her independent film work, including The Big Bad Swim, demonstrated her range beyond network television.
Paget Brewster Family
Brewster was raised in Concord, Massachusetts, by her parents, Galen Brewster and Hathaway Brewster, who both worked as school administrators at Middlesex School. She is a descendant of William Brewster and his wife Mary Brewster. Brewster has spoken warmly about her family’s support of her career choices, including their encouragement when she considered offers early in her career.
Personal Life
On March 17, 2013, Brewster became engaged to composer Steve Damstra, a member of the bands Folded Light and Whirlwind Heat. Brewster and Damstra married on November 28, 2014, in Los Angeles, in a ceremony officiated by Matthew Gray Gubler, a close friend and her Criminal Minds co-star. As of 2016, the couple lived in Los Angeles. Brewster has volunteered as an actress with the Los Angeles Young Storytellers Program, supporting youth storytelling initiatives in her community.