Rachel Miner wanted to be an actress from age two. She began working
with an acting coach at eight, got an agent at nine and, by ten, had
not only worked for Woody Allen, but was
cast as "Michelle Bauer" on
Springfield Story (1952) (a
part that started as recurring and evolved into a contract role lasting
nearly five years (1990-1995) and earning her three Young Artist Awards
and an Emmy nomination).
Born into a show business family, she represents the third generation
of Miners to take to the theatre, film and television. Her father,
Peter Miner, was an Emmy-winning
director and noted New York acting teacher (at T. Schreiber Studio),
directing teacher (at Columbia University) and acting coach. Her
mother, Diane Miner Diane Miner, a writer and off-off-Broadway director, taught and
coached acting with her husband. Her grandparents were
producer/director Worthington Miner
and actress Frances Fuller. Her brother
is actor Peter Miner.
Rachel has played roles, ranging from addicts, prostitutes, murderers
and murder victims to innocent brides or understanding veterinary techs
in dozens of films and television series, with recurring roles as an
ambitious, amoral secretary (in Showtime's
Californication (2007) and a
kick-ass demon (in the CW's
Supernatural: Zur Hölle mit dem Bösen (2005). Whether
terrorized by a psychopath or playing one, there seems little that
daunts this fearless young actress.
In addition to her film and television work, Rachel has several
noteworthy theatrical credits. At fourteen, she appeared in
Laura Cahill's "The Way at Naked Angels"
(1994). She made her Broadway debut at seventeen, playing "Margo Frank"
to Natalie Portman's "Anne" in
Wendy Kesselman's adaptation of "The
Diary of Anne Frank" (1996/97), directed by
James Lapine. She originated the role of
"Rivkele" in Donald Margulies'
adaptation of Sholom Asch's "God of
Vengeance" (2000), directed by
Gordon Edelstein at ACT (A Contemporary
Theatre) in Seattle. She also originated the role of "Sandy" in
Rebecca Gilman's "Blue Surge" (2001),
directed by Robert Falls at The
Goodman Theatre in Chicago (and reprised in 2002 at The Public Theatre
in New York).
