Roxann Dawson stars as Chief Engineer B’Elanna Torres on Paramount Network Television’s STAR TREK: VOYAGER. B’Elanna is a beautiful young woman who is half-human, half-Klingon. A former student at Starfleet Academy, B’Elanna quit and joined the rebel Maquis. Now, as a crew member of the Starship U.S.S. Voyager, she is forced to conform to Starfleet rules and regulations. “B’Elanna is strong willed, independent and confused,” Dawson explains. “Caught between two worlds, she attempts to deny and suppress her powerful Klingon side.”
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Dawson was a Theater Arts major at the University of California at Berkeley. She soon landed her first role as Diana Morales in the Broadway production of “A Chorus Line.” She performed in many off-Broadway productions including “The Tempest” and “The Early Girl” with the Circle Repertory Company, where she is a member. She has also performed in several regional theatres across the country, including the Arena Stage in Washington, D.C., and the South Coast Repertory in Orange County, California.
Dawson was a regular in the NBC series’ “Nightingales” and “The Round Table.” Additionally, she has had leading roles in several telefilms, including “Mortal Sins,” “Dirty Work,” “Broken Angel,” “Pointman” and Mario Puzo’s “The Fortunate Pilgrim.” Most recently she was seen in the PBS series “Seeing Through Walls.” Her episodic television credits include “The Untouchables,” “Jack’s Place,” “Equal Justice” and most recently “Any Day Now.” Her feature film credits include leading roles in “Guilty By Suspicion” and “Darkman III.”
When not acting, Dawson finds time to pursue her other passion - writing. She co-authored two science-fiction novels as part of a pending trilogy, Tenebrea’s Hope, released in May 2000, and Entering Tenebrea, released in fall 1998. In addition, her play, “Passage Through the Heart,” premiered at the University of Minnesota and was an Irene Ryan finalist.
Dawson resides in Los Angeles with her husband, casting director Eric Dawson, and their daughter, Emma Rose.
