Lindsay Pulsipher

A remarkably focused actress who was partial to challenging roles, Lindsay Pulsipher started her professional career with a recurring role on the drama series "Touched by an Angel" (CBS, 1994-2003) and with a lead part on the crime drama, "The Beast" (A&E, 2009) as a tough law student who dated a rookie FBI agent. She went on to star on the highly acclaimed HBO series "True Blood" (2008-14), director Alan Ball's gripping saga about residents in a small Louisiana town who lived with modern-day vampires.

Unlike her character on "The Beast" who was refined to a fault, her "True Blood" character, Crystal Norris, was rough around the edges and struggling to move on from her drug-induced past. The role required Pulsipher to dig deep in order to stay true to her character's image, and paved the way for even more riveting parts for the talented actress.

Born and raised in Salt Lake City, UT, Lindsay Pulsipher was inspired to become an actress after seeing her mother perform in plays at the local theater. She was raised as a Mormon, but she quit the religion as a young child and began acting in their local children's community theater.

As she grew older, she began watching films earnestly and was inspired by the works of actresses like Ellen Burstyn and Julie Christie. After moving to Los Angeles, Pulsipher landed a recurring role on "Touched by an Angel" opposite Roma Downey as Monica, an angel sent to Earth to deliver messages of hope to people who are at a crossroads in their lives, and Della Reese as Monica's tough, but understanding instructor.

In 2003, Pulsipher played a college student in the independent film "Summer Solstice," a coming-of-age story about a brilliant yet troubled student (George Fivas) who found solace in music and writing. She guest starred on popular dramas like "CSI: NY" (CBS, 2004-13), "NCIS" (CBS, 2003- ) and "House M.D." (Fox, 2004-12) featuring Hugh Laurie as a cantankerous but brilliant doctor who specializes in diagnosing mysterious medical cases.

Pulsipher went on to star on the crime series "The Beast" opposite the late Patrick Swayze, who portrayed a veteran FBI agent who specialized in gaining the trust of criminals before putting them away in prison. It also starred Travis Fimmel as a rookie FBI agent training alongside Swayze.

Pulsipher made waves on the short-lived series as a smart and sophisticated law student who dates Fimmel's character. In 2010, she joined the cast of the award-winning HBO vampire series "True Blood," based on the The Southern Vampire Mysteries novels by Charlaine Harris which follow the residents of Bon Temps who coexist with vampires.

Pulsipher's character of Crystal Norris, a mysterious woman who spent most of her life in a meth compound, falls for Jason Stackhouse (Ryan Kwanten), the town's resident playboy. The popular series revolved around Jason's sister, Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin), a saucy, telepathic waitress involved with vampire Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer).

While in production for "True Blood," Pulsipher also starred in an independent film "Do Not Disturb" (2010), a series of sci-fi vignettes that take place in the same hotel room and was helmed by five different directors. She also appeared in "The Story of Bonnie and Clyde" (2010), a remake of the tale of infamous criminal couple Bonnie (Hilary Duff) and Clyde (Kevin Zegers).