Spotlight On: Kelli Williams

Reaching back to the 1980’s, a young fledgling starlet was cast as the younger version of Linda Hamilton in the cult classic Beauty and the Beast. It was an innocuous start to what would become a sky-rocketing career. For being cast as the younger version of a sci-fi icon is never a bad way to get a foothold in the notoriously difficult television landscape — and so began the illustrious television career of Kelli Williams.

Kelli Williams stars opposite Tim Roth in Lie To Me / FOX

During the next 5 years, Kelli would pinball between various television guest appearances on such shows as Quantum Leap, The Young Riders, and Earth 2. She also had the chance to work with Meredith Baxter, playing the daughter of the infamous Betty Broderick in the television events, A Woman Scorned: The Betty Broderick Story and Her Final Fury: Betty Broderick, the Last Chapter. Perhaps learning a trick or two from Meredith (who won an Emmy for her searing performance), Kelli continued her quest for the role that would showcase her talents.

Then in 1996, Kelli appeared in a controversial episode of the Emmy-award winning series, Picket Fences. This may be where David E. Kelly first discovered the fearless yet vulnerable actress; for less than a year later, he cast her as a female lead in his new legal series, The Practice. During the subsequent six seasons and 145 episodes, Kelli received many accolades for her riveting, pitch-perfect performance playing defense attorney, Lindsay Dole. In that role, she was the voice of humanity with ram-rod convictions which resonated with the television audience.

After that she next appeared in the short-lived series The Lyon’s Den opposite Rob Lowe and that was followed by a lead role in the series Medical Investigation. Playing Dr. Natalie Durant was perhaps a foreshadowing of the role she currently plays.

But before that, Kelli also appeared for a quick six-episode arc on the adorable series Men In Trees. Welcomed back with open arms by the television audience, Kelli soon landed a lead role in the Fox series Lie To Me which debuted last spring.

Picked up for its second season, Lie To Me is an ideal vehicle for Kelli to display her wide-range of emotional resonance. She gets to play razor-sharp lie detection expert, Dr. Gillian Foster, who is a foil to Dr. Cal Lightman (Tim Roth) and a mentor to both Eli Loker (Brendan Hines) and Ria Torres (Monica Raymund). With aplomb, grace and subtle wit, Kelli is a joy to behold on screen. When she cries, we cry and when she laughs, we laugh. She holds the audience in the palm of her hand and we are delighted to be there.

Be sure to watch for Kelli in Lie To Me, Mondays at 9/8c on FOX.