Kirsten Vangsness

Kirsten Vangsness is an American actress and writer who first found success in theater, where she collected several honors, among them an award from the Los Angeles Drama Critics for emerging comic actresses and a Golden Betty Award. Born in Pasadena, California, she earned a degree from California State University, Fullerton in 1996. Her first television work came in 2004 with a guest role in Phil of the Future on Disney Channel and a three-episode stint on LAX. A year later she joined the CBS crime drama Criminal Minds as FBI technical analyst Penelope Garcia, initially recurring before becoming a main cast member in its second season; she also appeared in its spin-offs Suspect Behavior and Beyond Borders. She has co-written four Criminal Minds episodes with executive producer Erica Messer, starred in the 2015 film Kill Me, Deadly, and appeared in the 2023 Lifetime movie Amish Stud: The Eli Weaver Story.