Great Character Actor: Alicia Coppola

Alicia Coppola shows up in a lot of mystery shows--therefore, I see Alicia Coppola quite a lot. She's been an exasperated good guy on Monk; a ruthless vindictive wife on Law & Order: Criminal Intent; a heartless villain on CSI:LV; she's shown up on NCIS and JAG and even Star Trek: Voyager.

What I like most about Coppola is that no matter what part she is playing, she IS that part. There's no bleeding through from other parts. In contrast, whenever the very talented John Glover shows up on a show, he is always creepy, strange guy with an agenda. Every time.

But Coppola as a villain is entirely villainous; as vindictive, entirely vindictive; as innocent, entirely innocent. I never think of other roles while she is on the screen although I certainly recognize her!

My favorite Coppola role is Lt. Cmdr Faith Coleman on NCIS and JAG. Coleman is an intelligent, self-possessed attorney who keeps an immaculate desk and very sharp pencils. There's a great scene between Coppola and Michael Weatherly ("Unsealed") where Dinozzo teases Coppola:

Tony: Is that your idea of a sharp pencil? You know which one I’m talking about. Not gonna poke anyone’s eye out with that one.

As Tony is leaving, Coleman picks up a fistful of pencils and checks their tips. "Now, that's funny!" Tony calls from the door, but Coleman just shrugs, satisfied that all her pencils are indeed quite sharp.

And I like to see actresses with freckles. It somehow makes them so endearing and relatable!