Robin Tunney

Robin Jessica Tunney (born June 19, 1972) is an American actress. She is known for her role as  Teresa Lisbon in the television series  The Mentalist, as well as starring in  Prison Break and the movies  The Craft,  End of Days, and  Vertical Limit.

Early life
Tunney was born in Chicago, Illinois to a car salesman father, Patrick, and a bartender mother, Cathy. Tunney is Irish American; her father was born in Straide, County Mayo, Ireland, while her maternal grandparents were from Clare Island. Tunney grew up in Orland Park, Illinois, a southwest suburb of Chicago. She was raised Roman Catholic, attended Carl Sandburg High School in Orland Park and the Chicago Academy for the Arts in Chicago, and resided in Palos Heights, Illinois, also in the Chicago area. She is a cousin of Chicago Alderman Tom Tunney.

Career
At the age of 19, Tunney moved to Los Angeles, California and obtained several recurring TV roles on Class of '96, Law & Order, Dream On, and Life Goes On. She gave her breakthrough performance as a suicidal teenager in Empire Records, and attracted further attention by playing a witch in The Craft. She shaved her head for Empire Records and had to wear a wig in The Craft.

In 1997, Tunney starred in Bob Gosse's Niagara, Niagara with Henry Thomas in a performance which garnered her the Best Actress award Volpi Cup at the 1997 Venice International Film Festival. Tunney also was featured opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 1999 supernatural action film End of Days.

She starred in the pilot episode of House as a kindergarten teacher who collapses before her class and descends into aphasia. She was credited as 'special guest star'.

She portrayed Veronica Donovan on the first season of Prison Break, credited third after two main characters. She also appeared in the premiere episode of season two, when her character was killed off.

She had a minor role in the film August released on July 11, 2008.

Tunney is currently starring opposite Simon Baker in the CBS drama series The Mentalist. She appeared on the February 11, 2009 edition of The Ellen DeGeneres Show to discuss Baker and the show.