{{short description|American actress}} {{Use American English|date=July 2020}} {{Use mdy dates|date=June 2022}} {{Infobox person | name = Clea Lewis | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1965|7|19}} | birth_place = Cleveland Heights, Ohio, U.S. | occupation = Actress | years_active = 1991–present | spouse = Peter Ackerman | children = 2<ref name="Clea Lewis">{{Cite web|url=https://www.broadway.com/buzz/11163/clea-lewis/|title = Clea Lewis}}</ref> }}
'''Clea Lewis''' (born July 19, 1965) is an American actress, best known for her television role as Ellen Morgan (Ellen Degeneres)'s annoying friend Audrey Penney<ref>[http://www.wchstv.com/abc/ellen/lewis.html Clea Lewis is Audrey Penney on Ellen] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081123050348/http://www.wchstv.com/abc/ellen/lewis.html |date=November 23, 2008 }}</ref> in the sitcom ''Ellen''. Lewis also played Margaret Redding on ''Royal Pains'' and Deirdre Kemp on ''The Americans''. She guest-starred in ''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'' and the pilot episode of ''Friends,'' and was a series regular on ''Flying Blind'' and ''Andy Barker, P.I.''<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Clea Lewis |url=https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/clea-lewis/credits/3030218780/ |access-date=2023-05-28 |website=TVGuide.com |language=en}}</ref> Additionally, she appeared in movies like ''The Rich Man's Wife'', ''Diabolique,'' and ''Perfect Stranger,''<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Clea Lewis |url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2bac91a2ea |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210726121017/https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2bac91a2ea |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 26, 2021 |access-date=2023-05-28 |website=BFI |language=en}}</ref> and is also known for her theatre roles, including on Broadway in ''Absurd Person Singular'',<ref>{{Cite web |title=Clea Lewis – Broadway Cast & Staff {{!}} IBDB |url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/clea-lewis-400139 |access-date=2023-05-28 |website=www.ibdb.com}}</ref> and her voiceover work, such as in the movie ''Ice Age: The Meltdown'' and voicing Nicky Little in the Disney cartoon ''Pepper Ann''.
== Personal life == Clea Lewis was born in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, to a writer mother and a former vaudeville performer and lawyer father. Lewis graduated from Brown University in 1987. She has two sons with her husband, playwright and children's book author Peter Ackerman: Stanley, born in 2002, and Alvin, born in 2005.<ref name="Clea Lewis">{{Cite web|url=https://www.broadway.com/buzz/11163/clea-lewis/|title = Clea Lewis}}</ref>
== Career == As well as playing Audrey Penney on ''Ellen'', Lewis appeared on ''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'' and was a series regular on ''Flying Blind''.<ref name=":0" /> She also appeared in the pilot episode of ''Friends'', in which she played Frannie. She has appeared in numerous films, including ''Scotch & Milk'', ''The Rich Man's Wife'', and ''Diabolique''.<ref name=":1" /> In 2000, she performed the voice of Amy Lawrence in ''Tom Sawyer''. Lewis played Gina, a chatty ad agency worker, in 2007's ''Perfect Stranger''.
Lewis played Margaret Redding on ''Royal Pains'' and Deirdre Kemp on ''The Americans''. She also appeared on the short-lived ''Andy Barker, P.I.'' as Jenny Barker, the wife of the title character Andy Barker (Andy Richter).
Lewis's somewhat nasal, squeaky voice has meant a great deal of animation voice-over work for her, including in both television (ABC's Saturday morning cartoon, ''Pepper Ann'') as Nicky Little and film (''Ice Age: The Meltdown''). She also recorded the book-on-CD for books 4-10 of ''The Princess Diaries'' book series.
== Filmography ==
=== Film === {| class="wikitable" !Year !Title !Role !Notes |- |1992 |''Hero'' |Sylvia | |- | rowspan="2" |1996 |''Diabolique'' |Lisa Campos | |- |''The Rich Man's Wife'' |Nora Golden | |- |1998 |''Scotch and Milk'' |Ilsa | |- | rowspan="2" |2000 |''Tom Sawyer'' |Amy Lawrence (voice) | |- |''The Office Party'' |Grace |Short film |- |2004 |''Superstore'' |Joan |Short film |- |2006 |''Ice Age: The Meltdown'' |Female Mini Sloth/Dung Beetle Mom (voice) | |- |2007 |''Perfect Stranger'' |Gina | |- | rowspan="3" |2009 |''Motherhood'' |Lily | |- |''Confessions of a Shopaholic'' |Miss Ptaszinski | |- |''Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs'' |Start Mom (voice) | |- |2013 |''Life of Crime'' |Tyra Taylor | |- |2020 |''Antarctica'' |Diane | |}
=== Television === {| class="wikitable" !Year !Title !Role !Notes |- |1991 |''Doogie Howser, M.D.'' |Lyla |Episode: "It's a Wonderful Laugh" |- |1992 |''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'' |Krista |Episode: "Hilary Gets a Life" |- |1992–1993 |''Flying Blind'' |Megan |Main cast (22 episodes) |- |1994 |''Friends'' |Franny |Episode: "The One Where Monica Gets a Roommate" |- |1994–1998 |''Ellen'' |Audrey Penney |Main cast (79 episodes) |- | rowspan="2" |1995 |''Mad About You'' |Salesperson |Episode: "Purseona" |- |''Double Rush'' |Danielle |Episode: "Love Letters" |- |1997–2001 |''Pepper Ann'' |Nicky Little (voice) |Main cast (63 episodes; 103 segments) |- |1998 |''All Dogs Go to Heaven: The Series'' |Additional voices |14 episodes |- |1998–1999 |''Maggie Winters'' |Rachel Tomlinson |Main cast (16 episodes) |- | rowspan="2" |1999 |''Tracey Takes On...'' |Carol |Episode: "Road Rage" |- |''The Angry Beavers'' |Wanda (voice) |Episode: "Tough Love/A Little Dad'll Do You" |- |2000 |''Madigan Men'' |Wendy |Episode: "Pilot" |- |2007 |''Andy Barker, P.I.'' |Jenny Barker |Main cast (6 episodes) |- |2008 |''Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' |Heaven Moscowitz |Episode: "Trade" |- |2010 |''The New Adventures of Old Christine'' |Emily |Episode: "Truth or Dare" |- |2015 |''The Affair'' |Simone |Episode: "2.4" |- |2015–2016 |''Royal Pains'' |Margaret Redding |5 episodes |- | rowspan="3" |2017 |''Doubt'' |Tanya Gibson |Episode: "Pilot" |- |''The Americans'' |Deirdre Kemp |4 episodes |- |''The Blacklist'' |Alexa Girard |Episode: "Philomena (No. 61)" |- |2021 |''American Rust'' |Jillian |4 episodes |- |2026 |''Best Medicine'' |Sally Mylow |7 episodes |}
=== Theatre === {| class="wikitable" !Year !Title !Role !Venue !Notes |- |1998 |''All in the Timing'' |unknown role |Geffen Playhouse | |- |1999 |''Things You Shouldn't Say Past Midnight'' |Grace |Promenade Theatre | |- |2002 |''Once in a Lifetime'' |Miss Leighton |Adams Memorial Theatre | |- |2005 |''Absurd Person Singular'' |Jane |Biltmore Theatre | |}
== References == {{Reflist}}
== External links == * {{IMDb name|0507051|Clea Lewis}} * {{IBDB name|id=400139}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, Clea}} Category:1965 births Category:Living people Category:Actresses from Cleveland Category:American musical theatre actresses Category:American television actresses Category:American voice actresses Category:Brown University alumni Category:People from Cleveland Heights, Ohio Category:20th-century American actresses Category:21st-century American actresses
{{US-screen-actor-1960s-stub}}