# Mary Chieffo

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{{short description|American actress (born 1992)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2018}}
{{Infobox person
| name         = Mary Chieffo
| image        = Mary Chieffo by Gage Skidmore.jpg
| caption      = 
| birth_date   = {{birth date and age|1992|11|07}}
| birth_place  = [Los Angeles, California](/source/Los_Angeles%2C_California), US
| education    = [Juilliard School](/source/Juilliard_School) ([BFA](/source/Bachelor_of_Fine_Arts))
| occupation   = Actress
| years_active = 1998–present
| mother       = [Beth Grant](/source/Beth_Grant)
}}

'''Mary Elizabeth<ref>{{cite web |title=Mary Elizabeth |url=https://www.facebook.com/marythechief44 |website=[Facebook](/source/Facebook) |access-date=8 May 2025}}</ref> Chieffo''' (born November 7, 1992) is an American actress known for portraying the [Klingon](/source/Klingon) [L'Rell](/source/L'Rell) on the television series ''[Star Trek: Discovery](/source/Star_Trek%3A_Discovery)''.<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.usatoday.com/picture-gallery/life/tv/2017/09/25/star-trek-discoverys-mary-chieffo-transforms-into-klingon-lrell/105976130/|title= 'Star Trek: Discovery's' Mary Chieffo transforms into Klingon L'Rell|date= September 25, 2017|newspaper= [USA Today](/source/USA_Today)|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170926021838/https://www.usatoday.com/picture-gallery/life/tv/2017/09/25/star-trek-discoverys-mary-chieffo-transforms-into-klingon-lrell/105976130/ |url-status=live |archive-date=September 26, 2017}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Chieffo was born on November 7, 1992,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/marythechief/status/1034513054635966464|title=Mary Chieffo on Twitter|publisher=|accessdate=August 28, 2018}}</ref> in [Los Angeles, California](/source/Los_Angeles%2C_California).<ref name=HGTV>{{cite news|url=http://www.hgtv.com/design/celebrity/at-home-with-beth-grant|title=At Home With Beth Grant|newspaper=[HGTV](/source/HGTV)|accessdate=November 4, 2016}}</ref>  She grew up in the neighborhood of [Valley Village, Los Angeles](/source/Valley_Village%2C_Los_Angeles) in California, only daughter of actors Michael Chieffo and [Beth Grant](/source/Beth_Grant).<ref name="HGTV" />

She attended the Drama division of [Juilliard School](/source/Juilliard_School) in New York City, earning a [Bachelor of Fine Arts](/source/Bachelor_of_Fine_Arts) degree in 2015.<ref>{{cite news|title=Chieffo on the Rigors and Joys of Juilliard |url=https://www.juilliard.edu/news/133006/chieffo-rigors-and-joys-juilliard |work=juilliard.edu |date=July 9, 2018}}</ref> One of her classmates was future ''[Star Trek: Discovery](/source/Star_Trek%3A_Discovery)'' castmate [Mary Wiseman](/source/Mary_Wiseman_(actress)).<ref>{{cite news|title=Juilliard Students Form G44 Productions, Release First Short Film |url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Juilliard-Students-Form-G44-Productions-Release-First-Short-Film-20130705|work=Broadway World|date=June 5, 2013|location=New York City}}</ref>

Chieffo came out publicly as a lesbian on the red carpet prior to the [Star Trek Day](/source/Star_Trek_Day) event held September 8, 2021, at the [Skirball Cultural Center](/source/Skirball_Cultural_Center) in [Los Angeles, California](/source/Los_Angeles%2C_California).<ref>{{cite news |last=Ennis |first=Dawn |title=Online Outrage Over A Homophobic Slur at Celebration of 'Star Trek Day' |work=Forbes |date=September 13, 2021 |accessdate=November 7, 2021 |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/dawnstaceyennis/2021/09/13/online-outrage-over-a-homophobic-slur-at-celebration-of-star-trek-day/?sh=23d9f1841c37 }}</ref> She later clarified that she identifies as "[panromantic](/source/Split_attraction_model) [demisexual](/source/Demisexuality) and proudly in a lesbian relationship".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kaplan |first=Rebecca |date=2022-02-14 |title=Mary Chieffo Talks ''Star Trek'', Coming Out and Acting |url=https://www.geekgirlauthority.com/mary-chieffo-interview-star-trek/ |access-date=2023-07-13 |website=Geek Girl Authority |language=en-US }}</ref> A few days later, she confirmed via her [Twitter](/source/Twitter) feed that she was dating writer and actor Madi Goff.<ref>{{Cite tweet |last=Chieffo |first=Mary |user=marythechief |number=1445175210014040069 |date=October 4, 2021 |title=…and sometimes the onions are just too intense |access-date=November 7, 2021 |link=https://twitter.com/marythechief/status/1445175210014040069 }}</ref> Chieffo wrote the introduction essay for the 2023 edition of ''[Marvel's Voices](/source/Marvel's_Voices): Pride'' #1,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.marvel.com/articles/comics/marvel-voices-pride-2023-first-look |title=Get Your First Look at the Uplifting and Celebratory Stories in This Year's ''Marvel's Voices: Pride'' #1 |work=[Marvel.com](/source/Marvel.com) |date=April 26, 2023 |access-date=July 29, 2023 }}</ref> reflecting on the need for queer representation in media.<ref>{{cite comic |story=Our Super Power: Introduction [column] |writer=Mary Chieffo |title=Marvel's Voices: Pride |issue=1 |publisher=[Marvel Comics](/source/Marvel_Comics) |date=June 14, 2023 |access-date=<!-- July 29, 2023 --> }}</ref>

==Career==
Her first high profile acting position was on ''Star Trek: Discovery'', where she played the recurring character of [L'Rell](/source/L'Rell), a [Klingon](/source/Klingon) warrior and spy who becomes leader of the [Klingon Empire](/source/Klingon_Empire) at the end of [Season 1](/source/Star_Trek%3A_Discovery_(season_1)).<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.eonline.com/news/893072/when-star-trek-makes-you-a-star-a-tale-of-two-classmates-reaching-new-heights-with-discovery|title= When Star Trek Makes You a Star: A Tale of Two Classmates Reaching New Heights With Discovery |date= November 10, 2017|newspaper= E! Online}}</ref> Her writing and producing debut was ''Operation Othello'', a [virtual reality](/source/virtual_reality) adaptation of [Shakespeare](/source/William_Shakespeare)'s ''[Othello](/source/Othello)'', where she also plays Lt. [Iago](/source/Iago) in a gender twist from the original play.<ref name="Othello" /> In 2022, she reprised her role as Iago in ''Iago: The Green Eyed Monster'', a six-minute futuristic musical AR prequel to ''Othello'', nominated for "Best Immersive Experience" in the 2022 [Tribeca Festival](/source/Tribeca_Festival).<ref name="Iago">{{cite web |last1=Solsman |first1=Joan E. |title=Tribeca Immersive Unveils VR, AR and World's Biggest Holographic Screen |url=https://www.cnet.com/tech/gaming/tribeca-immersive-unveils-vr-ar-and-worlds-biggest-holographic-screen/ |website=CNET |access-date=22 December 2022 |language=en |date=9 June 2022}}</ref> In 2024, she voiced a Klingon in an episode of the animated show ''[Star Trek: Lower Decks](/source/Star_Trek%3A_Lower_Decks)''.

===Filmography===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+Film and television
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
|2017–19
|''[Star Trek: Discovery](/source/Star_Trek%3A_Discovery)''
|[L'Rell](/source/List_of_Star_Trek%3A_Discovery_characters)<ref>{{cite news|url= https://variety.com/2016/tv/news/star-trek-discovery-klingons-1201939934/|title= 'Star Trek: Discovery' Casts Klingons Chris Obi, Shazad Latif, Mary Chieffo|date= December 12, 2016|newspaper= [Variety](/source/Variety_(magazine))}}</ref>
|recurring character (13 episodes)
|-
|2020
|''Operation Othello''
| Ensign [Iago](/source/Iago)
| VR TV movie, she was also the writer and producer.<ref name="Othello">{{cite web |last1=Petski |first1=Denise |title=JuVee's Shakespeare-Inspired VR Series Pilot 'Operation Othello' Heads To Cannes |url=https://deadline.com/2019/05/juvee-shakespeare-inspired-vr-series-pilot-operation-othello-cannes-viola-davis-julius-tennon-1202614949/ |website=Deadline |access-date=29 March 2022 |date=14 May 2019}}</ref>
|-
|2022
|''Iago: The Green Eyed Monster''
| [Iago](/source/Iago)
| VR short movie, she was also the writer and director.<ref name="Iago" />
|-
|2024
|''[Star Trek: Lower Decks](/source/Star_Trek%3A_Lower_Decks)''
| K'Elarra <ref>{{cite web |last1=Dinh |first1=Christine |title= WARP FIVE: Mary Chieffo on Her Klingon Love and Return in Star Trek: Lower Decks |url= https://www.startrek.com/news/warp-five-lower-decks-s5-mary-chieffo-klingon |website=StarTrek.com |access-date=18 November 2024 |date=12 November 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Pascale |first1=Anthony |title= Interview: Mary Chieffo On Returning To Star Trek For A New Flavor Of Klingon In 'Lower Decks' |url=https://trekmovie.com/2024/11/09/interview-mary-chieffo-on-returning-to-star-trek-for-a-new-flavor-of-klingon-in-lower-decks/ |website=trekmovie.com |access-date=18 November 2024 |date=9 November 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Orquiola |first1=John |title=Mary Chieffo Celebrates Her Star Trek: Lower Decks Klingon Comeback|url=https://screenrant.com/star-trek-lower-decks-season-5-mary-chieffo-interview/ |website=ScreenRant |access-date=18 November 2024 |date=9 November 2024}}</ref>
| Voice, Episode: "A Farewell to Farms"
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb name|nm2371448}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chieffo, Mary}}
Category:1992 births
Category:21st-century American actresses
Category:Actresses from Los Angeles
Category:American film actresses
Category:American lesbian actresses
Category:American television actresses
Category:Asexual women
Category:American asexual people
Category:Asexual actors
Category:Demisexual women
Category:Juilliard School alumni
Category:living people

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Mary Chieffo](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Chieffo) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Chieffo?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.