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| Sabrina Lloyd is in a pretty nice spot, right about now. The petite actress (she stands only 5'3" high) finds herself on one of TV's critical hits, and is coming off a three-year stint on the cult hit "Sliders." Most actresses would love to say the same. ABC's "Sports Night," her current home, is one of those shows that TV critics rally behind when they feel it truly pushes the envelope of broadcast television. It was given the plush spot on Tuesday between "Spin City" and "NYPD Blue," but has failed to catch fire as ABC undoubtedly hoped it would. In fact, the show ranks 47th among all shows year to date, just below "The Secret Lives of Men," which ABC has already canceled. |
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| However, the sitcom, which is a behind-the-scenes look at the production of a sports news show and boasts little-to-no laugh track, has made a mark with its sharp blend of comedy and drama, and performances worth noting from a cast including Josh Charles ("Threesome") and Robert Guillaume ("Benson"). It is an ensemble "dramedy," but Lloyd's Natalie Hurley still manages to connect with many viewers. She's confident, and strong, but a bit more approachable and, let's face it, likable, than Felicity Huffrnan's roughish producer Dana Whitaker. |
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| With her previous experience, Lloyd is actually one of the more experienced television actors on the show. For three seasons, she starred in the sci-fi series "Sliders," before that show moved from FOX to cable's Sci-Fi network. As Wade Wells, Lloyd was the series only regular female star (until the arrival of busty Kari Wuhrer) and had the chance to attract a large following among sci-fi fans. However, in a show where the concept was the star, Lloyd had little room to grow. She left when the show moved to cable, ostensibly because of a lack of direction for her character though she did have some problems with Wuhrer joining the cast. |
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| But Lloyd's major break came in the HBO film "The Coming Out of Heidi Leiter." She starred as Heidi, a young girl who fought discrimination when she came out as a homosexual. The movie also starred Claire Danes ("My So Called Life") as her sister. The film drew rave reviews and paved the way for Lloyd to land the role in "Sliders." |
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| The Florida native was born in 1970 and started her showbiz career at a relatively young age, landing a major role ('Pepper') in "Annie" at only 12. A string of roles in other plays followed, including "Grease" and "Wizard of Oz." At 15, she visited Australia as an exchange student, and studied drama at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and the Brisbane Royal Theatre Company. Her first major television role came in New York, when she appeared on the crime drama "Law & Order." Soon after, she found herself in the HBO film. Meanwhile, she found time for one noteworthy film role, in "Father Hood' opposite Patrick Swayze (she played his daughter in the action-comedy). |
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| While Lloyd's managed to land a few memorable roles, she has kept her personal life well under wraps, choosing the route of a hard-working actor who enjoys privacy, versus other well-known twentysomethings who scour Hollywood clubs each week. Still, when you've starred on a popular (or even not so popular -- or even successful -- as trends would have it) sci-fi series, fans delve deep -- or as deep as they can. The scoop on Sabrina? She's got three tatoos and is a vegetarian. She's been married since April 1997 and, although most fans have yet to been graced with her lovely voice, she's reportedly an excellent singer. |
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| But what stands out is the talent. In her three seasons on "Sliders," she was always brought a level of credibility to her role that was quite admirable, considering the far-fetched storylines. Fans rallied around the romantic tension between her "Wade" and Jerry O'Connell's "Quinn." But it wasn't meant to be. |
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| Finally, on "Sports Night," with its stepped up dialogue and intelligent humor, she's not slipped a bit. There's no doubt in the mind of those at UltimateTV that Sabrina Lloyd is moving up the ladder. If "Sports Night” holds on, it'll only help her career, but look for her to continue to grow into roles that will not only play off her intelligence, but her natural beauty as well. |
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