Kathryn Erbe

Eternally youthful and perpetually underrated, this stage-trained player began working as a professional actress before graduating from college. In 1988 she appeared in The Grapes of Wrath, her first collaboration with Chicago's famed Steppenwolf Theatre Company. Not only did she become a full-fledged ensemble member in 1993, she ended up marrying the troupe's cofounder, Terry Kinney. Throughout the '90s, Erbe alternated between stage and screen, consistently earning fine reviews and even snagging a Tony nod for her work in the bloody 1991 drama The Speed of Darkness, playing as she often does a character many years younger than her actual age. On the small screen, she made a terrifying impression as a murderous mom on death row in the HBO prison drama Oz, which costarred her husband. But her role as Vincent D'Onofrio's tough-as-nails partner on Law & Order: Criminal Intent is what got her recognized. Although she toiled in the burly actor's shadow as he routinely chewed the scenery, Erbe was happy to provide solid, if at times practically silent, support. As she explained in numerous interviews, the part kept her employed yet still allowed her a certain amount of anonymity, and she used her downtime to concentrate on her family.