In a way, Hollywood is ground zero for the diversity and equal opportunity we seek in the world. While this is by no means a suggestion of perfection in portrayal or a complete progressive philosophy on the part of the giant film industry, it has gone the furthest in embracing the modern philosophy of diversity and equality that progressives have been preaching for decades. Gone are the days when actresses had to fit a certain mold to get jobs in the industry. They no longer have to be sweet, sweet girls who smile all the time. Today, actresses can be mean, clumsy, corny. They can be who they are in front of the public. An actress whose personality goes against the old Hollywood philosophy is Kirsten Vangsness. The goofy and eccentric actress is one of the stars of the CBS show, Criminal Minds.
Kirsten Vangsness Biography and Age
Kirsten’s story may seem simple and expected, considering where she was raised. Born in the progressive state of California, specifically Pasadena on July 7, 1972, Kirsten may be a fish born physically into water, but mentally she was a part of it. Perhaps due to the constant travels of his parents, Errol Leroy Vangsness and Barbara Mary, where the family moved twice before settling in Cerritos, California, Vangsness developed an introverted personality, after beginning his early childhood not staying in one place long enough to make friends.
Once her parents found stability in Cerritos, Vangsness attended and eventually graduated from Cerritos High School in 1990, the 18th year of her life. She continued her studies at Cypress College, where she spent a few semesters before transferring to California State University at Fullerton and graduating with a bachelor’s degree in June 1995.
Career
Did Kirsten always want to be a professionalactress? We can’t say, but we do know that she ventured into acting as a child as therapy for her shyness. The structural, compelling need to be what you are not is not the territory that comes with gambling and it is a very effective way to overcome shyness. In the case of Kirsten Vangsness, the therapy worked too well. Not only did she overcome her shyness and become an eccentric personality, but she also fell in love with the act itself.
Although as a California native, exposure to the Hollywood way of things may not be a new lesson, she always struggled to break into the industry after graduation. Before doing her first solid gigs, she had to do other jobs, substitute teacher, children’s counselor, personal assistant, restaurant hostess, Vangsness took all the work she could to keep the lights on while pursuing his dream professional acting career.
When his day in the light would come, it was theater. Kirsten Vangsness got her first big break in acting, where she delivered impressive performances, enough to win a string of accolades, including the 15 Minutes of Female Best Actress Award and the Golden Betty Award. His theatrical performances led to his first screen work, a short film in 1998 titled Sometimes Santa Must Be Beaten. Since her short film debut, followed by a feature film in 2006 titled A List, she has starred in 10 more films including a voice role in 2017 for Axe
On television, where she found her biggest success, she appeared in her first small screen project in 2004 in an episode of Phil of the Future. She got her biggest break in 2005 when she was cast as Penelope Garcia in Criminal Minds. She has been on the show ever since, appearing in over 250 episodes. She also starred in the spin-off, Criminal Minds: Suspicious Behavior, among other shows.
Besides acting, Kirsten is also a writer. Her work has been published in the Los Angeles Times and she has written three episodes of Criminal Minds.
Is she married or gay?
Kirsten may not be married, but she’s been in a long and intimate enough relationship to earn her divorced badge. Kirsten, who is bisexual, began dating film editor Melanie Goldstein in 2006. Their beautiful relationship lasted seven years, but not all beautiful things last a lifetime. The couple separated in 2013.
Two years after the relationship ended, Kirsten began dating Keith Hanson. The two announced their engagement in November 2015.
Where is Kirsten Vangsness Now?
When she’s not feeding stray cats and receiving texts from her own cats, Kirsten is still an actress on Criminal Minds where she uses the power of her charming personality to unlock the secrets of wanted suspects with a computer.
