Even Stevens, The Big Bang Theory
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Every actor wants to be the main star of a television series that’s on the air for more than a decade, but it’s great to be a part of one even as a recurring character. One actress that’s been on television for more than half of her life to this point is Margo Harshman, who has been involved with some of the biggest shows on television since the 2000s, getting her start on the Disney Channel where many young actors have went on to big success.
Harshman was born on March 4, 1986 in San Diego, California and remained there in the years before she became an actress. Harshman was very talented at a young age and was in pageants almost as soon as she could walk. Harshman started to land auditions for herself, and it was able to set up her teenage years for success in acting.
Harshman didn’t really kick off her career full-time until the 2000s, but had her first role in a 1997 film called “The Elf Who Didn’t Believe”. Three years later, she joined the cast of “Even Stevens”, playing Tawny Dean. The character was part of the series throughout its entire run, becoming the best friend of Shia LeBeouf’s character, and every now and then a love interest. She also revived the character when the series had a TV movie in 2003, the same year that the show ended with Harshman having the role for nearly 50 episodes.
During her time on “Even Stevens”, Harshman had also been in the films “Murphy’s Dozen” and “Recipe for Disaster”. After her famous first TV role came to an end, Harshman’s television career certainly didn’t. She started to make guest star appearances on shows like “Without a Trace”, “Everwood” and “Grey’s Anatomy” during the mid 2000s. During the same time, she was also in the movies “Simon Says” and “Rise: Blood Hunter”.
To finish out the decade, Harshman added several movies, starring in seven of them in 2008 and 2009 alone. Some of the more notable roles that she had during this time came from “College Road Trip”, “Sorority Row” and “Fired Up!” Since then, she has two film roles with 2015’s “Toxin” and the following year had a role in the Hallmark movie “Love on the Vines”.
Meanwhile, Harshman was adding more guest roles on television. She had spots on “90210”, “Boston Legal” and “Modern Family” during the last years of the 2000s. She kicked off with appearances in “Modern Family” and “House”, and then had a part of the main cast on the series “Bent”. Sadly, the show was cancelled by NBC during its spring season with only six episodes making it to air.
Harshman was able to land on her feet, adding in a recurring role on the massive hit “The Big Bang Theory” as Alex Jensen. The character was a physics student that served as the assistant to Jim Parsons’ Sheldon Cooper character and developed feelings for Johnny Galecki’s Leonard Hoffstedter. She was part of the sixth season of the show, appearing in several episodes.
The same year, Harshman became a recurring character once again on the set of the Amazon series “Betas”, as well as “NCIS”. This time around, she played Delilah Fielding, This character was the love interest for Timothy McGee, played by Sean Murray. The couple eventually marries on the show and has children. To date, it’s Harshman’s most recent acting role.
Not everyone is going to be able to follow in the footsteps of someone like Harshman since she was so young, signing an agent when she was just 11 years old. She started off in commercials, which was able to set her up for success. “My suggestion is to join a local theater company and be as active as possible,” she said.
“I just always loved creating characters and making words I didn’t write real to watch,” she continued. “There was never a decision, I just worked hard and had enough luck on my side to boot. I guess I’d have to say my first introduction was the audition I had with my first agency.” As for her favorite characters to play, Harshman says it’s the ones that least match her personality, offering up a real challenge to her as an actress.
In the future, Harshman wants to continue bringing other peoples’ work to life, but wants to create characters of her own. “How could I not (want to write?” she said. “Acting isn’t the only thing I love about this business. After spending so much time on sets, hanging out and getting to know people from every department, I find myself learning as much as I can about everything. Writing and directing are only two of the many.”
Even though she’s had a lot of success and has been part of some major television shows, a lot of TV fans know her first and foremost from her long-running role in “Even Stevens”. Especially for those in their late 20s and early 30s that grew up with the Disney Channel series, as she grew up on screen with the audience. “‘Even Stevens’ is an indescribable and irreplaceable part of my life,” she said. “It is one fo the most special jobs I’ve ever had for many reasons.”
One day, Harshman is hoping that she’s able to land a series that lasts just as long. Still in her early 30s, there’s plenty of time for Harshman to catch on and lead a series of her own, as she’s showcased the talent it takes.
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