# Angie Harmon
**Angie Harmon** (born Angela Michelle Harmon, 1972, in Dallas, Texas) is an American actress and former model best known for playing Assistant District Attorney Abbie Carmichael on NBC's *Law & Order* (1998–2001) and Detective Jane Rizzoli on TNT's *Rizzoli & Isles* (2010–16).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004990/bio/) • [2](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/harmon-angie-1972-angie-harmon-sehorn-angie-sehorn) She moved from a successful runway and print modeling career in the early 1990s into television crime dramas, where she was repeatedly cast as law-enforcement professionals.[3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/angie-harmon/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1972, Dallas, Texas; birth name Angela Michelle Harmon[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004990/bio/) |
| Modeling start | Won *Seventeen* magazine's modeling contest in 1987 at age 15, beating 63,000 entrants; later walked runways for Calvin Klein, Giorgio Armani, and Donna Karan[4](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/tv/1999/01/10/los-new-da-learns-on-the-job/d5fb2460-7c1b-43b0-bf09-99dbcfdb1c6b/) • [5](https://smashinginterviews.com/interviews/actors/angie-harmon-interview-jane-rizzoli-is-just-a-part-of-my-personality-now) |
| Breakthrough | Discovered by David Hasselhoff on a 1994 airline flight; cast as Det. Ryan McBride on *Baywatch Nights* (1995–97)[4](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/tv/1999/01/10/los-new-da-learns-on-the-job/d5fb2460-7c1b-43b0-bf09-99dbcfdb1c6b/) |
| Signature roles | ADA Abbie Carmichael on *Law & Order* (1998–2001) and Detective Jane Rizzoli on *Rizzoli & Isles* (2010–16)[2](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/harmon-angie-1972-angie-harmon-sehorn-angie-sehorn) |
| Awards | Gracie Award for Outstanding Female Actor in a Leading Role (2012); People's Choice Award for Favorite Cable TV Actress (2015); four SAG ensemble nominations for *Law & Order* (1999–2002)[5](https://smashinginterviews.com/interviews/actors/angie-harmon-interview-jane-rizzoli-is-just-a-part-of-my-personality-now) • [6](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/angie-harmon/bio/3000000072/) • [2](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/harmon-angie-1972-angie-harmon-sehorn-angie-sehorn) |
| Marriage | Married NFL cornerback Jason Sehorn on June 9, 2001; three daughters; separated in 2014 after 13 years of marriage[2](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/harmon-angie-1972-angie-harmon-sehorn-angie-sehorn) • [6](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/angie-harmon/bio/3000000072/) |
| Recent work | Executive producer and star of Lifetime's *Buried in Barstow* (2022), playing former hit woman Hazel King[7](https://smashinginterviews.com/interviews/actors/angie-harmon-interview-talking-buried-in-barstow-and-law-order) |
## Modeling career
Harmon was the only child of two former models, Daphne Demar Caravageli and Lawrence Paul Harmon, and began modeling as a child.[3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/angie-harmon/) • [2](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/harmon-angie-1972-angie-harmon-sehorn-angie-sehorn) In 1987, while still in the tenth grade in Dallas, she won *Seventeen* magazine's cover-model contest against 63,000 other entrants.[4](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/tv/1999/01/10/los-new-da-learns-on-the-job/d5fb2460-7c1b-43b0-bf09-99dbcfdb1c6b/) After graduating from Highland Park High School in 1990, she won the Spectrum Model Search and worked as a runway model for designers including [Calvin Klein](https://www.edgepedia.org/calvin-klein), Giorgio Armani, and [Donna Karan](https://www.edgepedia.org/donna-karan), appearing on the covers of *ELLE*, *Cosmopolitan*, and *Esquire*.[2](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/harmon-angie-1972-angie-harmon-sehorn-angie-sehorn) • [5](https://smashinginterviews.com/interviews/actors/angie-harmon-interview-jane-rizzoli-is-just-a-part-of-my-personality-now) She also appeared in commercials and print ads for [Neutrogena](https://www.edgepedia.org/neutrogena) skin products and later served as the brand's spokesmodel.[2](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/harmon-angie-1972-angie-harmon-sehorn-angie-sehorn) • [8](https://abcnews.com/Entertainment/story?id=106307&page=1)
## Television career
**Discovery and early roles.** In 1994, actor [David Hasselhoff](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-hasselhoff) approached Harmon on an airline flight about a role in *Baywatch Nights*, a spin-off of *Baywatch*. She declined at first, having never taken an acting class, but accepted after a second meeting and won the lead role of Detective Ryan McBride, which she played from 1995 to 1997.[4](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/tv/1999/01/10/los-new-da-learns-on-the-job/d5fb2460-7c1b-43b0-bf09-99dbcfdb1c6b/) She followed it with the short-lived ABC drama *C-16: FBI* (1997–98), playing rookie FBI agent Amanda Reardon, and made her feature debut in John Duigan's *Lawn Dogs* (1997).[2](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/harmon-angie-1972-angie-harmon-sehorn-angie-sehorn)
**Law & Order.** Harmon joined NBC's *Law & Order* in 1998 as Assistant District Attorney Abbie Carmichael, replacing [Carey Lowell](https://www.edgepedia.org/carey-lowell). Her audition process involved two rounds and a screen test against six other actresses before producer [Dick Wolf](https://www.edgepedia.org/dick-wolf) cast her.[4](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/tv/1999/01/10/los-new-da-learns-on-the-job/d5fb2460-7c1b-43b0-bf09-99dbcfdb1c6b/) The tough, Texas-born Carmichael, often at odds with [Jack McCoy](https://www.edgepedia.org/jack-mccoy) (Sam Waterston), became her defining early role, and she carried the character into guest appearances on *Law & Order: Special Victims Unit* from 1999 to 2000.[4](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/tv/1999/01/10/los-new-da-learns-on-the-job/d5fb2460-7c1b-43b0-bf09-99dbcfdb1c6b/) • [2](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/harmon-angie-1972-angie-harmon-sehorn-angie-sehorn) She left after the show's 2001 season finale, reportedly to pursue a film career, and was replaced by Elisabeth Rohm.[8](https://abcnews.com/Entertainment/story?id=106307&page=1) • [9](https://www.tvguide.com/news/rohms-harmon-ious-40934/) During this period she also voiced Commissioner Barbara Gordon, the former Batgirl, in *Batman Beyond* and the direct-to-video *Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker* (2000).[3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/angie-harmon/)
**Rizzoli & Isles.** After the short-lived ABC series *Women's Murder Club* (2007–08), Harmon rebounded with the lead role of Boston homicide detective Jane Rizzoli on TNT's *Rizzoli & Isles*, opposite [Sasha Alexander](https://www.edgepedia.org/sasha-alexander) as medical examiner Maura Isles. The series, based on [Tess Gerritsen](https://www.edgepedia.org/tess-gerritsen)'s novels, ran for seven seasons from 2010 to 2016.[3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/angie-harmon/) • [10](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1551632/) Harmon won the 2012 Gracie Award for Outstanding Female Actor in a Leading Role in a Drama Series and the 2015 People's Choice Award for Favorite Cable TV Actress.[5](https://smashinginterviews.com/interviews/actors/angie-harmon-interview-jane-rizzoli-is-just-a-part-of-my-personality-now) She directed the show's 100th episode, which featured guest star [Sharon Gless](https://www.edgepedia.org/sharon-gless).[7](https://smashinginterviews.com/interviews/actors/angie-harmon-interview-talking-buried-in-barstow-and-law-order) The production schedule was demanding: she commuted between Los Angeles and her home in Charlotte, North Carolina, on weekly red-eye flights, and after the series ended in 2016 she told her daughters she would not take another role that kept her away from them in that way.[11](https://www.charlottemagazine.com/a-conversation-with-angie-harmon-actress-producer-and-charlotte-resident/)
## Film and later work
Harmon's film credits include *Good Advice* (2001), *Agent Cody Banks* (2003) as CIA agent Ronica Miles, *Fun with Dick and Jane* (2005), *End Game* (2006) opposite [Cuba Gooding Jr.](https://www.edgepedia.org/cuba-gooding-jr) and [James Woods](https://www.edgepedia.org/james-woods), and the Western *Seraphim Falls* (2006) with [Liam Neeson](https://www.edgepedia.org/liam-neeson) and Pierce Brosnan.[2](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/harmon-angie-1972-angie-harmon-sehorn-angie-sehorn) • [12](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/angie_harmon) She also starred in the Lifetime television movie *Video Voyeur: The Susan Wilson Story* (2002) and the biographical drama *Living Proof* (2008), playing cancer-research advocate Lilly Tartikoff.[2](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/harmon-angie-1972-angie-harmon-sehorn-angie-sehorn) • [13](https://parade.com/49830/parade/in-step-withangie-harmon/)
In 2021 she signed a multi-picture development deal with Lifetime, and the first result was *Buried in Barstow* (2022), a modern-day Western filmed in North Carolina in which she served as executive producer and starred as Hazel King, a former hit woman running a diner.[7](https://smashinginterviews.com/interviews/actors/angie-harmon-interview-talking-buried-in-barstow-and-law-order) • [11](https://www.charlottemagazine.com/a-conversation-with-angie-harmon-actress-producer-and-charlotte-resident/) She has said she would consider returning to *Law & Order* for an arc or cameo but would not relocate to Manhattan for a long series run.[7](https://smashinginterviews.com/interviews/actors/angie-harmon-interview-talking-buried-in-barstow-and-law-order)
## Public life and personal life
Harmon has been open about her conservative politics, describing herself as a "liberal Republican." She and Sehorn delivered a speech at the 2004 [Republican National Convention](https://www.edgepedia.org/republican-national-convention), and she endorsed the [John McCain](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-mccain)–Sarah Palin ticket in 2008.[3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/angie-harmon/) • [11](https://www.charlottemagazine.com/a-conversation-with-angie-harmon-actress-producer-and-charlotte-resident/) She has supported charities including the Alliance for Children's Rights, Dress for Success, and Stand Up to Cancer, and has served as a UNICEF ambassador.[6](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/angie-harmon/bio/3000000072/)
Sehorn, then an NFL cornerback, proposed to her live on *The Tonight Show with Jay Leno*, and the two married on June 9, 2001.[3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/angie-harmon/) • [2](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/harmon-angie-1972-angie-harmon-sehorn-angie-sehorn) They had three daughters, Finley Faith, Avery Grace, and Emery Hope, and separated in 2014 after 13 years of marriage.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004990/bio/) • [6](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/angie-harmon/bio/3000000072/) In 2024, Harmon filed a lawsuit in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, against Instacart and a former shopper who fatally shot her dog, Oliver, during a grocery delivery at her home; the suit alleged trespassing, gross negligence, and negligent hiring, among other claims, and Instacart said the shopper had been permanently banned from its platform.[14](https://apnews.com/article/75ef65e2ebcd857eaa3d4904d88d96a1)
## References
1. [Angie Harmon – Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004990/bio/)
2. [Harmon, Angie 1972- , Contemporary Theatre, Film and Television via Encyclopedia.com](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/harmon-angie-1972-angie-harmon-sehorn-angie-sehorn)
3. [Angie Harmon – Actress, Model, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/angie-harmon/)
4. ['L&O's' New D.A. Learns on the Job, The Washington Post (January 10, 1999)](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/tv/1999/01/10/los-new-da-learns-on-the-job/d5fb2460-7c1b-43b0-bf09-99dbcfdb1c6b/)
5. [Angie Harmon Interview: "Jane Rizzoli Is Just a Part of My Personality Now", Smashing Interviews Magazine (2014)](https://smashinginterviews.com/interviews/actors/angie-harmon-interview-jane-rizzoli-is-just-a-part-of-my-personality-now)
6. [Angie Harmon Biography, Celebrity Facts and Awards, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/angie-harmon/bio/3000000072/)
7. [Angie Harmon Interview: Talking "Buried in Barstow" and "Law & Order", Smashing Interviews Magazine (2022)](https://smashinginterviews.com/interviews/actors/angie-harmon-interview-talking-buried-in-barstow-and-law-order)
8. [TV Notes: 'Law & Order's' New Prosecutor, ABC News (2001)](https://abcnews.com/Entertainment/story?id=106307&page=1)
9. [Rohm's Harmon-ious Transition, TV Guide (2001)](https://www.tvguide.com/news/rohms-harmon-ious-40934/)
10. [Rizzoli & Isles (TV Series 2010–2016), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1551632/)
11. [A Conversation With Angie Harmon—Actress, Producer, and Charlotte Resident, Charlotte Magazine (2023)](https://www.charlottemagazine.com/a-conversation-with-angie-harmon-actress-producer-and-charlotte-resident/)
12. [Angie Harmon Movies & TV Shows List, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/angie_harmon)
13. [In Step With…Angie Harmon, Parade](https://parade.com/49830/parade/in-step-withangie-harmon/)
14. [Angie Harmon is suing Instacart and a former shopper who shot and killed her dog, Oliver, AP News (2024)](https://apnews.com/article/75ef65e2ebcd857eaa3d4904d88d96a1)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 2000s onward › Surnames H to Ha*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license