# Kaley Ronayne

**Kaley Ronayne** (born 1990) is an American actress and writer best known for playing Dr. Kincaid Sullivan in the medical drama *[The Resident](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-resident-tv-series)* and Dee O'Hara in the 2020 space-race drama *The Right Stuff*.

| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1990, Detroit, Michigan, USA<sup>[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/kaley-ronayne/)</sup> |
| Breakout role | Dee O'Hara, nurse for the Mercury Seven program, in *The Right Stuff* (2020, 7 episodes)<sup>[2](https://glittermagazine.co/2021/02/06/interview-kaley-ronayne-on-the-right-stuff-what-attracted-her-to-the-project-inclusion-empowerment-and-her-favorite-things/)</sup> |
| Longest role | Dr. Kincaid Sullivan in *The Resident*, 23 episodes from 2021; series regular from season 6<sup>[3](https://www.filmweb.pl/person/Kaley%2BRonayne-1688982/filmography)</sup> |
| Screen debut | The short film *Here Today* (2010)<sup>[4](https://www.hypnoweb.net/www/acteurs/kaley-ronayne-biographie-carriere-et-filmographie.2.4573/)</sup> |
| Recurring TV roles | Sandy Williams in *Quarry* (4 episodes), Sasha Van Dahl in *Gotham* (3 episodes), Agnes in *Public Morals* (1 episode)<sup>[5](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne-631891/filmographie/)</sup> |
| Films | *Northern Borders* (2013), *Kensho at the Bedfellow* (2016), *The Falling World* (2022)<sup>[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/kaley-ronayne/)</sup> |
| Forthcoming | *White Sands*, a horror film shooting in Amagansett, New York<sup>[6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3943089/news/)</sup> |

## Early life and education
Ronayne was born in Detroit, Michigan<sup>[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/kaley-ronayne/)</sup> and grew up in its suburbs, watching black-and-white comedies such as *The Little Rascals*, *I Love Lucy*, and *Mary Poppins* under her parents' restrictive viewing rules; she traces her interest in acting to staging plays in the family basement<sup>[2](https://glittermagazine.co/2021/02/06/interview-kaley-ronayne-on-the-right-stuff-what-attracted-her-to-the-project-inclusion-empowerment-and-her-favorite-things/)</sup>. She moved to the East Coast as soon as she could and has lived there since, now residing in [Bushwick, Brooklyn](https://www.edgepedia.org/bushwick-brooklyn)<sup>[2](https://glittermagazine.co/2021/02/06/interview-kaley-ronayne-on-the-right-stuff-what-attracted-her-to-the-project-inclusion-empowerment-and-her-favorite-things/)</sup>.

Her screen career began with the short film *Here Today* in 2010; three years later she appeared in *The Carrie Diaries* and *Army Wives*, in the film *Northern Borders*, and in the short *The Hyperglot*<sup>[4](https://www.hypnoweb.net/www/acteurs/kaley-ronayne-biographie-carriere-et-filmographie.2.4573/)</sup>.

## The Right Stuff
Ronayne's first major role was Dee O'Hara in *The Right Stuff*, National Geographic's adaptation of [Tom Wolfe](https://www.edgepedia.org/tom-wolfe)'s nonfiction book about the early NASA space program, later streaming on Disney+<sup>[2](https://glittermagazine.co/2021/02/06/interview-kaley-ronayne-on-the-right-stuff-what-attracted-her-to-the-project-inclusion-empowerment-and-her-favorite-things/)</sup>. O'Hara was the nurse for the [Mercury Seven](https://www.edgepedia.org/mercury-seven) program, devoted to her work and central to building the astronaut medical wing at [Cape Canaveral](https://www.edgepedia.org/cape-canaveral); the series follows her unlikely friendship with astronaut Alan Shepard, a friendship that in real life lasted throughout their lifetimes<sup>[2](https://glittermagazine.co/2021/02/06/interview-kaley-ronayne-on-the-right-stuff-what-attracted-her-to-the-project-inclusion-empowerment-and-her-favorite-things/)</sup>. Ronayne prepared for the part by reading Wolfe's book and studying online interviews and video clips of O'Hara, since the only biography of her is written for children<sup>[2](https://glittermagazine.co/2021/02/06/interview-kaley-ronayne-on-the-right-stuff-what-attracted-her-to-the-project-inclusion-empowerment-and-her-favorite-things/)</sup>. She appeared in 7 episodes of the single 2020 season<sup>[3](https://www.filmweb.pl/person/Kaley%2BRonayne-1688982/filmography)</sup>.

## The Resident
She joined in season 5 in 2021, appearing in ten episodes that season, returned as a guest in season 6, and was made a series regular for that sixth season<sup>[5](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne-631891/filmographie/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[3](https://www.filmweb.pl/person/Kaley%2BRonayne-1688982/filmography)</sup>. Her character's relationship with Conrad Hawkins was a running storyline through the 2022 season, covered extensively in press coverage of the show<sup>[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/kaley-ronayne/)</sup>.

## Other television and film work
Through the mid-2010s Ronayne built a record of recurring and guest parts across network and cable dramas: Sandy Williams in *[Quarry](https://www.edgepedia.org/quarry-tv-series)* (4 episodes), Rebecca Blackwell in the *Model Woman* pilot, Sasha Van Dahl, daughter of Grace Van Dahl, in *Gotham* season 2, and single episodes of *[Nashville](https://www.edgepedia.org/nashville-2012-tv-series)*, *[NCIS](https://www.edgepedia.org/ncis-tv-series)*, *Chicago P.D.*, *Blue Bloods*, *Royal Pains*, *Deadbeat*, *Public Morals*, and *Army Wives*<sup>[5](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne-631891/filmographie/)</sup>. She also played Britt McKenna in the 2019 *NYPD Blue* revival pilot and Jeri Earls in *FBI: Most Wanted*<sup>[5](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne-631891/filmographie/)</sup>.

Her film credits include *Northern Borders* (2013), *Kensho at the Bedfellow* (2016), and *The Falling World* (2022), in which she plays Maeve<sup>[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/kaley-ronayne/)</sup>. She is among the leads of the horror film *White Sands*, starring alongside Rebecca Knox, Marta Pozzan, and [Jessica Sula](https://www.edgepedia.org/jessica-sula) and shooting in Amagansett, New York<sup>[6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3943089/news/)</sup>.

In a 2021 interview she named comedy as her favorite genre to perform and said her dream was to work on a multi-camera sitcom, and she described using time during the pandemic to write with the aim of self-producing<sup>[2](https://glittermagazine.co/2021/02/06/interview-kaley-ronayne-on-the-right-stuff-what-attracted-her-to-the-project-inclusion-empowerment-and-her-favorite-things/)</sup>.

## References

1. [Kaley Ronayne – Actress, Writer, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/kaley-ronayne/)
2. [Interview: Kaley Ronayne on 'The Right Stuff,' Glitter Magazine, February 6, 2021](https://glittermagazine.co/2021/02/06/interview-kaley-ronayne-on-the-right-stuff-what-attracted-her-to-the-project-inclusion-empowerment-and-her-favorite-things/)
3. [Kaley Ronayne – Filmografia, Filmweb](https://www.filmweb.pl/person/Kaley%2BRonayne-1688982/filmography)
4. [Kaley Ronayne : biographie, carrière et filmographie, Hypnoweb](https://www.hypnoweb.net/www/acteurs/kaley-ronayne-biographie-carriere-et-filmographie.2.4573/)
5. [Kaley Ronayne : Filmographie, AlloCiné](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne-631891/filmographie/)
6. [Rebecca Knox, Marta Pozzan, Kaley Ronayne and Jessica Sula to Star in Horror Film 'White Sands', IMDb News](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3943089/news/)

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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 Ro to R*

*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 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