# Kate Miner (actress)
**Kate Miner** (born 1984), born Kathrine Banister Johnson and formerly credited as Kate Lang Johnson, is an American actress and musician best known for playing Tami Tamietti on the Showtime comedy-drama *Shameless*. She has also appeared in the NBC miniseries *Persons Unknown*, the [USA Network](https://www.edgepedia.org/usa-network) series *Necessary Roughness*, and the films *The Campaign* and *[Fifty Shades of Black](https://www.edgepedia.org/fifty-shades-of-black)*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1567202) • [2](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/kate-miner/credits/3060259645/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | Kathrine Banister Johnson; early credits as Kate Lang Johnson[2](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/kate-miner/credits/3060259645/) |
| Born | 1984, Minneapolis, Minnesota[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/kate_miner) |
| Signature role | Tami Tamietti on *Shameless*, 33 episodes, 2018–2021[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1567202) |
| Early series leads | Tori Fairchild in *Persons Unknown* (2010, 13 episodes); Sheera Kane in *Necessary Roughness* (8 episodes, 2013)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1567202) |
| Film roles | Shana in *The Campaign* (2012); Ashley in *Fifty Shades of Black* (2016); Whitney Lake in *A Leading Man* (2014)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1567202) • [3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/kate_miner) |
| Music | Plays mandolin and keys in the band Miner with her husband Justin Miner; composer credits on two short films and a song credit on *Walker*[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1567202) |
| Recent work | Maya Price in *High Potential* (2025, 2 episodes); Eva Shepherd in *Stay Safe* (2025); Jacqueline Miller in *Festival of Trees* (2024)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1567202) |
## Early life
Miner's parents were George Johnson, who works as a spiritual life coach, and Deborah Lang, formerly a model and nurse, and she was born in [Minneapolis](https://www.edgepedia.org/minneapolis), Minnesota. She grew up splitting her time between Minneapolis and [Laguna Beach, California](https://www.edgepedia.org/laguna-beach-california), and attended the [University of California](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-california), where she studied political science and biotechnology.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1567202)
## Television career
Her screen work began with guest parts on series such as *[Boston Public](https://www.edgepedia.org/boston-public)* (as Tami), *Malcolm in the Middle* (as Katie), *Two and a Half Men* (as Nadine), *CSI: Miami*, *CSI: NY*, and *Grey's Anatomy* (as Mindy Wallace in a 2017 episode).[4](https://www.metacritic.com/person/kate-miner-2/) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1567202)
**Series roles.** Miner's first substantial television role was Tori Fairchild in NBC's 2010 miniseries *Persons Unknown*, appearing in all 13 episodes.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1567202) She followed it with Sheera Kane in the USA Network drama *Necessary Roughness*, appearing in 8 episodes that aired in 2013.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1567202) Guest appearances in this period included *Scandal* (as Jenna Newhall), *Hellcats*, *The Deep End*, *Life in Pieces* (as Lindsay), and *Disjointed* (as Tina).[4](https://www.metacritic.com/person/kate-miner-2/)
**Shameless.** Miner joined the Showtime series *[Shameless](https://www.edgepedia.org/shameless-american-tv-series)* in its ninth season as Tami Tamietti, the partner of Phillip "Lip" [Gallagher](https://www.edgepedia.org/gallagher) ([Jeremy Allen White](https://www.edgepedia.org/jeremy-allen-white)), and played the role across the ninth, tenth, and eleventh seasons, totaling 33 episodes from 2018 to 2021.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1567202) • [5](https://shameless.fandom.com/wiki/Kate_Miner) Tami's storyline centers on her relationship with Lip and on new motherhood after the birth of their son. Miner said in a 2020 interview that having a four-month-old baby when she joined the cast made the character's arc easy to draw from her own life: "When I first started working on Shameless I had a 4-month-old and was still totally overwhelmed with being a mom... So when Tami became a new mom it was art imitating life."[6](https://meaww.com/shameless-season-10-kate-miner-emotional-stress-new-mom-tami-real-life-experience-art-imitating-life) She described Tami as guarded and vulnerable in turn, someone who "doesn't care what people think" and does not apologize for being a strong woman.[6](https://meaww.com/shameless-season-10-kate-miner-emotional-stress-new-mom-tami-real-life-experience-art-imitating-life) The series is described by IMDb as Emmy Award winning.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1567202)
**Later television.** After *Shameless* ended, Miner made single-episode guest appearances in *NCIS: Hawai'i* (as LCDR Audrey Garrett, 2022) and *FBI: International* (as Alexis Prescott, 2023), and played Maya Price in two episodes of *High Potential* in 2025.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1567202)
## Film career
Miner's film credits include the comedy *The Campaign* (2012), in which she appeared opposite [Will Ferrell](https://www.edgepedia.org/will-ferrell) as Shana, and the parody film *Fifty Shades of Black* (2016) with [Marlon Wayans](https://www.edgepedia.org/marlon-wayans), in which she played Ashley.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1567202) On Rotten Tomatoes, her listed films include *[Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon](https://www.edgepedia.org/behind-the-mask-the-rise-of-leslie-vernon)* (2006, as Kelly), *A Leading Man* (2014, as Whitney Lake), *Street* (2015, as Jasmine), *Deviant Love* (2019, as Casey), *A Podcast to Die For* (2023, as Lacey), *Festival of Trees* (2024, as Jacqueline Miller), *Nora* (2025, as Jessica), and *Stay Safe* (2025, as Eva Shepherd).[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/kate_miner) Rotten Tomatoes lists *A Leading Man* at 88% and *Street* at 91% among its highest-rated entries for her, with *Behind the Mask* at 76% and *Deviant Love* at 13%.[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/kate_miner)
## Music
Miner performs in the band Miner with her husband, the musician Justin Miner, playing mandolin and keyboards.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1567202) Her screen music credits include composing the original music for the short *Debbie & Doug Drop Acid in the Desert* (2019) and the soundtrack for the short *Darklight* (2018), and a "music written and performed by" credit on a 2024 episode of the series *Walker*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1567202) elCinema describes her as a singer as well, playing keyboard, mandolin, and harmonica in her husband's band.[7](https://elcinema.com/en/person/2094937/)
## Personal life
Miner married Justin Miner, whom she met in college, on August 26, 2012; the couple has two children.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1567202) • [8](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/kate-miner.html) She is 5 feet 9 inches (1.75 m) tall.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1567202)
## References
1. [Kate Miner (II), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1567202)
2. [Kate Miner, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/kate-miner/credits/3060259645/)
3. [Kate Miner, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/kate_miner)
4. [Kate Miner, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/person/kate-miner-2/)
5. [Kate Miner, Shameless Wiki](https://shameless.fandom.com/wiki/Kate_Miner)
6. ['Shameless' actress Kate Miner says being a mother helped her portray a new mom through Tami Tamietti, MEA WorldWide](https://meaww.com/shameless-season-10-kate-miner-emotional-stress-new-mom-tami-real-life-experience-art-imitating-life)
7. [Kate Miner, elCinema](https://elcinema.com/en/person/2094937/)
8. [Kate Miner, Famous Birthdays](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/kate-miner.html)
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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 Mc to Mi*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: 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