# Megalyn Echikunwoke
**Megalyn Echikunwoke** (full name Ebubennem Megalyn Ann Echikunwoke) is an American actress, producer, director, and writer born in 1983 in [Spokane, Washington](https://www.edgepedia.org/spokane-washington), best known for television roles as Nicole Palmer in the first season of *24*, Isabelle Tyler in *The 4400*, and Dr. Tara Price in *CSI: Miami*, and for voicing the title character in the CW Seed animated series *[Vixen](https://www.edgepedia.org/vixen-web-series)*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0248461/bio/) • [2](https://www.tvsa.co.za/actors/viewactor.aspx?actorid=7138) • [3](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/3499/megalyn-echikunwoke) She is also known by the nickname Megalyn E.K.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0248461/bio/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1983 in Spokane, Washington; birth name Ebubennem Megalyn Ann Echikunwoke[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0248461/bio/) |
| Upbringing | Raised on a Navajo Indian Reservation in Chinle, Arizona, though neither parent is Native American[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0248461/bio/) |
| Heritage | Father Nigerian; her surname means "leader of men," and she is a granddaughter of a Nigerian tribal leader of the Igbo[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0248461/bio/) |
| Breakthrough TV roles | Nicole Palmer in *24* (2001–2002), Angie Barnett in *That '70s Show* (2004–2005), Isabelle Tyler in *The 4400*, Dr. Tara Price in *CSI: Miami* (2008–2009)[2](https://www.tvsa.co.za/actors/viewactor.aspx?actorid=7138) |
| Voice work | Mari McCabe / Vixen in the CW Seed web series *Vixen* (2015–2016), reprised in *[Arrow](https://www.edgepedia.org/arrow-tv-series)* season 4 in 2016[3](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/3499/megalyn-echikunwoke) |
| Film | Lisa in *Night School* (2018), Robin in *Late Night* (2019), Liz in *Emily the Criminal* (2022)[4](https://www.bustle.com/p/night-school-star-megalyn-echikunwoke-takes-on-the-bustle-booth-12136296) • [5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0248461/) |
| Behind the camera | Made her directorial debut with the short film *Weathering*, released on Netflix in April 2023, which she also wrote and produced[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0248461/bio/) • [6](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/megalyn-echikunwoke/) |
## Early life
Echikunwoke was born in Spokane, Washington, to a Nigerian father and a mother of English and Scots-Irish descent.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0248461/bio/) Her surname, Echikunwoke, means "leader of men," and she is a granddaughter of a Nigerian tribal leader of the Igbo.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0248461/bio/) Her mother, a nurse, worked for the [Indian Health Service](https://www.edgepedia.org/indian-health-service), and the family moved to the Navajo reservation in Chinle, Arizona, intending to stay about two years but remaining because her mother found it a safe and good place to raise the children.[7](https://www.popentertainmentarchives.com/post/megalyn-echikunwoke-taking-the-coroner-office-on-csi-miami) She has described the community as a remote place with a rich culture, and has said she did not visit a shopping mall until she was about ten years old.[7](https://www.popentertainmentarchives.com/post/megalyn-echikunwoke-taking-the-coroner-office-on-csi-miami) • [8](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/megalyn-echikunwoke/bio/3030451163/)
She has said the experience shaped her interest in travel and in people different from herself. "I feel very lucky that I got to have that experience of growing up in a completely remote place with a fascinating, rich culture that wasn't my own," she told one interviewer.[9](https://www.afropolitain.com/megalyn-echikunwoke-triple-threat/)
## Television career
Her screen debut came in the TV horror thriller *Creature*, based on a [Peter Benchley](https://www.edgepedia.org/peter-benchley) novel, when she was 14.[6](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/megalyn-echikunwoke/) Her manager discovered her while she was performing a monologue at an arts-oriented summer camp.[8](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/megalyn-echikunwoke/bio/3030451163/) Her first major recurring role followed in 2001 as the singer Cherish Pardee on the MTV soap *Spyder Games*, and later that year she played Nicole Palmer, the President's daughter, in the first season of Fox's *24*.[6](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/megalyn-echikunwoke/)
Through the 2000s she built a series of regular and recurring parts: Danika Ward on the WB sitcom *Like Family* (2003–2004), Angie Barnett, Kelso's girlfriend, in the seventh season of *That '70s Show* (2004–2005), and Isabelle Tyler, a character she described as "the personification of limitless, powerful evil," on the science fiction series *The 4400*.[2](https://www.tvsa.co.za/actors/viewactor.aspx?actorid=7138) • [7](https://www.popentertainmentarchives.com/post/megalyn-echikunwoke-taking-the-coroner-office-on-csi-miami) She then joined *CSI: Miami* as Dr. Tara Price, a coroner role upgraded from recurring to series regular, in the show's seventh season (2008–2009).[7](https://www.popentertainmentarchives.com/post/megalyn-echikunwoke-taking-the-coroner-office-on-csi-miami) • [2](https://www.tvsa.co.za/actors/viewactor.aspx?actorid=7138)
Later television work included a starring role as Megan Shane in *Mind Games* (2014), Simone Baptiste in *Damien* (2016), and Edie Palmer in *[Almost Family](https://www.edgepedia.org/almost-family)* (2019–2020, 13 episodes).[3](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/3499/megalyn-echikunwoke) She also appeared as Lieutenant Gabrielle Bennett in four episodes of *Alert: Missing Persons Unit* in 2025.[3](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/3499/megalyn-echikunwoke) • [5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0248461/)
## Vixen and voice work
Echikunwoke voiced the title character, Mari McCabe, in *Vixen*, an animated CW Seed web series, appearing in 12 episodes across 2015 and 2016.[3](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/3499/megalyn-echikunwoke) In 2016 she reprised the role in live action in the fourth season of *Arrow*.[3](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/3499/megalyn-echikunwoke) She also voiced Vixen in the video game *Lego DC Super-Villains* (2018) and Jacqui Briggs in *Mortal Kombat 11* (2019).[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0248461/)
## Film and stage
Her film credits include the Whit Stillman comedy *Damsels in Distress* (2011), *Fix* (2008), and *Who Do You Love* (2008), in which she played a heroin-addicted lounge singer and did all of her own singing.[6](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/megalyn-echikunwoke/) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0248461/bio/) • [8](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/megalyn-echikunwoke/bio/3030451163/) In the 2018 comedy *Night School* she played Lisa, the girlfriend of [Kevin Hart](https://www.edgepedia.org/kevin-hart)'s character Teddy, a role she noted reverses the usual dynamic in which a man rescues a woman financially.[4](https://www.bustle.com/p/night-school-star-megalyn-echikunwoke-takes-on-the-bustle-booth-12136296) She played Robin, credited as Megalyn Euchikunwoke, in the 2019 film *Late Night* with [Emma Thompson](https://www.edgepedia.org/emma-thompson) and [Mindy Kaling](https://www.edgepedia.org/mindy-kaling), and Liz in *Emily the Criminal* (2022).[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0248461/)
On stage, she made her debut as Claire in Alexi Kaye Campbell's play *Apologia*, which she called her career highlight in a 2018 interview.[10](https://4400.hypnoweb.net/les-4400/les-dossiers/presse/megalyn-echikunwoke-dans-la-presse/healthyish-megalyn-echikunwoke.47.1670/) She has also expressed interest in musicals and in [Nollywood](https://www.edgepedia.org/nollywood) film, saying she would love to make a Nollywood musical.[9](https://www.afropolitain.com/megalyn-echikunwoke-triple-threat/)
## Writing, directing, and producing
In April 2023 she made her directorial debut with the short film *Weathering*, released on Netflix, which she also wrote and produced.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0248461/bio/) • [6](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/megalyn-echikunwoke/) She served as executive producer on the 2025 film *Stay*, in which she also played Dr. Kiara Guillory-Williams.[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0248461/) Upcoming projects listed on IMDb include the video game *Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra*, in which she voices Nanali, and the film *In Memoriam* (2026).[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0248461/)
## References
1. [Megalyn Echikunwoke – Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0248461/bio/)
2. [Megalyn Echikunwoke, TVSA actor profile](https://www.tvsa.co.za/actors/viewactor.aspx?actorid=7138)
3. [Megalyn Echikunwoke, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/3499/megalyn-echikunwoke)
4. [How This 'Night School' Star Dealt With Her Exes' Insecurities About Her Financial Independence, Bustle](https://www.bustle.com/p/night-school-star-megalyn-echikunwoke-takes-on-the-bustle-booth-12136296)
5. [Megalyn Echikunwoke, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0248461/)
6. [Megalyn Echikunwoke – Actress, Writer, Director, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/megalyn-echikunwoke/)
7. [Megalyn Echikunwoke – Taking the Coroner Office on CSI: Miami, Pop Entertainment Archives](https://www.popentertainmentarchives.com/post/megalyn-echikunwoke-taking-the-coroner-office-on-csi-miami)
8. [Megalyn Echikunwoke Biography, Celebrity Facts and Awards, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/megalyn-echikunwoke/bio/3030451163/)
9. [Megalyn Echikunwoke: Triple Threat, Afropolitain](https://www.afropolitain.com/megalyn-echikunwoke-triple-threat/)
10. [Healthyish interview with Megalyn Echikunwoke (2018)](https://4400.hypnoweb.net/les-4400/les-dossiers/presse/megalyn-echikunwoke-dans-la-presse/healthyish-megalyn-echikunwoke.47.1670/)
---
*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 Do to E*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 30, 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