# Michaela Conlin
**Michaela Conlin** (born 1978) is an American actress best known for playing Angela Montenegro, the forensic artist of the Fox crime procedural *Bones*, from 2005 to 2017.[10](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0174819) She was born in [Allentown, Pennsylvania](https://www.edgepedia.org/allentown-pennsylvania), to a Chinese mother, an accountant, and an Irish father, a contractor, and has worked steadily in television and film since 2001.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0174819/bio/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1978, Allentown, Pennsylvania, USA[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0174819/bio/) |
| Signature role | Angela Montenegro on *Bones* (Fox, 2005–2017), 245 episodes by IMDb's count and 246 by TVmaze's[10](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0174819) • [2](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/8628/michaela-conlin) |
| Training | BFA in theater from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts; Parkland High School, Allentown[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0174819/bio/) |
| Early leads | Dr. Maggie Yang on *MDs* (ABC, 2002–03) and Jinette McMahon on *The D.A.* (2004)[3](https://mn2s.com/booking-agency/talent-roster/michaela-conlin/) |
| Notable later TV | Sarah Nguyen on *Yellowstone* (6 episodes, 2018–19); Helena Webster on *For All Mankind* (8 episodes, 2021)[2](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/8628/michaela-conlin) |
| Film | Detective Sobel in *The Lincoln Lawyer* (2011); Maria Li in *Bad Trip* (2021); Marie in *One True Loves* (2023)[4](https://www.fandango.com/people/michaela-conlin-130628/film-credits) |
| Recognition | Asian Excellence Award nomination, Supporting Television Actress, 2008, for *Bones*[3](https://mn2s.com/booking-agency/talent-roster/michaela-conlin/) |
## Early life and training
Conlin performed in her first play at the age of seven and continued appearing on stage in Pennsylvania community and regional productions through her youth.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0174819/bio/) She attended Parkland High School in Allentown before graduating from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts with a [Bachelor of Fine Arts](https://www.edgepedia.org/bachelor-of-fine-arts) in theater.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0174819/bio/) • [5](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/michaela-conlin/)
After graduation she appeared in the Bravo reality series *The It Factor* (2002–03), which followed struggling actors in New York City trying to break into show business, and then relocated to Los Angeles.[5](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/michaela-conlin/) Her first starring role came as the idealistic young intern Dr. Maggie Yang on the ABC drama *MDs* (2002–03), followed by a leading performance as the outspoken political consultant Jinette McMahon on the ABC drama *The D.A.* (2004).[3](https://mn2s.com/booking-agency/talent-roster/michaela-conlin/) Both series were canceled after one season.[6](https://observer.com/2021/04/michaela-conlin-on-bad-trip-representation-why-she-still-loves-bones/)
## Bones and Angela Montenegro
In early 2005 Conlin read the pilot script for a show then titled *Brennan*, about a forensic anthropologist and an FBI agent who join forces to solve federal murder cases. Her agent warned her there was no guarantee she would get the part; she later recalled choosing it over other offers because "the character is so much fun." The show was renamed *[Bones](https://www.edgepedia.org/bones-tv-series)* and ran for 12 seasons on Fox, starring [Emily Deschanel](https://www.edgepedia.org/emily-deschanel) as Dr. Temperance Brennan and [David Boreanaz](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-boreanaz) as Special Agent Seeley Booth.[6](https://observer.com/2021/04/michaela-conlin-on-bad-trip-representation-why-she-still-loves-bones/)
Conlin played Angela Montenegro, a specialist in forensic facial reconstruction and Dr. Brennan's best friend, appearing in 245 episodes by IMDb's count and 246 by TVmaze's.[10](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0174819) • [2](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/8628/michaela-conlin) In the series, Angela creates three-dimensional facial images with holograms on her "Angelatron" machine to help identify deceased crime victims, and over the run she evolves from free-spirited artist into a recognized technological innovator, marrying her colleague Jack Hodgins (TJ Thyne) and raising a son with him.[7](https://www.odt.co.nz/life-and-style/entertainment/no-bones-about-it-wvxlduvw) • [8](https://www.i-bones.net/interviste/2017/03/ultima-intervista-a-michaela-conlin-su-bones-e-angela-montenegro/) Her performance earned an Asian Excellence Award nomination for Supporting Television Actress in 2008.[3](https://mn2s.com/booking-agency/talent-roster/michaela-conlin/)
**Casting and heritage.** The role was not written for a specific ethnicity. Conlin told the *Otago Daily Times* in 2010 that the producers "really didn't know whether she would be Latino, African, Asian or Indian," and that her appearance fitted the bill.[7](https://www.odt.co.nz/life-and-style/entertainment/no-bones-about-it-wvxlduvw) In a 2021 interview she said the writers never framed Angela around stereotypes, adding that she appreciated that the character "was a human being first, and the race was something that I felt that the writers never really thought about in that way."[6](https://observer.com/2021/04/michaela-conlin-on-bad-trip-representation-why-she-still-loves-bones/) She also noted the irony of playing a computer expert for twelve years while describing herself as "terrible with anything like that."[6](https://observer.com/2021/04/michaela-conlin-on-bad-trip-representation-why-she-still-loves-bones/)
## Work after Bones
Conlin's film roles include Detective Sobel in *The Lincoln Lawyer* (2011), Jules in *[The Disappointments Room](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-disappointments-room)* (2016), [Courtney Lee](https://www.edgepedia.org/courtney-lee) in *Baby, Baby, Baby* (2015), Maria Li in the Netflix hidden-camera comedy *[Bad Trip](https://www.edgepedia.org/bad-trip-film)* (2021), and Marie in the romantic drama *One True Loves* (2023).[4](https://www.fandango.com/people/michaela-conlin-130628/film-credits) She also served as executive producer on the 2012 film *Sparrows Dance*.[4](https://www.fandango.com/people/michaela-conlin-130628/film-credits)
On television she took recurring parts after *Bones* ended: Sarah Nguyen on the [Paramount Network](https://www.edgepedia.org/paramount-network) western *[Yellowstone](https://www.edgepedia.org/yellowstone-american-tv-series)*, six episodes across the 2018–2019 seasons, and Helena Webster, a former Marine pilot turned astronaut, on Apple TV+'s alternate-history space drama *For All Mankind*, eight episodes in 2021.[3](https://mn2s.com/booking-agency/talent-roster/michaela-conlin/) • [2](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/8628/michaela-conlin) She also guest-starred as Delphine on *Dollface* (2022) and as Andrea Yi in four episodes of *A Man on the Inside* in 2025.[2](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/8628/michaela-conlin) In a 2023 interview she described her *Yellowstone* part as an "early demise" in what became a franchise, and said she felt lucky to have been present at the beginning of a project before anyone knew what it would become.[9](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/one-true-loves-star-michaela-170000462.html)
## Representation and approach
Conlin has spoken about Asian-American representation in the industry. In 2021, after a year that saw both an increase in Asian-led stories and a rise in violence against people of Asian descent, she argued that meaningful progress starts with "the hiring of executives, writers, agents, managers and producers who are Asian-American and who can help shepherd all of these people who need a shot to get their projects made."[6](https://observer.com/2021/04/michaela-conlin-on-bad-trip-representation-why-she-still-loves-bones/) She has also described the rewards of playing women in STEM fields onscreen.[6](https://observer.com/2021/04/michaela-conlin-on-bad-trip-representation-why-she-still-loves-bones/)
## Personal life
Conlin is real-life best friends with Emily Deschanel, her on-screen best friend on *Bones*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0174819/bio/) During the *Bones* years she met her husband and gave birth to their first child, Charlie, in February 2019.[6](https://observer.com/2021/04/michaela-conlin-on-bad-trip-representation-why-she-still-loves-bones/) In the same 2023 interview she said that having children had shifted her life "into the very bright technicolor present."[9](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/one-true-loves-star-michaela-170000462.html)
## References
1. [Michaela Conlin – Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0174819/bio/)
2. [Michaela Conlin – TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/8628/michaela-conlin)
3. [Michaela Conlin – Booking Agent Profile, MN2S](https://mn2s.com/booking-agency/talent-roster/michaela-conlin/)
4. [Michaela Conlin Filmography and Movies, Fandango](https://www.fandango.com/people/michaela-conlin-130628/film-credits)
5. [Michaela Conlin – Actress, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/michaela-conlin/)
6. [Michaela Conlin on 'Bad Trip,' Representation and Why She Still Loves 'Bones', Observer (2021)](https://observer.com/2021/04/michaela-conlin-on-bad-trip-representation-why-she-still-loves-bones/)
7. [No 'Bones' about it, Otago Daily Times (2010)](https://www.odt.co.nz/life-and-style/entertainment/no-bones-about-it-wvxlduvw)
8. [Ultima intervista a Michaela Conlin su Bones e Angela Montenegro, i-Bones (2017)](https://www.i-bones.net/interviste/2017/03/ultima-intervista-a-michaela-conlin-su-bones-e-angela-montenegro/)
9. [One True Loves Star Michaela Conlin Talks Sisterhood, Working With Simu Liu, Yahoo Entertainment (2023)](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/one-true-loves-star-michaela-170000462.html)
10. [Michaela Conlin, IMDb main page](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0174819)
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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 Co to C*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 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