# Reiko Aylesworth
**Reiko Aylesworth** (born 1972) is an American film, television, and stage actress, best known for playing CTU (counter Terrorist Unit, fictional agency) agent Michelle Dessler on the Fox series *24*.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1972, Chicago, Illinois (TV Insider gives Evanston, Illinois)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0043855/) • [2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/reiko-aylesworth/) |
| Signature role | Michelle Dessler on *24*, 62 episodes, 2002–2006[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0043855/) |
| Early career | Cast for a stint on ABC's *One Life to Live* as Rebecca Lewis[3](https://www.bppe.ca.gov/webapplications/annualReports/2022/document/50730ca1-7e88-49c7-ae38-5b83ce99fcde) • [2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/reiko-aylesworth/) |
| Recurring TV roles | Malia Waincroft on *Hawaii Five-0* (7 episodes, 2011–2014), Allie Jones on *[Scorpion](https://www.edgepedia.org/scorpion-tv-series)* (10 episodes, 2016–2018), Amy Goodspeed on *Lost* (2009)[4](https://www.tvsa.co.za/actors/viewactor.aspx?actorid=1218) |
| Voice work | Lady Bullseye and Yuki in Marvel's animated *Hit-Monkey*[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0043855/) |
| Awards | Two SAG Award nominations (2003, 2005) for drama ensemble with *24*; 2016 festival win for Best Actress in a Short Film (*Muscle*)[5](https://www.sagawards.org/sites/default/files/nominee_histories_0.pdf) • [6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0043855/awards/) |
| Theater | Off-Broadway and regional work; played Connie Wright in the Geffen Playhouse's *Black Super Hero Magic Mama* (2019)[7](https://www.geffenplayhouse.org/people/reiko-aylesworth/) |
## Early life and training
Aylesworth was born in Chicago and raised there by her single mother, who worked as a counselor in a methadone clinic and later ran a rehabilitation corrections facility; she has a younger brother. As a teenager she moved to Seattle, where she briefly attended the University of Washington and studied neuroscience[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0043855/). TV Insider reports her birthplace as [Evanston, Illinois](https://www.edgepedia.org/evanston-illinois), and describes her ancestry as Japanese, Dutch, and Welsh[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/reiko-aylesworth/).
Acting began early: from 1987 to 1988 she understudied at the Springfield Theatre Centre and was then cast as Consuelo in a production of *West Side Story*, staying in [Springfield](https://www.edgepedia.org/springfield) for the run of the play while her family moved to Seattle[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/reiko-aylesworth/). Her performance as Wendy in a local production of *Peter Pan* drew the attention of ABC talent scouts, leading to a move to New York in 1993 and her television debut on the soap *One Life to Live*[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/reiko-aylesworth/). [In New York](https://www.edgepedia.org/in-new-york) she studied at the Michael Howard Studio, Black Nexxus, and the Actor's Center[3](https://www.bppe.ca.gov/webapplications/annualReports/2022/document/50730ca1-7e88-49c7-ae38-5b83ce99fcde), and acted in new plays by writers including [John Patrick Shanley](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-patrick-shanley), Anna Deavere Smith, Eric Bogosian, and Lyle Kessler[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0043855/).
## Breakthrough on 24
She had originally auditioned for the roles of Nina Myers in season 1 and Kate Warner in season 2 of *24* before being cast as CTU agent Michelle Dessler[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/reiko-aylesworth/) • [8](https://www.24spoilers.com/cast/reiko-aylesworth/). The role ran 62 episodes from 2002 to 2006 and became her breakthrough[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0043855/).
The part brought ensemble recognition: the *24* cast received Screen Actors Guild Award nominations for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series in 2003 and 2005[5](https://www.sagawards.org/sites/default/files/nominee_histories_0.pdf). She was also nominated for a 2004 Saturn-zodiac Cinescape Genre Face of the Future Award (Female) for the series[6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0043855/awards/).
## Later television and film
Aylesworth's post-*24* film work included the leading role of Kelly in *Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem* (2007) and a part opposite [Kevin Costner](https://www.edgepedia.org/kevin-costner) in *Mr. Brooks* (2007)[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/reiko-aylesworth/). Her single highest-rated film on Rotten Tomatoes is *[Oh Lucy!](https://www.edgepedia.org/oh-lucy)* (2017), at 98 percent with critics, in which she played Kei; her lowest-rated is *Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem*, at 12 percent[9](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/reiko_aylesworth).
More recently she has expanded into voice acting, playing Lady Bullseye and Yuki in Marvel's animated *Hit-Monkey* from 2021[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0043855/).
## Theater, directing, and producing
Theater has remained central. Her stage credits include *Top Girls* at the Williamstown Theatre Festival, *Humpty Dumpty* by [Eric Bogosian](https://www.edgepedia.org/eric-bogosian) at McCarter Theatre Center, and *Black Super Hero Magic Mama* at the Geffen Playhouse in 2019, and she most recently appeared as La Marquise de Merteuil in *Les Liaisons Dangereuses* at Antaeus Theatre Company[7](https://www.geffenplayhouse.org/people/reiko-aylesworth/).
She has also moved behind the camera, directing and producing two award-winning short films, *Veronica* (2018) and *I Was a Stranger* (2019)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0043855/).
## Personal life
Aylesworth married Robert Clare, a Shakespeare teacher and director, on June 28, 2013; the couple are an adoptive family with a child born in 2014[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0043855/). She lives in Los Angeles[3](https://www.bppe.ca.gov/webapplications/annualReports/2022/document/50730ca1-7e88-49c7-ae38-5b83ce99fcde).
## References
1. [Reiko Aylesworth, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0043855/)
2. [Reiko Aylesworth, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/reiko-aylesworth/)
3. [Reiko Aylesworth faculty biography, Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education annual report document](https://www.bppe.ca.gov/webapplications/annualReports/2022/document/50730ca1-7e88-49c7-ae38-5b83ce99fcde)
4. [Reiko Aylesworth, TVSA](https://www.tvsa.co.za/actors/viewactor.aspx?actorid=1218)
5. [SAG Awards Nominee Histories](https://www.sagawards.org/sites/default/files/nominee_histories_0.pdf)
6. [Reiko Aylesworth Awards, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0043855/awards/)
7. [Reiko Aylesworth, Geffen Playhouse](https://www.geffenplayhouse.org/people/reiko-aylesworth/)
8. [Reiko Aylesworth as Michelle Dessler in 24, 24 Spoilers](https://www.24spoilers.com/cast/reiko-aylesworth/)
9. [Reiko Aylesworth, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/reiko_aylesworth)
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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 Au to Ba*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: 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