# Vanessa Ray
**Vanessa Ray** (full name Vanessa Ray Liptak) is an American actress best known for playing Officer Eddie Janko-Reagan on the CBS police-family drama *Blue Bloods* and the villainous Charlotte Drake ([CeCe Drake](https://www.edgepedia.org/cece-drake)) on *Pretty Little Liars*. Her other television roles include Jenny Griffith on the legal drama *Suits*, Teri Ciccone on the soap opera *As the World Turns*, and Maggie "Rocker" Sheldon on *White Collar*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2326075/?showAllCredits=true) Before her television career she worked in musical theater, earning her [Actors' Equity Association](https://www.edgepedia.org/actors-equity-association) card in *Footloose* and playing the title role in Disney's *Finding Nemo: The Musical*.[2](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Vanessa-Ray/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | Vanessa Ray Liptak (also credited as Vanessa Liptak)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2326075/?showAllCredits=true) |
| Born | 1981 in California; most databases give 1981, while one IMDb biography page lists 1980[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2326075/?showAllCredits=true) • [3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5117614/bio/) |
| Signature role | Officer Edit "Eddie" Janko-Reagan on *Blue Bloods*, 2013–2024, 220 episodes[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2326075/?showAllCredits=true) |
| Other major roles | CeCe Drake / Charlotte DiLaurentis on *Pretty Little Liars* (2012–2017, 19 episodes); Jenny Griffith on *Suits*; Teri Ciccone on *As the World Turns*[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2326075/?showAllCredits=true) |
| Theater roots | Rusty in *Footloose* (Actors' Equity card); Nemo in *Finding Nemo: The Musical* at Walt Disney World; Crissy in the Broadway cast of *Hair* in its final year[2](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Vanessa-Ray/) |
| Marriage | Married Landon Beard on June 14, 2015, her second marriage; one child, Isaac Ray Beard[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2326075/?showAllCredits=true) |
## Early life and theater career
Ray was born in California in 1981. Most entertainment databases give her birth date as 1981, and list her birthplace as Fullerton or [Alameda County, California](https://www.edgepedia.org/alameda-county-california), while a Woman's World profile places her birth in [Livermore, California](https://www.edgepedia.org/livermore-california), to parents Valerie and James Liptak; an IMDb biography page instead lists a 1980 birth date.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2326075/?showAllCredits=true) • [4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/vanessa-ray/) • [5](https://www.womansworld.com/entertainment/tv-shows/vanessa-rays-career-from-pretty-little-liars-to-blue-bloods) • [3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5117614/bio/) She was raised in [Laguna Beach, California](https://www.edgepedia.org/laguna-beach-california), and later moved to New York City, where she lives and works.[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5117614/bio/)
**Theater came first.** Ray's early work was on stage. She performed in musicals including *Chess*, *Brigadoon*, and *Footloose*, and earned her Actors' Equity Association card playing Rusty and singing "Let's Hear It for the Boy" in *Footloose*.[2](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Vanessa-Ray/) • [6](https://www.tvsa.co.za/actors/viewactor.aspx?actorid=9618) After what a TVSA profile describes as a series of auditions in New York and Los Angeles, she won the title role in *Finding Nemo: The Musical* by Robert and Kristen Lopez at [Walt Disney World](https://www.edgepedia.org/walt-disney-world) in Orlando, working with director Peter Brosius.[2](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Vanessa-Ray/) • [6](https://www.tvsa.co.za/actors/viewactor.aspx?actorid=9618) She later joined the Broadway cast of *Hair* in its final year as Crissy, singing the song "Frank Mills".[2](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Vanessa-Ray/)
Her first screen project was *The Sparky Chronicles: The Map* in 2003, and she appeared in the children's series *The Sparky Chronicles* and *One Girl Revolution* before returning to musical theater.[5](https://www.womansworld.com/entertainment/tv-shows/vanessa-rays-career-from-pretty-little-liars-to-blue-bloods) • [6](https://www.tvsa.co.za/actors/viewactor.aspx?actorid=9618)
## Television roles
**Soap opera start.** Ray landed the role of Teri Ciccone, a culinary chef, on the CBS soap opera *As the World Turns*, joining in the show's final years; IMDb credits her with 52 episodes between 2006 and 2010, while TVmaze lists 49.[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/vanessa-ray/) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2326075/?showAllCredits=true) • [7](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/17911/vanessa-ray) In a 2009 interview she described soap acting as very different from stage work, saying the actors "take it so seriously" and "really force you to up your game".[5](https://www.womansworld.com/entertainment/tv-shows/vanessa-rays-career-from-pretty-little-liars-to-blue-bloods)
Through the early 2010s she built a run of guest and recurring parts in television dramas: Tessa Marchetti on *Damages* (7 episodes, 2010), Claudia on *Bored to Death*, Heather Travis on *Girls*, Mrs. Donovan on *Nurse Jackie*, Cayce Robbins on *The Mentalist* (2013), and Maggie "Rocker" Sheldon on *White Collar*.[7](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/17911/vanessa-ray) On *[Suits](https://www.edgepedia.org/suits-american-tv-series)* she played Jenny Griffith across the first two seasons, in 8 episodes.[7](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/17911/vanessa-ray)
**Pretty Little Liars.** From 2012 to 2017 Ray played CeCe Drake, also known as Charlotte DiLaurentis and Charlotte Drake, on *Pretty Little Liars*, appearing in 19 episodes.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2326075/?showAllCredits=true) The character was revealed as a central antagonist of the series, described by one profile as "a sociopathic manipulator that majors in blackmail and torture".[5](https://www.womansworld.com/entertainment/tv-shows/vanessa-rays-career-from-pretty-little-liars-to-blue-bloods)
**Blue Bloods.** Ray joined *Blue Bloods* in season 4 in 2013 as Officer Edit "Eddie" Janko, originally introduced as the partner of Jamie Reagan, played by [Will Estes](https://www.edgepedia.org/will-estes).[8](https://thenerdsofcolor.org/2021/05/13/noc-interview-vanessa-ray-on-all-things-blue-bloods/) The characters' partnership developed into a romance and marriage on the show, and Eddie became part of the Reagan family at the center of the series, which follows a multi-generational New York law-enforcement family.[8](https://thenerdsofcolor.org/2021/05/13/noc-interview-vanessa-ray-on-all-things-blue-bloods/) Ray stayed with the show through its entire run, credited with 220 episodes from 2013 to 2024, ending with the series finale "End of Tour" on December 13, 2024.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2326075/?showAllCredits=true) • [7](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/17911/vanessa-ray) In interviews she described the role's appeal: "when we first met her she was a rookie, but it was obvious she was following a calling to service. She was eager, messy, and flawed."[8](https://thenerdsofcolor.org/2021/05/13/noc-interview-vanessa-ray-on-all-things-blue-bloods/)
## Film work
Ray's film credits are smaller than her television list but include the [Greta Gerwig](https://www.edgepedia.org/greta-gerwig) comedy *Frances Ha* (2012), in which she played "Random Girl #2"; the horror film *Devil's Due* (2014), with [Allison Miller](https://www.edgepedia.org/allison-miller); *The Last Day of August* (2012), with Michael Izquierdo; *Are You Joking?* (2014), as Haley Lusky; *All in Time* (2015), as Rachel; and *The Rumperbutts* (2015), as Ashlee.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2326075/?showAllCredits=true) • [4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/vanessa-ray/) On Rotten Tomatoes her highest-rated film is *The Rumperbutts* at 92 percent and her lowest is *Devil's Due* at 22 percent.[9](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/vanessa_ray)
## Personal life
Ray married her first husband, actor Derek Baynham, in 2003; the marriage ended in 2009.[5](https://www.womansworld.com/entertainment/tv-shows/vanessa-rays-career-from-pretty-little-liars-to-blue-bloods) On June 14, 2015, she married her boyfriend of six years, Landon Beard, at Condor Nest Ranch in Pala, California, after a five-month engagement; guests included her *Pretty Little Liars* co-star [Sasha Pieterse](https://www.edgepedia.org/sasha-pieterse).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2326075/?showAllCredits=true) The couple have one child, Isaac Ray Beard.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2326075/?showAllCredits=true)
## After Blue Bloods
After *Blue Bloods* ended in 2024, CBS continued the franchise with the spinoff *Boston Blue*, starring [Donnie Wahlberg](https://www.edgepedia.org/donnie-wahlberg). In August 2026 Ray visited the *Boston Blue* set and posted photographs with Wahlberg and [Sonequa Martin-Green](https://www.edgepedia.org/sonequa-martin-green), prompting speculation about a return as Eddie Janko; as of September 2026 no appearance had been confirmed, though Will Estes was officially set to return as Jamie Reagan in the show's second season.[10](https://www.cinemablend.com/television/is-another-blue-bloods-alum-reuniting-donnie-wahlberg-boston-blue-season-2-vanessa-ray)
## References
1. [Vanessa Ray, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2326075/?showAllCredits=true)
2. [Vanessa Ray, BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Vanessa-Ray/)
3. [Vanessa Ray, IMDb Biography](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5117614/bio/)
4. [Vanessa Ray, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/vanessa-ray/)
5. [A Look at Vanessa Ray's Career: From Villain on 'Pretty Little Liars' to Beloved Cop on 'Blue Bloods', Woman's World](https://www.womansworld.com/entertainment/tv-shows/vanessa-rays-career-from-pretty-little-liars-to-blue-bloods)
6. [Vanessa Ray, TVSA](https://www.tvsa.co.za/actors/viewactor.aspx?actorid=9618)
7. [Vanessa Ray, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/17911/vanessa-ray)
8. [NOC Interview: Vanessa Ray on All Things 'Blue Bloods', The Nerds of Color](https://thenerdsofcolor.org/2021/05/13/noc-interview-vanessa-ray-on-all-things-blue-bloods/)
9. [Vanessa Ray, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/vanessa_ray)
10. [Wait, Is Another Blue Bloods Alum Reuniting With Donnie Wahlberg For Boston Blue Season 2?, CinemaBlend](https://www.cinemablend.com/television/is-another-blue-bloods-alum-reuniting-donnie-wahlberg-boston-blue-season-2-vanessa-ray)
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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 R to Ri*
*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