Rebecca Andrea Thompson (born January 6, 1960) is an American actress, known for her roles on the television series Falcon Crest, Babylon 5, JAG, 24, and NYPD Blue. Early life Andrea Thompson was born January 6, 1960, in Dayton, Ohio. When she was six, her family moved to Australia. She left high school at 16, and after an extended period of travel, she moved to New York City. She began modeling and studied acting at the Strasberg Studio and the Herbert Berghof Studio under Uta Hagen. Career Acting career Thompson began her career as a voiceover artist, which continues today. Her first significant film role was in the 1987 film Wall Street. In 1989, she was cast on the soap opera Falcon Crest as the scheming Genele Ericson during the show's final season, and played photojournalist Maggie Dawson in the Season 3, Episode 2 of the series Quantum Leap. In 1991, she played Nurse Helen Caldwell in the comedy film Delirious. In 1993 she was cast on the science fiction television series Babylon 5 as telepath Talia Winters. Thompson left the series in the middle of its second season. Thompson moved on to join the cast of JAG midseason as Commander Alison Krennick, an aide to the Judge Advocate General of the Navy and direct supervisor of Harmon Rabb. She was among several actors who left the show when it was canceled by NBC after one season before CBS picked it up. She then went on to play Detective Jill Kirkendall on four seasons of crime drama NYPD Blue, leaving in April 2000 to pursue a career in journalism. Journalism career Thompson started to prepare for her journalism career in 1999, by earning her GED and working for one year with Jack Hubbard, associate director of Stanford University's News Service and a veteran journalist of CBS News. During this time, she also took a writing seminar with KGO-TV's feature reporter Wayne Freedman. She began her work with CBS affiliate KRQE in Albuquerque, New Mexico, as a general assignment reporter for $26,000 per year. Thompson joined CNN Headline News as an evening anchor in June 2001. CNN had laid off 400 of 4,000 employees in January, and was refocusing on personalities to draw in younger viewers. Her first words on-screen as reporter were "Hi, I'm Andrea Thompson, and unless you've been living in a cave, you probably already know that." Her