Jennifer Lien

Jennifer Ann Lien (born 24 August 1974) is an American actress, best known for playing the alien Kes on the television series Star Trek: Voyager.

Early life
The youngest of three children, Lien was born in Palos Heights, Illinois. Her mother, Delores Lien, was a college teacher. Lien moved to New York to pursue an acting career at the age of 17.

Career
Her first TV appearance was in a bubblegum advertisement playing twins. Her first appearance on a show was playing a music academy student in 1990 in an episode of Brewster Place starring Oprah Winfrey.

She provided her voice for the dubbed English version of Baby Blood, a French horror film.

Lien landed the role of Hannah Moore on the series Another World in 1991.

In 1993 she was cast as Roanne in Phenom, a sitcom starring Judith Light (of Who's the Boss? fame). That year she also participated in the recording of Adam Sandler's comedy album They're All Gonna Laugh At You in which she played the part of the Valedictorian on the track "The Buffoon And The Valedictorian."

In 1994, she was cast as Kes on Star Trek: Voyager. When the crew of the Starship Voyager was stranded 75,000 light years from home by a being known as the Caretaker, they met Kes who helped them rescue several crew members. She then joined the crew with her partner Neelix. Kes was an Ocampan, a species that lives for just 9 years. They have an ability to learn at great speeds, which allowed her to learn medicine quickly and work with the Holographic Doctor.

Lien was let go from the series in 1997. This coincided with the casting of Jeri Ryan as Seven of Nine. Lien was featured in the first two episodes of season four, losing control of her mental abilities and ascending to a higher level of existence in her final episode "The Gift." In doing so, she sent the crew 10 years closer to home.

Following her departure from Voyager, Lien appeared in the films American History X, playing Edward Norton's sister, and SLC Punk!, playing the wild girlfriend of Matthew Lillard's character. She also gave her voice to the character of adult Vitani in The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, and voiced Agent "L" for three seasons (1-3) on Men in Black: The Series.

Lien was asked to return for a special episode of Star Trek: Voyager in 2000 entitled "Fury." An angry older Kes returned to Voyager and went back in time in an attempt to alter events. Lien had input to the script but has subsequently stated that she was disappointed with her performance in the episode. Despite this, she welcomed the chance to work with the cast of the show again.

Personal life
She is married to Phil Hwang; their first child, Jonah, was born on September 5, 2002. Since the birth of her son, Lien has retired from acting and voice over work. However, she was credited as executive producer on her husband's comedy film entitled Geek Mythology (2008).

In August 2010, Lien revealed at a Star Trek convention that following the completion of her studies she intends to work as a nutritionist.