Shannon Elaine Cochran (born 1958 or 1959) is an American actress. While she has numerous credits to her name, she is particularly recognizable as having played the mysterious Anna Morgan in the 2002 horror film The Ring.

Early years

Cochran is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James B. Cochran. She graduated from Page High School in Greensboro, North Carolina. She attended Wake Forest University but left to go into acting. She graduated from the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music in 1982.

Career

Cochran has performed in multiple theatres in the US and Europe. She began acting professionally in theaters in Cincinnati and Memphis, and in 1984 she toured with a revue whose stops included the Bahamas, Boston, California, and Miami. Her Broadway credits include August: Osage County (2009), Cabaret (2016), and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (2019).

She played Pam Beesly's mother in The Office episode "Sexual Harassment" (later replaced by Linda Purl).

Personal life

Cochran married actor Michael Canavan.

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
1992The BabeFlapper
1992SeinfeldSheilaEpisode: "The Parking Space"
1992Empty NestStacyEpisode: "It's Not Easy Being Green"
1993L.A. LawD.D.A. Ms. SchiffEpisode: "F.O.B."
1993–94NYPD BlueLois Snyder4 episodes
1994The UntouchablesEpisode: "The Last Gauntlet"
1994Star Trek: The Next GenerationKalitaEpisode: "Preemptive Strike"
1994The Haunting of Seacliff InnSheriff TomizackTV movie
1994Star Trek: Deep Space NineKalita / Sirella2 episodes: "Defiant", "You Are Cordially Invited"
1995Full HouseMorganEpisode: "Michelle Rides Again"
1997Chicago HopeLinda KellerdEpisode: "Colonel of Truth"
1997Saved by the Bell: The New ClassMs. RichardsEpisode: "Her Brother's Keeper"
1998ERMrs. KlingmanEpisode: "Masquerade"
1999Witness ProtectionPsychologistTV movie
2000Any Day NowEpisode: "It's a Mother-Daughter Thing"
2000Grosse PointeJulie's MomEpisode: "Satisfaction"
2001Touched by an AngelValEpisode: "I Am an Angel"
2001Gilmore GirlsMeenaEpisode: "Like Mother, Like Daughter"
2002The RingAnna Morgan
2002Star Trek: NemesisSenator Tal'aura
2003FrasierBank ManagerEpisode: "Roe to Perdition"
2003Charlie LawrenceNewscasterEpisode: "A Vote of Confidence"
2004Law & Order: Special Victims UnitCindy Cramer / SarahEpisode: "Charisma"
2005RingsAnna MorganArchive footage
2005The Ring TwoAnna MorganArchive footage
2005Without a TraceDr. WitmerEpisode: "Volcano"
2005The OfficeHelene BeeslyEpisode: "Sexual Harassment"
2006Grey's AnatomyMary SingletonEpisode: "Begin the Begin"
2006The Substance of Things Hoped ForDr. Drury
2006The Bold and the BeautifulProsecutor Gilmore2 episodes
2006Close to HomeMeredithEpisode: "Legacy"
2007The UnitCapt. LisaEpisode: "In Loco Parentis"
2009NumbersDoctor IversonEpisode: "The Fifth Man"
2010FringePatricia Van HornEpisode: "Do Shapeshifters Dream of Electric Sheep?"
2011Off the MapMarian CooperEpisode: "It's a Leaf"
2011The Perfect FamilyMary Donovan
2011Desperate HousewivesMeg ButlerEpisode: "The Lies Ill-Concealed"
2012–13ScandalAttorney General Susan Sawyer3 episodes
2014NCISMallory LinnEpisode: "Bulletproof"
2015NCIS: Los AngelesDr. Susan RathburnEpisode: "Citadel"
2016Modern FamilyNancy DeckerEpisode: "Grab It"
2017RingsAnna MorganArchive footage
2019Captive StateCathy Mulligan
2025BallardPaula HopkinsonEpisode: "Beneath the Surface"
2025The Hand That Rocks the CradleRosanna

External links