Background
Carlson was born in Glen Ellyn, Illinois.
Carlson was born in Glen Ellyn, Illinois.
After returning to the United States, Carlson attended Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois.
While in college, Carlson was active in the school’s theatre department, appearing in Fifth of July, Noises Office, A Lie of the Mind, and School for Scandal. Carlson graduated cum laude. Carlson made her soap opera debut in 1993 on Another World as Josie Watts.
She later had leading roles in the short-lived dramas Peacemakers and Law & Order: Trial by Jury.
In 2010, Carlson began starring as Linda Reagan on Blue Bloods.
She was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 1998 for this role and later left the show. She guest-starred in a number of prime time shows and in 2000 won a series regular role on the National Broadcasting Company series Third Watch, where she starred from 2000 to 2003.
