Background
Coughlan was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. When she moved to Los Angeles with her father Daniel Merritt Coughlan, she enrolled in a Bachelor of Fine Arts program at the University of Southern California.
Actor screenwriter film producer
Coughlan was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. When she moved to Los Angeles with her father Daniel Merritt Coughlan, she enrolled in a Bachelor of Fine Arts program at the University of Southern California.
She graduated from Breck School, a small private school in Minneapolis.
She has appeared in top 100 "hot" lists put out by numerous men"s magazines and graced the cover of Stuff magazine in May 2001. Coughlan"s first film appearance to gain mainstream attention was Teaching Mistress Tingle (1999), in which she co-starred alongside Katie Holmes.
Other films she appeared in included Pumpkin (co-starring with Christina Ricci), a drama about sorority girls.
New Suit, a satirical comedy about the inner workings of Hollywood. Super Troopers, playing Officer Ursula Hanson.
And Freddy Got Fingered as Betty. She had a recurring role on the television series Boston Legal as secretary Melissa Hughes in seasons two and three.
In 2007, she starred as Jenny McIntyre in Lifetime Television"s original series Side Order of Life.
Lifetime did not pick the series up for a second season despite a strong following. In 2008-2009, she appeared on three episodes of the hit television show Bones. Coughlan began writing while she was pregnant and taking time off from acting.
She wrote and produced her first pilot, Lost & Foundation for American Broadcasting Company in 2011.
Now she"s writing a comedy based on Peter and Wendy for National Broadcasting Company.