Kirsten Vangsness. 12 Penelope Garcia Criminal Minds

Kirsten Simone Vangsness (born July 7, 1972) is an American actress. She graduated from Cerritos High School in Cerritos, California in June 1990. She is currently appearing on the CBS drama series Criminal Minds as FBI Technical Analyst Penelope Garcia, as well as the spin-off, Criminal Minds: Suspect Behaviorwhich premiered on February 16, 2011.

Vangsness was born in Pasadena, CA to parents Errol Leroy Vangsness (born 5 Feb. 1938 in Milwaukee, WI) and wife Barbara Mary, nee Marconi (born 1 Dec. 1942 in Philadelphia, PA). Her father is of Norwegian descent with roots in Gol and Sogn. She got her first big break in the theater where she won several awards, including the 15 Minutes of Female Best Actress Award, the Los Angeles Drama Critics Award for Best Emerging Comic Actress and the Golden Betty Award. She is also a writer, and her work has been published in the Los Angeles Times Magazine. Her fiancée is film editor Melanie Goldstein, whose credits include the television series 24.They intend to marry in 2013.

Kirsten Vangsness (2007-07-24). "Kirstens Blog". CBS. Archived from the original on 2007-10-12. Retrieved 2007-10-07.
^ "Criminal Minds' Kirsten Vangsness Joins Spin-Off as a Series Regular". TVGuide.com.
^ Waldon, Dave (2008-09-23). "Kirsten Vangsness Thrives on “Criminal Minds”". AfterEllen.com. Retrieved 2008-10-10.
^ "Untitled". Criminal Minds Fanatic. 2009-09-22. Retrieved 2009-11-12.
^ "Gay 'Criminal Minds' Star Kirsten Vangsness To Get Married In Every Country Possible". Starpulse.com. 2010-09-24. Retrieved 2010-12-28.