Catherine Lloyd Burns

Catherine Lloyd Burns has enjoyed success as a veteran film and television character actor, appearing in everything from low-budget indie films to prime-time family sitcoms. Burns spent the early '90s playing one-off guest roles in series like "Party of Five," about five siblings struggle to move on after a family tragedy, and the graphic medical drama "ER." In 1996, she landed a supporting role in "Michael," Nora Ephron's comedic fantasy, which starred John Travolta as the eponymous archangel who, despite his wings, is anything but angelic. From 1998 to 1999, Burns portrayed nighttime news anchor Mona Guillingsvard on the political comedy series "Lateline"; the short-lived show, which starred former "Saturday Night Live" actor and comedian Al Franken as the head anchor of a late-night TV news broadcast. The show frequently satirized actual news events and featured cameos from real-life politicians. After appearing in the air-traffic control drama "Pushing Tin" and the religious romantic comedy "Keeping the Faith," Burns landed a recurring role as kind-hearted Caroline Miller in the dysfunctional family sitcom "Malcolm in the Middle"--she portrayed the passionate teacher for two seasons. In terms of writing, she penned both the award-winning indie film "Everything Put Together" and her first book, "It Hit Me Like a Ton of Bricks."