Lanei Chapman

Lanei Chapman is the actress who portrayed Ensign Sariel Rager in four Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes. She first appeared in the fourth season episode for which she filmed her scenes between Monday  and Wednesday  on Paramount Stage 8. She returned for another fourth season episode, for which she filmed her scenes on Monday  and Tuesday  on Paramount Stage 8. Two years later, in, she reprised her role for the sixth season episodes and.

Chapman is probably best remembered for her role as 1st Lieutenant Vanessa Damphousse in the short lived science fiction series Space: Above and Beyond. The Emmy Award and Saturn Award nominated series was cancelled after one season in 1996. On Space, Chapman worked with director Winrich Kolbe who also directed her first Star Trek episode, actors Tucker Smallwood, Tasia Valenza, David Jean Thomas, Don Pugsley, Billy Mayo, Randy Mulkey, and Michael Reilly Burke, and stunt coordinator Jeff Cadiente.

Personal and early career
Born in Los Angeles, California, Chapman started her acting career at the age of 13 when she appeared in several television commercials such as for Kentucky Fried Chicken. She graduated from the Dartmouth College in New Hampshire where she wrote her first play, "Home Run", for which she won the third place at the Annual Short Play Competition in Los Angeles. While working as kindergarden teacher she studied three years at the University of California and graduated with B.A.'s in Acting and Film Science. At the UCLA she produced the short film Appearances. 

Television work
In 1989, she played a younger version of Alfre Woodard's character in the television drama A Mother's Courage: The Mary Thomas Story. Following guest roles in episodes of China Beach (1990, with Jeff Kober and Robert Picardo), CBS Schoolbreak Specials (1991, with Christopher Rydell, Jennifer Gatti, and Tricia O'Neil), True Colors (1991, with Brigid Brannagh and Ellen Albertini Dow), Man of the People (1991, with Kate Mulgrew), The Wonder Years (1992, with Olivia d'Abo and Richard Fancy), and Martin (1992), she appeared in the 1992 television drama The Jacksons: An American Dream with Bumper Robinson and Vanessa Williams.

Further television work includes a recurring guest part as Bill Erwin's housekeeper in two episodes of Seinfeld (1993, starring Jason Alexander and with Victoria Dillard, Gina Hecht, Peter Crombie, Larry Hankin, Erick Avari, Tony Amendola, Elizabeth Dennehy, Teri Hatcher, and Heidi Swedberg), the television mini series The Secrets of Lake Success (1993, with Samantha Eggar, Stan Ivar, Liz Vassey, Brian Keith, Ray Wise, and Jeff Rector), and episodes of The Pretender (1997), C-16: FBI (1998, with Zach Grenier, Jeff Kober, Kristopher Logan, Glenn Morshower, Wendy Robie, and Catherine MacNeal), Judging Amy (2001-2002, with Nicholas Cascone, Scott Klace, J.D. Cullum, Joanna Miles, and Dakin Matthews), The District (2002-2003, with Roger Aaron Brown, Cress Williams, Richard Fancy, Michael Buchman Silver, Larry Cedar, and Kristen Ariza), The Division (2002-2003), Thief (2006, with Clifton Collins, Jr. and Albert Hall), and Grey's Anatomy (2007, with Stephanie Erb). She also appeared in the 2004 short drama Dense

More recent television credits include two episodes of Lincoln Heights (2009, with Tim Russ, Terryl Daluz, and Van Epperson) and a guest role in Cold Case (2009) where she portrayed a younger version of Iona Morris' character.

Film work
Chapman made her feature film debut in the 1992 sport comedy White Men Can't Jump with Gregg Daniel. The same year she played Cecily Cardew in the comedy The Importance of Being Earnest with Wren T. Brown and Brock Peters. In 1996 she was directed by fellow Space: Above and Beyond co-star James Morrison in the short film Parking on which she worked with Erich Anderson.

In 2001 she played Merrill Jennings, the estranged daughter of Whoopi Goldberg's character, in the comedy Rat Race, with Andrew Kavovit, Peggy Jo Jacobs, Gene LeBell, and Bart McCarthy. Chapman's further credits include voice work on the video game adaptation Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001, with Jean Simmons, Judi M. Durand, Barbara Harris, Richard Penn, David Randolph, and Dwight Schultz), the comedy Expired (2007, with Teri Garr), and the drama The Secret Life of Bees (2008, with Joe Chrest, Alan Oppenheimer, Barbara Harris, and Richard Penn).