Kate Mulgrew, born April 29, 1955, in Dubuque, Iowa, is an American actress and author best known for portraying Captain Kathryn Janeway in Star Trek: Voyager and Galina "Red" Reznikov in Orange Is the New Black. She has had a career spanning five decades, earning Critics' Choice, Saturn, and Obie Awards.

     Mulgrew grew up in a large Irish Catholic family as the second of eight children. She attended Wahlert High School before studying at the Stella Adler Conservatory of Acting in conjunction with New York University. She left NYU after one year to pursue acting full-time.

     Her early career included starring as Mary Ryan in Ryan’s Hope (1975–1978), appearing in Mrs. Columbo (1979–1980), and guest-starring in Cheers, Murphy Brown, and Murder, She Wrote. In 1995, she was cast as Captain Janeway, becoming the first female lead captain in Star Trek history. She played Janeway for seven seasons, reprising the role in Star Trek: Prodigy (2021–present).

     Beyond Star Trek, Mulgrew starred in The Black Donnellys, Warehouse 13, and Orange Is the New Black (2013–2019). She has also voiced characters in Batman: The Animated Series, Dragon Age, and Star Trek Online.

     Mulgrew has been married twice—to Robert H. Egan (1982–1995) and Tim Hagan (1999–2014). She has three children and is an advocate for Alzheimer’s research, inspired by her mother’s battle with the disease. She has written two memoirs, Born with Teeth (2015) and How to Forget (2019).