Beth Riesgraf Biography: In Her Own Words – Exclusive Video, News, Photos, Age

by Hailey SchipperMarch 28, 2023, 10:43 pmNews, News Feed, U Bio >

Beth Riesgraf is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Parker on the tv shows Leverage and Leverage: Redemption.

BETH RIESGRAF BIOGRAPHY: AGE, EARLY LIFE, FAMILY, EDUCATION

Beth Riesgraf was born on August 24, 1978 (Beth Riesgraf: Age 44), in Belle Plaine, Minnesota to Janet and Elroy Riesgraf. She graduated from Cimarron-Memorial High School in 1996 where she was student body president and senior prom queen. Riesgraf has one child, Pilot Riesgraf-Lee, from her past relationship with actor Jason Lee.

BETH RIESGRAF BIOGRAPHY: CAREER

In an exclusive interview with uInterview, Riesgraf talked about what got her interested in acting in the first place. “When I was five, my kindergarten had a gong show, and I was Peter Rabbit. I had my little shaky voice was still happening back then and I had to sing and hop down the aisle with my basket,” Riesgraf laughed. “The gong went at the end, and it was like ‘Oh I did it.’ I remember thinking, ‘this is so fun.’ And obviously, I grew up watching musicals and every Disney movie known to man because I lived on a farm in Minnesota and that’s what you did. You played Nintendo and watched movies. So, I would go out with my horses and create whole stories and I was hooked.”

Riesgraf started her acting career with small roles on television shows, such as Spin City and Undressed in 2001 before working in films such as Scorcher (2002), I Love Your Work (2003) and Alvin and the Chipmunks (2007). In 2008 Riesgraf landed the role of Parker, the Thief, in the show Leverage.

Leverage follows a team of five made up of the Hitter, the Grifter, the Hacker and the Thief while they fight corporate and governmental injustices through heists. The show ran on TNT from 2008 to 2012 and was later revived as Leverage: Redemption in 2021. Riesgraf was nominated three times for Best Supporting Actress on Television from Saturn Awards for her role as Parker.

BETH RIESGRAF BIOGRAPHY: Leverage: Redemption

In an exclusive interview with Erik Meers, uInterview’s founder, Riesgraf talked about her favorite con from the show. “I got to play someone who was supposed to be pregnant. Parker finds really create ways to hide some tools,” Riesgraf laughed. “That was a lot of fun. I think people are going to get a kick out of that one.”

She revealed the reason why she thinks the Leverage world has resonated with the viewership. “In a time when people are saying how horrible the world is and it’s in the news and there’s a lot of really, really heavy things going on across the world, I think having a show that makes you feel a little hope, a little redemption – no pun intended – a show that makes you feels like there is something that can be done about all of the horrible, evil happening,” Riesgraf said. “It lets you escape into that mindset for a little bit and I like that people feel uplifted about that, I like that they can laugh, they can get a little teary, and at the end, they feel a little bit better, and it’s something that they can do with their family. I think it just comes at a time when that tone is needed and necessary for entertainment purposes.”

Riesgraf continued, “It’s a very unifying theme. Everyone wants to see the bad guys taken down, they want to root for the people getting it done, so I love that quality of the show as well.”

Riesgraf also discussed what it was like working with co-stars Aleyse Shannon and Noah Wyle. With Shannon, Riesgraf gave an example of the song the two would sing every day while on set. “Basically, every time we get to work together, we do a happy dance and it varies,” Riesgraf said. “I go out of key because she can sing like a freaking angel. I like to throw a spanner in the works with my trill voice.”

When it came to Wyle, Riesgraf said, “When Harry, Noah’s character, gets to pretend to be really tough, that is my favorite. He gets hurt and plays it off like it didn’t hurt. There are all those things because Harry’s so smart and capable and able, but when he’s around Elliot Spencer [played by Christian Kane] or in the middle of a con, watching the little nuanced moments where you see Harry crack and then put the bravado back on, those are always fun for me to watch. I get a kick out of it.”

Leverage: Redemption is now streaming on Amazon Freevee.