Liza Lapira
Liza Lapira (born December 3, 1981) is an American actress. She played Kianna in the 2008 film 21, Special Agent Michelle Lee in the CBS police procedural series NCIS, and Ivy, Topher Brink's assistant, in Dollhouse. Lapira has also co-starred in the short-lived sitcoms Traffic Light, Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23, Super Fun Night, and 9JKL. She is also known for her roles as Shaquan on UPN's The Parkers and Melody "Mel" Bayani on CBS's The Equalizer.
Liza Lapira

Our Movie Guide · YouTube: Inside Out 2 - World Premiere Arrivals | The cast of "Inside Out 2" attend the World Premiere. – View/save archived versions on archive.org · CC BY 3.0
- Born
- 1981.
- Nationality
- United States.
- Occupation
- television actor, film actor, stage actor and actor.
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
VALÉORINE documentary reading
Documentary summary
Liza Lapira (born December 3, 1981) is an American actress. She played Kianna in the 2008 film 21, Special Agent Michelle Lee in the CBS police procedural series NCIS, and Ivy, Topher Brink's assistant, in Dollhouse. Lapira has also co-starred in the short-lived sitcoms Traffic Light, Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23, Super Fun Night, and 9JKL. She is also known for her roles as Shaquan on UPN's The Parkers and Melody "Mel" Bayani on CBS's The Equalizer.
Admitted source layer · organised and presented by VALÉORINE
Note VALÉORINE
No house-authored Note is published until its assertions and sources pass the VALÉORINE evidence contract. The documentary article remains available in full while that enrichment is being consolidated.
Documentary enrichment in progress · no unsupported statement published
Reference Check
Propose documentary evidence for Liza Lapira. A contribution is never written directly as fact: identity, source, rights and evidence gates still decide.
Sign in to contribute
Documentary evidence
Evidence Panel
wikipedia incomplete · checked 25 September 2026
- Identity
- resolved
- Independent source families
- 0
- Admitted assertions
- 0
- Open conflicts
- 0
Authority files
wikidata · Q287596 · wikipedia · Liza Lapira
In this article
Early life
Early life
She also voiced Disgust in the Pixar animated film Inside Out 2, replacing Mindy Kaling from the first film. In 2024, she was named Global Pinoy Of The Week on GMA Pinoy TV.
Lapira was born on December 3, 1981, in Queens, New York City. She is of Filipino descent.
Stage
Stage
Lapira's New York stage credits include As You Like It, The School for Wives, The Odyssey, and Alexandra Cunningham's No. 11 Blue and White. Most recently, she played Suzanne in Steve Martin's Picasso at the Lapin Agile at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego.
Television
Television
Lapira's first major role was a series regular spot on the Showtime TV series Huff. Lapira played neuroscientist Ivy in both seasons of Joss Whedon's series Dollhouse, appearing predominantly with Fran Kranz and Dichen Lachman. Her TV credits include recurring roles in Dexter, ER, Monk, Grey's Anatomy, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, The Parkers as Shaquan, Sex and the City, and The Sopranos. Lapira had regular roles as: Agent Michelle Lee in NCIS, Lisa in Traffic Light, Robin in Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23, Detective Jacocks in Battle Creek, Leslie Barrett in Cooper Barrett's Guide to Surviving Life, and Eve in the CBS comedy 9JKL. In August 2018, Lapira joined the recurring cast of the Netflix limited-series Unbelievable. In 2020, Lapira was cast as a lead on CBS' The Equalizer reboot opposite Queen Latifah and Chris Noth.
Personal life
Personal life
In New York, she acted on stage and in independent films. She moved to Los Angeles in 2004 to work in television. Lapira is an avid supporter of LA's Best, which provides after school services to 28,000 children in 189 schools in the neighborhoods with the highest needs around Los Angeles. Also, she participates in the Children's Hospital Los Angeles Charity Triathlon each fall in Malibu. Currently, she is working with The Impact Theatre in Harlem, while living on the east coast.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 1 entries
1981
Liza Lapira was born in 1981.
Film
Early film credits include director Tony Scott's Domino and independent feature The Big Bad Swim, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2006. Lapira appeared in J. J. Abrams' 2008 film Cloverfield as Heather and also appeared in Table for Three and 21. In 2009, she played Agent Sophie Trinh in the film Fast & Furious opposite Paul Walker, and in 2010, she played Alva in Repo Men. She portrayed Liz, the sharp-tongued friend of Hannah (Emma Stone) in the 2011 film Crazy, Stupid, Love. In 2021, she played Teresa in Dante Basco's directorial debut The Fabulous Filipino Brothers. She voiced Disgust in Pixar's Inside Out 2, replacing Mindy Kaling, who voiced the character in the first film.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Liza Lapira. TVGuide.com.
- 2.Staff, Hollywood.com. Liza Lapira - Biography and Filmography - 1981. 8 February 2015.
- 3.Torre, Nestor. Exciting comers topbill new productions. Philippine Daily Inquirer. May 16, 2008.
- 4.Hebert, James. Steve Martin's 'Picasso' is artful comedy at Old Globe. 10 February 2017.
- 5.Press Release: Picasso at the Lapin Agile Cast Announcement - The Old Globe. www.theoldglobe.org.
- 6.Andreeva, Nellie. Liza Lapira Cast In Mark Feuerstein CBS Comedy Pilot '9J, 9K & 9L'. Deadline. 16 February 2017.
- 7.Petski, Denise. 'Unbelievable': Elizabeth Marvel & Liza Lapira To Recur In Netflix Drama Series. Deadline. August 14, 2018.
- 8.Petski, Denise. Liza Lapira Joins Queen Latifah In 'The Equalizer' Reboot Pilot On CBS. Deadline. February 25, 2020.
- 9.TV.com Bio.
- 10.Liza Lapira - The Equalizer Cast Member.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Partially resolvedreference work
Partially resolved
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Film memorabilia
37,225 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Liza del SierraPerson
- Liza Figueroa KravinskyPerson
- Liza HanimPerson
- Liza JohnsonPerson
- Liza MinnelliPerson
- Liza SnyderPerson
- Liza WeilPerson
- Lizet BenreyPerson
Best supported in this field
For owners
Own a work by Liza Lapira?
A specialist will read what you send and tell you what the house can establish, what it cannot, and whether the object is suited to sale. There is no charge and no obligation. The object stays with you throughout; nothing is shipped to us unless it is arranged in writing beforehand.