Hannah Cheesman

Hannah Cheesman is a Canadian actress and filmmaker. As a performer, Cheesman is known for portraying Lieutenant Commander Airiam in the second season of the CBS television series Star Trek: Discovery.^[1] As a filmmaker, Cheesman has written and directed the short film Succor, starring Deragh Campbell and Michaela Kurimsky, which premiered at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival. She won several accolades for her performance and work writing and producing the web series Whatever, Linda in 2014.^[2][3]

Hannah Cheesman
Cheesman at the Canadian Screen Awards in 2024
Occupations	Actress, filmmaker
Years active	2009–present
Notable work	Whatever, Linda

Career

Early work

Cheesman began her career starring in several short and feature films, including Ingrid Veninger's low-budget independent film The Animal Project, which premiered at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival.^[4][5]

Whatever, Linda

Main article: Whatever, Linda

In 2014, Cheesman co-created, wrote, produced, and starred in the critically acclaimed web series Whatever, Linda.^[2] For her work on the series, she received several accolades, and was nominated for a Canadian Screen Award for Best Performance in a Program or Series Produced for Digital Media and for Best Original Program or Series produced for Digital Media.^[6]

Whatever, Linda has been in development with Bell Media and Orphan Black creator Graeme Manson for several years, with Cheesman slated to co-create, write, produce, and potentially star.^[7]

Short films and television work

In 2018, she wrote and directed the short film Emmy, which was selected to screen in the National Screen Institute's Online Short Film Festival.^[8] She has also worked in the writers rooms of Orphan Black and Workin' Moms.^[9]

In 2019, she starred as Lieutenant Commander Airiam in the second season of the CBS television series Star Trek: Discovery.^[10][11][12] The New York Times called her performance in the series "a real highlight".^[1] That year, she also guest-starred in an episode of the CBC series Schitt's Creek.^[13]

In 2024, she reprised the role of Airiam in a guest appearance in season 5 of Star Trek: Discovery.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2010	Daylight Savings	Diana	Short film
2013	Mama	Beautiful Mama / Skinny Woman
2013	The Animal Project	Alice
2015	Boxing	Becca	Short film
2015	Star Princess	Operator	Short film
2017	The Definites	Anna	Also co-director, writer, producer
2018	Emmy	n/a	Short film; director, writer, producer
2020	Succor	n/a	Short film; director, writer, producer
2021	The Boathouse		director
2023	Hey, Viktor!	Kate
2025	Marriaginalia		director

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2009	Flashpoint	Uniformed Officer	"The Farm"
2011	Papillon	Eva	Main role (15 episodes)
2011	Mayday	Air Traffic Controller	"Cockpit Failure"
2011	Originals	Carina	Main role (7 episodes)
2011	Stay with Me	Crystal Meth	TV film
2014	Defiance	Lev	"Putting the Damage On", "Doll Parts", "I Almost Prayed"
2014–2016	Max & Shred	Kaylee Carpenter	Recurring role (21 episodes)
2014	Whatever, Linda	Linda Thoroughbred	Web series; also co-creator and writer
2016	L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables	Mrs. Carlyle	TV film
2016	Murdoch Mysteries	Mrs. Sachs	"From Buffalo with Love"
2019–2020, 2024	Star Trek: Discovery	Lieutenant Commander Airiam	Season 2: Recurring co-star (10 episodes) Season 3: Guest (2 episodes) Season 5: Guest (1 episode)
2019	Schitt's Creek	Tina Holdbridge	"A Whisper of Desire"
2021	The Hot Zone: Anthrax	Stephanie Dailey	"Noble Eagle"
2025	SurrealEstate	Madison/Death	"Death Does a Refi"

Video games

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2010	Shaun White Skateboarding	Lily	Voice