Karen Aldridge

Karen Alexis Aldridge^[1] is an American actress. She is best known for playing Mrs. Phelps in the Broadway premiere cast of Matilda the Musical, and for her television roles in Fargo (2020) and Severance (2022–2025).

Karen Aldridge
Born	Karen Alexis Aldridge Richmond, California, U.S.
Education	DePaul University (MFA)
Occupation	Actress
Years active	2003–present

Biography

Aldridge was born in Richmond, California, and ran track in her youth. She studied sociology at UCLA and graduated with an MFA in Acting from DePaul University.^[2][3] In 2010, she played Iris Sparks in the world premiere of Regina Taylor's The Trinity River Plays.^[4] In 2013, she played Mrs. Phelps in the Broadway premiere cast of Matilda the Musical.^[2]

Acting credits

Film

Year	Title	Role	Ref.
2004	Sandcastles	Atropos
2011	The Dilemma	Receptionist	[5]
2023	The Good Mother	Laurie	[6]
2023	The Creator	Dr. Thankey	[7]

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref.
2011–2012	Boss	Dr. Ella Harris	10 episodes	[8]
2012–2015	Chicago Fire	Dr. Kendra Perrington	6 episodes	[9]
2014	Unforgettable	Ellen Hewitt	Episode: "Flesh and Blood"	[10]
	Blue Bloods	Desiree Jones	Episode: "Power of the Press"
2016	Chicago Med	Dr. Kendra Perrington	3 episodes	[9]
2016–2017	The Get Down	Adele Kipling	6 episodes
2020	Fargo	Zelmare Roulette	8 episodes
2022–2025	Severance	Asal Reghabi	Recurring role	[11]
2023	61st Street	Naimah Watts	5 episodes	[12]
2025	Alien: Earth	Chibuzo	Episode: "Neverland"	[13]

Theatre

Year	Title	Role	Venue	Notes	Ref.
2003	Man from Nebraska	Tamyra	Steppenwolf Theatre Company	Chicago	[14]
2005	Splittin' the Raft	Black woman	Marin Theatre Company		[15]
2007	Bot	Mella	Magic Theater Northside	San Francisco	[16]
2009	Macbeth	Lady Macbeth	Chicago Shakespeare Theatre	Chicago	[17]
	Twelfth Night	Olivia	Chicago Shakespeare Theatre	Chicago	[18]
2010	The Good Negro	Corinne	Goodman Theatre	Chicago	[19]
2011	The Trinity River Plays	Iris	Goodman Theatre	Chicago	[20]
	Clybourne Park	Francine, Lena	Steppenwolf Theatre Company	Chicago	[21]
2013	Matilda the Musical	Mrs. Phelps	Shubert Theatre	Broadway	[22]
2014	The Qualms	Regine	Steppenwolf Theatre Company	Chicago	[23]
2017	The Glass Menagerie	Amanda	California Shakespeare Theater		[24]
2018	Victims of Duty	Madeleine	A Red Orchid Theatre	Chicago	[25]