Cast of Superhero Drama 'Doom Patrol'

Julie McNiven | Biography

Famous for her recurring roles in the television series 'Mad Men' and 'Supernatural'

• By Yunil Tamrakar
• Update : March 13, 2022

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Julie McNiven is an actress best known for her recurring roles in the television series Mad Men (2007–2009) and Supernatural (2008–2010). 

Who is Julie McNiven? 

Julie McNiven is an American singer and actress born on 11 October 1980 in Amherst, Massachusetts. She attended Amherst Regional High School and graduated in 1998.

After that, she received a BFA in Theatre from Salem State College in 2003. As a teenager, she also took part in the French Woods Festival of the Performing Arts, studying swinging trapeze.

McNiven began her career in community theater productions. However, she worked her way up to television screens from Amherst Leisure Services Community Theatre and other local stages.

Film Credits

McNiven has over 50 acting credits on her name after making her debut in the 2000s. During her early career, she appeared in several movies and TV shows such as Dangerous Crosswinds (movie 2005), Waterfront (TV series 2006), Law & Order: Criminal Intent (TV series 2006), Go Go Tales (movie 2007),  Brotherhood (TV series 2006-2007), New Amsterdam (TV series 2008), and more.

However, McNiven is widely known for her appearances on the TV series Mad Men (2007-2009) as Hildy, appearing on twenty episodes, and Supernatural  (2008-2010) as Anna Milton, appearing on five episodes. 

Subsequently, she was cast in Hawaii Five-0 (TV series 2012), The Possession of Michael King (movie 2014), The Babymoon (movie 2017), A Christmas Arrangement (TV movie 2018), Doom Patrol (TV series 2019-2020), and more.

In the 2020 TV movie Black Hearted Killer, McNiven played the role of Juley, who is dealing with her daughter's untimely death. She finds herself suddenly the object of someone's obsession. 

She also recently appeared in the film The Sleeping Negro in 2021. In addition, McNiven has voiced for the popular 2021 video game Halo Infinite. 

'Doom Patrol'

Doom Patrol is HBO Max's superhero TV show in which McNiven played the role of Sheryl Trainor for six episodes from 2019 to 2020. Sheryl Trainor was Larry Trainor's ex-wife and the mother of Paul and Gary Trainor. She died in 1989 due to some form of cancer.

The series first aired on 15 February 2019 and has three seasons. The series is created by Jeremy Carver and began airing on 15 February 2019 as a spin-off of Titans. On 25 June 2020, the second season premiered on both DC Universe and HBO Max, with both streaming platforms releasing episodes simultaneously. The show was renewed for a third season in September 2020 and launched on 23 September 2021, exclusively on HBO Max. 

The show has been renewed for a fourth season, announced at the DC FanDome 2021. As per October 2021 reports from Variety, the new season is expected to launch in 2022. While no planned release date has been revealed, given on previous Doom Patrol release dates, it would probably premiere on HBO Max in the summer or fall of 2022 (according to Looper).

Doom Patrol is a rendition of one of DC's most beloved groups of outcast Super Heroes: Robotman, Negative Man, Elasti-Girl, Cyborg, and Crazy Jane, led by modern-day mad scientist Dr. Niles Caulder, The Chief.

Each member of the Doom Patrol was involved in a horrific accident that gave them superhuman abilities and left them scarred and disfigured. The Chief brought the team together to investigate the strangest phenomena in existence and also to protect the Earth, giving them purpose after they were traumatized and downtrodden.

The other cast members of the Doom Patrol include Diane Guerrero as Jane, April Bowlby as Rita Farr, Matt Bomer as Negative Man, Joivan Wade as Victor Stone / Cyborg, Brendan Fraser/Riley Shanahan as Cliff Steele, Wynn Everett as Fog, and more.

Husband

McNiven has been married to actor Michael Blackman Beck since 2010. Michael is best known for his appearance in the TV series Supernatural (2005), films The Cave Movie (2009), and The Babymoon (2017).

The couple has two sons, Tasman Scott Beck and Jeston Beck. Their youngest son, Jeston, was born in August 2021. 

McNiven also shared a post on Instagram on 18 August 2021, following Jeston's birth, and wrote, "Jetson arrived on Saturday! He's a big healthy boy who can't help how cute he is. Grateful for modern medicine and family to help out at home while I recover from the c-section."

Did You Know? 

• McNiven's height is 5 feet 6 inches (1.68 m).
• She went to the summer program at Circle in the Square.