Reiko Aylesworth

Theatre

Professor of Practice

Email

raylesworth@smu.edu

Reiko Aylesworth grew up in Chicago and Seattle. She moved to NYC, where she began acting in and directing theater. She has performed in world premieres of plays by Eric Bogosian, Lyle Kessler, John Patrick Shanley and others.

She recently voiced a recurring role in the Marvel animated series, Hit Monkey, performed in the world premiere of Black Superhero Magic Mama, directed by Robert O’Hara at The Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles, and will shortly be seen in the upcoming independent film, Lou Lou. She played the series-regular role of Michelle Dessler on the Golden Globe winning series 24 and has acted as a series regular, recurring or guest star in over 150 episodes of television, including recurring roles on Lost, Damages, Hawaii 5-0, Revolution, Scorpion, ER and more.

As a director, her first comedic short film, Veronica, was screened at 19 festivals and won multiple awards. She then directed a dramatic short film called I Was A Stranger, which was screened at the Toronto International Women’s Film Festival and The Bentonville Film Festival helmed by Geena Davis. She is energized by the current demand for fresh and underrepresented stories.

Reiko Aylesworth