Biography:

Vanessa Ray (born November 2, 1980) is an American television, film and stage actress and singer. She is perhaps best known for her role as Teri Ciccone in the final season of the soap opera As the World Turns, and more recently for her recurring roles as Jenny on the USA Network legal drama Suits, as CeCe Drake on Pretty Little Liars, and as Tessa Marchetti on Damages.

Ray was born in Livermore, California and raised in Vancouver, WA. Her parents James and Valerie Liptak were both involved in theater while she was growing up. Her father is a musician and often produced music for plays for local theaters in Vancouver, WA.

She earned her Actor's Equity card while performing the role of Rusty and singing "Let's Hear It For the Boy" in the musical Footloose. She originated the role of Nemo in Robert and Kristin Lopez's Finding Nemo, the Musical at Orlando's Disney World. Vanessa embodied the character of Olive Ostrovsky in the National Tour of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. She joined the Broadway cast of Hair in its final year as Crissy, and sang the song "Frank Mills".

She made her on-screen debut as Chris in the youth-oriented video short feature, The Sparky Chronicles: The Map (2003).

Grounded in theater since childhood, Ray enjoys acting in any medium. She has experience on both sides of the camera, and as a writer and singer.

Since 2012, Ray has appeared as CeCe Drake, an ex-girlfriend of Jason DiLaurentis and a friend of Alison, in the TV series Pretty Little Liars based on the book series by Sara Shepard. CeCe and Ali spent a summer vacation together in Cape May. It seems that CeCe taught Ali her scheming ways, as both act quite similarly. When CeCe returns to Rosewood in Season 3, the girls immediately notice the similarities between the way she acts and how Ali acted. Cece also learned a lot about the other girls from Alison. She was with Alison and Detective Wilden in Cape May the summer Ali died. On October 4, 2012, ABC Family renewed the show for a fourth season. Filming began on March 14, 2013. Ray's character returned in season 4. In the same season, it is revealed CeCe is "Red Coat" -- the former leader of "The A-Team".

In 2013, Vanessa joined the Season 4 cast of the CBS police procedural drama Blue Bloods as Officer Edit "Eddie" Janko.

She now lives and works in New York City and Los Angeles, CA. Since 2003, Ray is married to Derek James.

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