10 Facts About Kirsten Vangsness

Kirsten Simone Vangsness was born on July 7,1972 and is an American actress and writer.

Kirsten Vangsness is best known for her portrayal of FBI Technical Analyst Penelope Garcia on the CBS drama series Criminal Minds.

Kirsten Vangsness portrayed the same character on the spin-off series Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior, Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders.

Kirsten Vangsness was raised in Porterville, California, and later moved to Cerritos, California.

Kirsten Vangsness graduated from Cerritos High School in June 1990 and attended Cypress College in Cypress, California.

Kirsten Vangsness later graduated from California State University, Fullerton in 1996.

Kirsten Vangsness became involved in acting as a child to help overcome shyness and got her first big break in the theatre, where she won several awards, including the 15 Minutes of Female Best Actress Award, the Los Angeles Drama Critics Award for Best Emerging Comic Actress, and the Golden Betty Award.

Kirsten Vangsness' work has been published in the Los Angeles Times.

Since 2014, Kirsten Vangsness has co-written four episodes of Criminal Minds.

Kirsten Vangsness was in a seven-year relationship with editor Melanie Goldstein, to whom she was engaged, until 2013.