Natural inside Glen Ellyn, Illinois, Carlson spent most of her early life in the Chicago area. However after she was around junior high school, she and her personal too sleep in the Middle East, where her parents, Bob & Barb, taught at a U.s. School. Carlson has terzetto sib, sisters Betsy & Lori & brother Joe.

She has backpacked all over Europe, with her personal & in her have. Because her parents were teachers, it were respire to spend each summertime together traveling & camping all over a United States. inside point of fact, it use camped in each state except Alaska. She likewise attend Rwanda after the war in 1994, to aid relief efforts.

Early Carlson showed artistic talent, acting inside school productions & winning contests for writing. Inside high school she was a promising jock that laid inside the number 1 ever 3200 meter relay in Illinois Girls Track.

Fallowing the sports injury when attending Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois, she returned to the theater, starting with Lanford Wilson's Fifth of July and directing Wallace Shawn's Aunt Dan and Lemon. She graduated ejaculate laude sustaining the B.A. in East Asian history and a concentration in Theater. She moved to Chicago afterwards & exposed Improv at the ImprovOlympic and acting at The Actor's Center. However the contract job on the at present defunct soap opera Another World moved her to New York City soon after graduation. She has been nominated for the Daytime Emmy Award in the category of "Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Daytime Drama Series." That equivalent month, fallowing she left A second Globe, Carlson filled within for Beth Ehlers as Harley Cooper on Guiding Light while Ehlers went on maternity leave.

Her virtually all memorable roles develop been of heavy women, swimming Alex Taylor around Third Watch (1999), Maggie Pistone in Falcone (1999) & Katie Owen (alongside Tom Berenger) in Peacemakers (2003).

Carlson presently lives around New York City, (with young man Syd Butler, bassist of Les Savy Fav) where she besides works in the independent music business as a share-creator of the independent record label Frenchkiss Records. She continues to write likewise when search out diverse & unique roles in the screenland.