Why Yellowstone's Senator Lynelle Perry Looks So Familiar

From its premiere in 2018, "Yellowstone" has been at the forefront of long-form western dramas. With 5 seasons and multiple award nominations under its belt, the "Yellowstone" fictional universe only expanded through its numerous spinoffs, such as "1883," and "1923" The show's strong story writing is also paralleled with a remarkable acting cast we know from other projects, like Hollywood ladies man Kevin Costner from "Bodyguard" and  "American Beauty" actor Wes Bentley. But what about Lynelle Perry?

As the strong-willed governor-turned-senator of Montana, Wendy Moniz's portrayal of Lynelle was well known for being a fan favorite amongst its audience. However, her inclusion in "Yellowstone" was just another role in which she played a woman of authority. With over two decades of acting credits in popular legal dramas, soap operas, and films alike, Moniz suggested to Alan Locher from "The Locher Room" in 2022 that she was picked for those roles because of how well she could play them. "I have found myself in those authoritative women roles, and I'm happy about that," she said. Although Governor Perry may be her most popular role to date, it's far from being the only role that gave her notoriety. If you are wondering why Moniz seems so familiar, you've probably come across some of the numerous projects she's been a part of over the years. To refresh your memories on where you may have seen her, here is a deep dive into Moniz's longstanding acting career!

From Kansas City, Missouri, to Londonville, New York, Wendy Moniz set her sights on becoming a well-known actor after graduating with a degree in English and Theatre in 1991. In 1995, Moniz made her television debut as the troubled Dinah Marler in the soap opera, "Guiding Light." In addition to this being the first time the general public saw Moniz on-screen, her portrayal of Dinah is also one of her most notable roles on television as the character's story spanned across several actors from her introduction in 1987. After a series of unfortunate events caused Dinah to flee to Europe, she eventually returned to Springfield. Her character arc from 1995 to 1999 was when Moniz effectively took over as Dinah

The role itself didn't come easy for Moniz. During her 2021 appearance on "The Locher Room," she spoke about how long it took her to make her television debut. "I had a long, sort of, story with getting that role because I was up for it three years before I got it. And I was all set to screen test, and the actor who was playing Hart ... he was tragically injured, and the whole thing went away," she recalled. "And so, I just went about my business auditioning for other things and then three years later they were bringing it back and it was like I'd start from scratch."

For four years, Wendy Moniz saw great success portraying Dinah Marler on "Guiding Light." However, in 1999, she left the show to seemingly pursue other avenues of acting not yet explored, and this meant packing up her things to move to California. "I'm gonna go see about primetime TV," she said during her 2025 appearance on "The Official Yellowstone Podcast" when host Bobby Bones asked the New York native about her move to Los Angeles. Almost immediately, Moniz snagged a role in the show "Partners." While the show never got picked up by a network, the experience alone led her to find a manager and other work, one of those being the TV movie "Tuesdays with Morrie."

Based on the 1997 memoir, the plot followed Mitch Albom, a journalist who, amid a newspaper strike, reconnected with his former sociology professor, Morrie Schwartz, after learning he was suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or Lou Gehrig's disease. With only a short amount of time left, Morrie shared nuggets of wisdom regarding all aspects of life to Mitch, who felt that life was passing him by. In the film, Moniz portrayed Janine, Mitch's girlfriend, who was oftentimes ignored due to Hank's career. With the stunning Oprah Winfrey as one of the many executive producers for the movie, "Tuesday with Morrie" was a compelling project that earned several nominations from the Golden Globes and Primetime Emmys. 

In the early 2000s, Wendy Moniz prematurely booked roles in short-lived pilots. After the unsuccessful juncture at "Partners," she used that momentum to find other roles. While doing so, she stumbled upon the sitcom "Battery Park." Similar to other detective shows with a comedic cast like that of "Brooklyn Nine-Nine," "Battery Park" was a sitcom that followed a group of off-center detectives in New York. Moniz played Maria DiCenzo in the series, a role she portrayed for only two episodes. 

With notable names like Bokeem Woodbine and Elizabeth Perkins all having a hand in the sitcom, it was sure to be a success. According to her interview with Alan Locher on "The Locher Room" in 2021, Moniz shared that same notion as well. Despite its short run, she told Locher that "Battery Park" was in a prominent NBC time slot during the time. "It was between 'Friends' and 'Frasier' in that NBC line-up ... must-see TV," she said. "So it was like, 'Oh, we're going to be on forever! This show is just going to be a huge hit!'" Unfortunately, this wasn't the case, as the show was up against other immensely popular shows at the time. "Battery Park" was still a huge success, but it lost viewership throughout its run on NBC. This ultimately caused the network to cancel the show entirely.

Wendy Moniz kept herself busy by finding extensive work on various TV shows, albeit short-lived. However, that didn't stop her from using each experience to catapult further into her acting career. From "Battery Park" onward, Moniz found herself booking gigs that saw her depicting strong women working in male-dominated fields. Her first strong female role came in 2000 when she joined the cast of "Nash Bridges." Based in San Francisco, California, "Nash Bridges" was the regular run-of-the-mill police procedural that saw Don Johnson and Cheech Marin as the leads. 

Throughout its six-season run, "Nash Bridges" transformed into a massive hit on CBS. The series featured recurring stars such as "Baywatch" star Yasmine Bleeth, and Moniz was one of the many new faces that got to experience the privileges of joining a hit show for a short time. In its last season, Moniz portrayed Rachel McCabe, a police officer who worked in the Special Investigation Unit (SIU) for the San Francisco Police Department. Through this, her character grew close to Nash Bridges and became his main love interest during the last leg of the show. Despite her late inclusion, Moniz's performance as Rachel quickly became a fan favorite. Unfortunately, fans didn't get to see her reprise the popular role in 2021 for the USA Network's "Nash Bridges" reboot.

With "Nash Bridges" coming to an end in 2001, Wendy Moniz wasted no time booking a gig in yet another crime drama, "The Guardian." From its first season, Moniz portrayed lawyer Louisa "Lulu" Archer. She starred alongside Simon Baker before he found notable success as a cast member of "The Devil Wears Prada." In "The Guardian," Baker played the main character Nick Fallin, a young lawyer who had an on-and-off romance with Louisa. 

The show ran for three seasons, in which Moniz was part of the main cast. At the time, "The Guardian" was another massive success for Moniz's acting career. According to her 2022 interview with Alan Locher from "The Locher Room," this was a unique experience for Moniz, as this was the first time she noted how significant her role in a show was. "That show had such a pedigree, and I just remember feeling nervous the first couple days because I was the only female lead and I had to be a lawyer, and I had to carry a lot of stuff ... It was the first time I felt primetime pressure coming from daytime," she explained. "I did 'Nash Bridges,' I did a couple pilots when I came off, but that was the first show that I landed on that felt like there was a lot on the line to make sure I did a good job."

By 2009, Wendy Moniz was well-known for her work on episodic procedurals. After departing from "The Guardian," her work in television slowed down, as she became a mother in 2004. In addition to earning a small recurring role in "Big Shots" in 2007, Moniz picked up a more involved role in the 2009 series "Damages." Although it was another crime drama, Moniz didn't play a well-off lawyer or undercover police officer. Instead, she portrayed Jill Burnham, a professor who owns an art gallery in New York.

Jill's character arc proved to be relatively controversial, as she was in a relationship with the young Michael Hewes, played by Zachary Booth. After conceiving a child with Michael when he was only 17 years old, Jill's age gap continued to frustrate his mother, Patty Hewes, surprisingly played by the legendary actor Glenn Close. (There's a whole lot more you probably don't know about Close, too.) This ultimately caused Patty and Jill to form a short-lived rivalry with each other. After unsuccessfully bribing Jill to stay away from Michael, Patty eventually landed Jill in prison for having sexual relations with a minor. Despite Moniz only appearing in seven episodes, it was surely time well spent, as she got to share the screen with such a well-established actor. 

In 2010, CBS greenlit a new police-centered series titled "Blue Bloods." With a notable ensemble made up of former "Magnum, P.I." actor Tom Selleck and Mark Wahlberg's brother, Donnie Wahlberg, the show was sure to be a success, and it was. Following its premiere in 2010, the show was a successful CBS hit that spanned 14 seasons. Surprisingly enough, it was announced early on that Wendy Moniz would take part in the police procedural as Kelly Davidson. This ultimately caused some fans to be disheartened once the pilot of the show aired, as Moniz was nowhere to be found. 

Speculation as to why this was the case arose just months before its premiere. In July of 2010, it was announced that Moniz was no longer part of the cast of "Blue Bloods" due to "creative reasons" (via Digital Spy). No specific reason for her departure was given, though some assumed it was primarily for personal reasons. The publication announced that seasoned actor Andrea Roth was going to replace her during that time. While Moniz's stint as a "Blue Bloods" cast member was cut short, the character's role was even shorter, as Kelly Davidson was only a recurring character for 5 episodes of Season 1.

From 2009 onward, Wendy Moniz continued to build on what was already an outstanding career in television. Whether it be making sporadic appearances in "666 Park Avenue" and "Daredevil" or being a regular on shows like "Betrayal" and "Kingdom," Moniz certainly kept herself busy. Her next stellar performance eventually came in 2016 when she became a recurring character in Netflix's "House of Cards."  

Based on the novel, the political drama followed a set of corrupt politicians using unethical methods to gain or maintain power. In Season 4, Moniz was introduced as Laura Moretti, the wife of Anthony Moretti, who passed away while waiting for a liver transplant. Although he was first on a long list of patients, Doug Stamper found a way to alter the list, so that someone else got a liver before Anthony, making him responsible for Anthony's death. With somewhat of a guilty conscience, Doug donates money to his family, which prompted Laura to reach out to him. The two were seemingly drawn to each other and continued to see each other after their initial meeting. Their storyline only expanded once Moniz returned in Season 5, which she announced via Instagram in 2016. Her character arc ultimately ended with Laura suggesting that she knew that Doug had something to do with her husband's death. 

Aside from the countless shows she has appeared in, one may recognize Wendy Moniz simply because of her husband, Frank Grillo. After appearing alongside each other in "Guiding Light," Moniz and Grillo then became an item in the following years. From marrying in 2000 to introducing their two children, Rio Joseph and Liam, to the world, the two were inseparable both on and off the screen. Since "Guiding Light," they have worked with each other on various projects, one of which happened to be "Kingdom," which Grillo was a regular on. In Season 2, Moniz played lawyer Roxanne Dunn for seven episodes. 

This wouldn't be the last time they'd work together, as in 2017, the two starred in his film "Wheelman." In it action-thriller, Grillo played Wheelman, a getaway driver for the mob that essentially misled him after a failed bank robbery. Moniz portrayed Jessica, his ex-wife and mother of their daughter, Katie, who ultimately gets wrapped up in Wheelman's wrongdoings during his quest to figure out who set him up. The film was an ambitious venture as Grillo was primarily in a moving vehicle for the entirety of the movie. In a 2017 interview with Today, Grillo suggested that the film's setting ultimately made for a "tense 88 minutes."

Similar to other notable actors early on, Wendy Moniz made a guest appearance in "Law & Order" in 2005. In the episode ironically titled "House of Cards," Moniz played Arlene Tarrington, a woman who, after the murder of a single mother, kidnapped her baby and acted as if it were her own. Her inclusion, of course, was a relatively short role that only benefited her credibility as a notable actor. Over the years, however, Moniz had the opportunity to return to its fictional universe with a fresh new storyline.

In 2021, "Law & Order: Organized Crime" was released, which focused on detective Elliot Stabler, played by Christopher Meloni. Moniz appeared in the sixth episode of the 1st season, portraying ADA Anne Frasier. As the season went on, Moniz became a recurring character. Right after the end of the 1st season, Moniz took to Instagram to express her gratitude for working on the show. Paired with a photo of her in a red dress, she wrote, "The day I wrapped a fun gig in the big apple. Great time working with great people on last night's season finale." Her performance as Anne didn't end there, as in Season 2, she'd reprise her character in four more episodes. 

From detectives to governors, Wendy Moniz's range knows no bounds. With her work on "Yellowstone" being highly praised, alongside her role in "Law & Order: Organized Crime," Moniz somehow found a way to play yet another strong woman in power. In 2022, Moniz appeared in the 3rd season of FBI: Most Wanted." Instead of playing a lawyer or a crazed criminal, Moniz portrayed Judge April Brooks, who, throughout the show, developed a connection to Agent Remy Scott, played by Dylan McDermott. For the Season 3 finale, she teased their budding storyline on Instagram with the caption, "Braving the weather with Agent Remy Scott in tonight's season finale."

Although she was a recurring character, her inclusion in the show was relatively sporadic. After appearing in seasons 3 and 4, Moniz was noticeably missing from its 5th season. However, she did return for its 6th season in a rather darker-themed storyline. In the 2025 episode titled "68 Seconds," it was revealed that April was a victim of a predatory attack on a college campus in Maine. April eventually reached out to Remy — who was her ex at this point — to look into the sexual assault case, only to discover that this incident was one of many instances. Given April and Remy's history, this became a personal case for Remy, as it affected someone he cared about.