Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter Subscribe LOS ANGELES, Nov. 26 (UPI) -- The acting profession, like baseball, is a game of streaks -- cold one and hot ones -- and Catherine Dent has one of the hotter streaks going in Hollywood right now. Along with her current high-profile gig as Officer Danielle "Danny" Sofer in the hit cable series "The Shield," Dent is also featured in "Autofocus" -- writer-director Paul Schrader's audacious story about the life and sordid death of "Hogan's Heroes" star Bob Crane starring Greg Kinnear. On top of that, Dent has a choice role in the upcoming Sci-Fi Channel miniseries "Taken," executive-produced by Steven Spielberg. Advertisement Shortly after completing her training at the North Carolina School for the Arts, Dent managed to get a decent break fairly early on -- by Hollywood standards -- as Paul Newman's daughter-in-law in "Nobody's Fool" (1994). Following a series of pictures that fell short of blockbuster standards, and a tour of duty as Janice Talbert on the daytime drama "One Life to Live," Dent landed a role in last year's big-ticket Jim Carrey drama "The Majestic." Advertisement "The Shield" caused quite a sensation when it premiered earlier this year on the FX basic cable channel, largely for its coarse dialogue, graphic violence and frank treatment of the complexities of the contemporary justice system -- but also for the Emmy-winning performance of lead actor Michael Chiklis. The Hollywood Reporter said "The Shield" was "one of the best new cop shows to come along since 'NYPD Blue' ... also the bravest dramatic hour in recent television memory." The Reporter also called Dent "beguiling" for her performance as a single woman earning a living as a cop in a world where the central organizing principle is brutal violence. An outsider might be impressed that Dent is "making it big" after years of working at her craft, but the Baton Rouge, La., native said that she -- like most professionals in her field -- is not as interested in defining success in those terms as she is in getting satisfying gigs that also happen to pay the bills. "So many people think, 'Oh, you're trying to make it big,'" she said in an interview with United Press International. "No, most of us are trying to pay the mortgage, be good at our craft and do work we're proud of." Advertisement For Dent, that has also meant a string of guest-starring roles in such TV hits as "The Sopranos," "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," "Frasier," "The Pretender" and "The X-Files." Those opportunities represented a period for Dent where the work was regular, but she could still go the mall without necessarily being recognized. "The Shield," however, has changed her life. "All the kids at the mall, they go, 'Oh, man, I really like your show,'" said Dent. "Taken," the highly anticipated -- and heavily hyped -- Sci-Fi Channel miniseries about alien abductions is likely to pump up Dent's public visibility even more. The cast includes Dakota Fanning ("I Am Sam"), Julie Benz ("Roswell"), Anton Yelchin ("Hearts in Atlantis"), Ryan Hurst ("Remember the Titans") and Joel Gretsch ("Minority Report"). All are veterans -- even the 8-year-old Fanning, who has seven feature film credits -- and all are likely to see their profile rise as a result of their participation in the miniseries. Success in Hollywood can lead to bigger paychecks and juicier choices for actors. Dent acknowledged that she is reaping the rewards of success, but she insisted that there is more to her happiness than that. Advertisement "Do people now recognize me? Yes. Do I have opportunities to meet people I wouldn't have met a year ago? Yes. Does it matter? I don't know," said Dent. "I'm voraciously hungry to do a good job as Danny on 'The Shield.' When you watch 'The Shield,' I want you to see a female cop in a brutal world. I don't want you to see Catherine Dent playing with a toy gun." As much as a hit show can change an actor's life, Dent said one of the things that motivates her is the prospect of changing the lives of viewers. "I've played (roles ranging from) abused wives to agoraphobics," she said. "I hope there's someone out there whose life I've touched."
