Julie M. Benz (born May 1, 1972) is an American actress, best known for her role as Rita Bennett on Dexter, for which she won the 2006 Satellite Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television. She grew up in Murrysville, graduating from Franklin Regional High School. At age 15, Benz was told by an acting coach that she would never succeed as an actress. Your voice is horrible.’ That was the best thing that ever happened to me because I was like, ‘I’ll show you’.” By 1989, with her figure skating career over, Benz became involved in local theater, where she was cast in the play Street Law. Her first movie role was a small speaking part in “The Black Cat” segment of the Dario Argento/George A. Romero horror movie Two Evil Eyes (1990). with Children , playing a girl who wanted to lose her virginity to Bud Bundy. She starred in another unaired TV pilot called Empire in 1995. However, she was offered the small role of the vampire Darla in the pilot episode.
