Stephanie Niznik (20 May 1967 – 23 June 2019; age 52) was an actress who played Perim in Star Trek: Insurrection and the humanoid form of a Wraith in the Star Trek: Enterprise first season episode "Rogue Planet".
Niznik was best known for her role as Caitlin Sweeney in four episodes of Diagnosis: Murder (1998) and her role as Nina Feeney throughout the run of Everwood (2002-2006).
Niznik was born in Bangor, Maine and received her Masters of Fine Arts from Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. Shortly after her debut in Exit to Eden (1994, with Iman, Rosemary Forsyth, Keegan de Lancie, and Rachelle Roderick), she landed the part of Agent Judith Phillips in Vanishing Son (1995), where she appeared alongside Star Trek: Deep Space Nine guest actor Jason Leland Adams.
In the following years she guest-starred in Renegade (1995), Murder, She Wrote (1995, with Madlyn Rhue and William Windom), The Sentinel (1996), The Guardian (1997), Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman (1997, starring Joe Lando and Chad Allen), Sliders (1997, starring Jerry O'Connell), JAG (1997, with David Coburn and Jim Fitzpatrick), L.A. Doctors (1998, with Eric Menyuk and Whoopi Goldberg), and Profiler (1998, with Mark Rolston), and played supporting parts in Dear God (1996, with Jack Sheldon and Valerie Wildman), Apollo 11 (1996, with Jeffrey Nordling, Jim Metzler, Wendie Malick, Matt Frewer, Tim Kelleher, and George Murdock), The Twilight of the Golds (1997, with Jill Lover), Memorial Day (1998, with Rob LaBelle), Mr. Murder (1998, with Julie Warner, Bill Smitrovich, K Callan, Richard Riehle, and Bertila Damas), and Emma's Wish (1998, with Seymour Cassel and Dennis Cockrum).
In 1998, Niznik portrayed Erika in Inferno, which featured Sharisse Baker-Bernard, Stoney Westmoreland, and Denney Pierce, followed by Billy Wirth's short film Kismet (1999) opposite Mariette Hartley. Niznik also had guest parts in Viper (1997 and 1999, with J. Downing and Paul McGillion), Nash Bridges (1999, with Cliff DeYoung and Scott Trimble), Family Law (1999, starring Julie Warner and Christopher McDonald and with Mark Moses, Gregg Henry, and James Avery), and Diagnosis: Murder (2000).
After a featured part in Anywhere but Here (1999, starring Susan Sarandon, with Faran Tahir and Jay Harrington), Niznik took over the leading parts in Epoch (2000, with Brian Thompson, Craig Wasson, and Michael Cavanaugh) and Spiders II: Breeding Ground (2001). Prior to her Everwood and Enterprise performances, she portrayed a reporter in Beyond the City Limits (2001, along Benjamin W.S. Lum , Brian George, and Morgan H. Margolis).
After the cancellation of Everwood, Niznik filmed The Twenty (2007, starring Clancy Brown) and episodes of Grey's Anatomy (2007, with Raphael Sbarge and Becky Wahlstrom) and Traveler (2007, with Steven Culp, Billy Mayo, Neal McDonough, and William Sadler).
Later, she portrayed Jo Weller-Clarke in Life Is Wild (2007-2008) and had guest roles in CSI: Miami (2008), Eli Stone (2008, with James Saito, Melinda Clarke, and Mark Casimir Dyniewicz), and NCIS (2009, alongside Martha Hackett and stuntman Panuvat Anthony Nanakornpanom).
On 23 June 2019, Niznik died at her home in Encino, Los Angeles at the age of 52. [1]