The former actress racked up several TV and movie credits before she became the Duchess of Sussex. Beyond Suits: Meghan Markle's most memorable performances

The former actress racked up several TV and movie credits before she became the Duchess of Sussex.

Beyond* Suits: *Meghan Markle's most memorable performances

The former actress racked up several TV and movie credits before she became the Duchess of Sussex.

By James Mercadante

and Dana Schwartz

Dana Schwartz is a former correspondent at **. She left EW in 2019.

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Published on August 4, 2025 10:30AM EDT

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Meghan Markle as Rachel Zane on 'Suits'; Meghan Markle as a briefcase model on 'Deal or No Deal'; Meghan Markle as Charlotte Boyd on 'Castle'. Credit:

Shane Mahood/USA Network; Trae Patton/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty; ABC

Meghan Markle had a whole Hollywood career before marrying Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and joining the British royal family. The average person's knowledge of her acting résumé typically extends as far as her seven-year stint on *Suits*, but her path to that role included numerous stepping-stone gigs, from being a briefcase model on* Deal or No Deal* to making guest appearances on procedurals like *CSI: NY* and *Castle*.

Though her past performances reportedly stirred some tensions in Kensington Palace, Markle has since stepped down from acting — along with her senior royal status — telling *Variety* in 2022, "I'm done. I guess never say never, but my intention is to absolutely not."

While she may have given up on scripted roles, Markle hasn't completely left entertainment behind: She narrated the 2020 Disney documentary *Elephant* and produces and stars on her Netflix reality docuseries, *With Love, Meghan*.

In honor of the Duchess' birthday on Aug. 4, here's a look at the roles she took on screen.**

Jill, General Hospital (2002)

Meghan Markle as Nurse Jill on 'General Hospital'.

While still a student at Northwestern University, Markle landed her first acting credit in a 2002 episode of *General Hospital — *appearing as Jill, a nurse with few lines while mostly blending into the background. —*James Mercadante*

Natalie, A Lot Like Love (2005)

Meghan Markle as Natalie and Ashton Kutcher as Oliver Martin in 'A Lot Like Love'. Touchstone

Meghan Markle's first feature film credit was in the rom-com *A Lot Like Love*. Playing a plane passenger from L.A., she shares a brief, somewhat flirty exchange with the guy across the aisle, Jeeter (Kal Penn), while seated next to his business partner, Oliver Martin (Ashton Kutcher).

Despite her character introducing herself as Natalie, Markle was credited simply as "Hot Girl."

Veronica Perez, CSI: NY (2006)

Meghan Markle as Veronica Perez in a season 3 episode of 'CSI: NY'. NBC

A stint on *Law & Order* or *CSI: Crime Scene Investigation *is practically an initiation ritual for most rookie actors, and Markle was one of them. Early in her career, she popped up in a season 3 episode of *CSI: NY* ("Murder Sings the Blues") as Veronica Perez, a young maid who does her housekeeping in lingerie.

When her former client — wealthy playboy Grant Jordan (Marsh Mokhtari) — is murdered, Veronica is investigated by the authorities and reveals the unrequited obsession that had her secretly planning their wedding before he fired her.

Markle made enough of an impression to return to the *CSI*-verse years later, appearing on *CSI: Miami* as Officer Leah Montoya, who heroically runs into a burning building to save a child.

Briefcase model, Deal or No Deal (2006–2007)

Meghan Markle as a briefcase model on 'Deal or No Deal'. NBC

During *Deal or No Deal*'s second season, the future duchess was a "Briefcase Beauty." Though a small footnote in Markle's career, she now recalls the experience with discomfort.

"I would end up leaving with this pit in my stomach knowing that I was so much more than what was being objectified on the stage," she shared during a 2022 episode of her *Archetypes With Meghan* podcast. "I didn't like feeling forced to be all looks and little substance. And that's how it felt for me at the time: being reduced to this specific archetype."**

Wendy, 90210 (2008)

Meghan Markle as Wendy and Dustin Milligan as Ethan Ward in the first season of '90210'. The CW

Markle appears as Wendy in the 2008 pilot of the CW's *90210 *reboot*, *which is memorable — especially for those looking for any scandal to attach to the future royal — for a scene in which her character performs oral sex for high school playboy Ethan Ward (a pre–*Schitt's Creek* Dustin Milligan) in a parked car on school grounds.

Amy Jessup, Fringe (2009)

Meghan Markle as Amy Jessup in a season 2 episode of 'Fringe'.

Liane Hentscher/Fox

Markle pops up in the first two episodes of *Fringe*'s second season as junior FBI agent Amy Jessup, who briefly joins the Fringe Division while investigating an unexplainable NYC crash. The duchess' short-lived stint ends with her character poring over Fringe case files and drawing parallels to events in the Bible.

Meghan, The League (2009)

Mark Duplass as Pete Eckhart and Meghan Markle as Meghan in a season 1 episode of 'The League'. FX

Shortly after Pete Eckhart (Mark Duplass) separates from his wife, Meegan (Leslie Bibb), he goes to a bar and meets Meghan (Markle) — a fellow divorcée, though she doesn't like to use that term. The two hit it off after Pete buys her a drink, bonding over their mutual disdain for magic and talking all night, regardless of her sharing the same name as his soon-to-be-ex.

The cast of 'Suits:' Where are they now?

The best episodes of 'Suits,' from seasons 1 to 9

Megan, Remember Me (2010)

(From left to right): Tate Ellington as Aidan, Meghan Markle as Megan, and Robert Pattinson as Tyler Hawkins in 'Remember Me'.

Summit Entertainment

In the 2010 drama *Remember Me*, NYU student Tyler Hawkins (Robert Pattinson) is dragged by his best friend/roommate, Aidan (Tate Ellington), to the bar for his birthday. There, they are served drinks by a bartender named Megan (Markle, this time without the "H").

After Aidan attempts to hit on her, the duchess delivers her one line with venom: "Do. Not. Speak!"

Jamie, Horrible Bosses (2011)

Meghan Markle as Jamie in 'Horrible Bosses'. Warner Bros.

In Seth Gordon's *Horrible Bosses*, Markle has a quick spot as a FedEx delivery woman named Jamie, whom** **Kurt Buckman (Jason Sudeikis) — the arrogant account manager at Pellitt and Son — mistakenly assumes to be part of a prank scheme, commenting that she's "way too cute to be a FedEx girl."

Amy Peterson, When Sparks Fly (2014)

Christopher Jacot as Hank Lyons and Meghan Markle as Amy Peterson in 'When Sparks Fly'. Everett Collection

In 2014, Markle starred in a Hallmark Original movie titled *When Sparks Fly, *where she plays* *Amy Peterson — a big-city journalist sent back to her charming hometown to write a Fourth of July feature about her parents' (Keith MacKechnie and Jacqueline Samuda) fireworks business.

But Amy's assignment takes a back seat when she's roped into being the wedding planner for her best friend (Kristina Pesic) — and is flummoxed to see that the groom is her "one that got away" (Christopher Jacot).

Charlotte Boyd, Castle (2012)

Meghan Markle as Charlotte Boyd in a season 4 episode of 'Castle'. ABC

In *Castle*'s Disney princess-themed episode ("Once Upon a Crime"), Markle plays Charlotte Boyd, who — dressed in a Sleeping Beauty costume — is initially found drugged and unconscious, presumed to be a victim.

However, Charlotte is later revealed to be the culprit of three murders — making sure two of her victims wore the same costumes they had at the fairy-tale rave they attended years earlier.

Mindy, Random Encounters (2013)

Meghan Markle as Mindy in 'Random Encounters'.

Gravitas Ventures

Markle stars in this low-budget, straight-to-streaming rom-com as Mindy, an eligible social butterfly who coaches her best friend, Laura (Abby Wathen), through the many twists and turns of dating in the City of Angels. The film premiered in 2013 but got a timely rerelease (and a title change to *A Random Encounter*) in the U.K. in 2018 — just two weeks before Markle's royal wedding. —*J.M.*

Kirsten, Anti-Social (2015)

Meghan Markle as Kirsten in 'Anti-Social'. One Media

In *Anti-Social*, Markle plays Kirsten, an American model working in London where she meets a street artist named Dee (Gregg Sulkin), whose brother (Josh Myers) is in a gang of jewel thieves.

"She's a very good actress — very, very professional and really well-trained," the film's director Reg Traviss told PEOPLE in 2017. "She can definitely lead a film — be it in an independent film like I work in or a Hollywood film — there's no two ways about that."

Cass, Dater's Handbook (2016)

Meghan Markle as Cass and Kristoffer Polaha as Robert in 'Dater's Handbook'.

Liane Hentscher/Hallmark Channel/Courtesy Everett

Markle leads this Hallmark Original as Cass, a successful businessperson hoping to break her streak of bad romantic choices with the help of the titular dating manual. But when Cass finds herself torn between two suitors (Kristoffer Polaha and Jonathan Scarfe), she has to learn that real love doesn't follow a checklist. —*J.M.*

Rachel Zane, Suits (2011–2018)

Meghan Markle as Rachel Zane and Patrick J. Adams as Mike Ross on 'Suits'. Shane Mahood/USA Network

Markle rose to mainstream fame thanks to her *Suits* role as Rachel Zane, a driven paralegal at Pearson Specter Litt determined to make a name for herself beyond her powerful lawyer father, Richard Zane (Wendell Pierce). Around the time Markle married into the royal family, her character's journey wrapped in season 7 with a bittersweet sendoff — marrying Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams) and moving to Seattle — while the USA Network procedural continued for two more seasons and reached new audiences when hitting Netflix in 2023.

"I'm not surprised that people are rediscovering *Suits, *because it was so well written and so well produced," the duchess told PEOPLE in March 2025. "It's a time capsule for me. I still have the pencil skirt from the first episode! That's the one thing I kept."**

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