celebforum - Diane Neal

Diane Neal (born November 17, 1976 in Alexandria, Virginia) is an American actress widely known for her role as Casey Novak on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Before joining the main cast of Law and Order: SVU, Neal appeared in the Season Three episode "Ridicule" as high-powered female rapist Amelia Chase. She is a redhead.

Neal's family moved to Colorado when she was young, when her father Chris Neal was promoted to the position of federal attorney in Denver. Her mother Colleen is a math teacher. She has two older sisters, Leigh and Erin. Her older sister has all her degrees in Theatre. She attended college as a pre-medical major but dropped out to pursue a modeling career. Neal studied archaeology in Israel and Egypt. She was also a competitive ice skater at one point. Neal has been married to Marcus FitzGerald, an Irish former model and engineer born in Dublin in 1972, since July 9, 2005. FitzGerald and Neal were engaged two weeks after their first date. They were engaged for seven years before getting married. Diane is of Irish descent.

Spouse Marcus Fitzgerald (9 July 2005 - present)

Trade Mark Deep, husky voice

Auburn hair

Sporty attitude

Her smile

Trivia:
She studied acting in a six-week acting course at the Atlantic Acting School (part of the Atlantic Theater Company) in New York.

She was a competitive figure skater in high school.

She is a former model and started modeling around the world at age 18.

Before becoming A.D.A. Casey Novak on "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (1999), she had appeared on Season 3 Episode 10 ("Ridicule") of SVU, as a woman who had gang raped a male stripper with her female friends.

Engaged after only two weeks to her fiancé, Marcus Fitzgerald, an engineer and former model. The couple married on July 9, 2005, after a seven-year engagement.

Studied archaeology in Egypt and Israel in 1999 after quitting modeling.

Diane went to college at 16 years old. Diane had wanted to attend an Ivy League school, but because of her young age, her parents made her attend the same school as her older sister, in Hawaii.

The youngest of three daughters, Leigh, Erin and Diane. Her older sister has one of her many degrees in theater.

Her father is a U.S. federal attorney and her mother is a math professor.