Merrin Dungey (born August 6, 1971) is an American film and television actress, known for her roles on the television series The King of Queens, Alias and Summerland. She also appeared as Ursula on the ABC series Once Upon a Time.
Dungey was born and raised in Sacramento, California, the daughter of Don Dungey, a general services manager. As a child, she was active in ballet and dance as well as piano. Dungey was also an accomplished ice skater. Dungey graduated in 1989 from Rio Americano High School in Sacramento, California. She earned a degree of Bachelor of Arts from UCLA in 1993. Merrin Dungey has one sister, Channing Dungey, who is also deeply involved in the film industry. Channing Dungey has worked for various studios including Steven Seagal's Steamroller Productions, Warner Bros. Productions, and is currently Senior VP of Drama Development at ABC Entertainment.
Dungey had small roles in Hollywood films such as EDtv and Deep Impact and on television series such as Martin, before landing the role of Kelly Palmer on the CBS television series The King of Queens, on which she starred from 1999 to 2007. She appeared in every season in the series except for the 2002-2003 season.