Marisa Christine Coughlan (/məˈrɪsə ˈkɔːflən/; born March 17, 1974) is an American actress and writer. Her first prominent role was a lead in Kevin Williamson's Teaching Mrs. Tingle (1999), followed by a role as Officer Ursula Hanson in the comedy Super Troopers (2001). She also had a recurring role as Melissa Hughes on the series Boston Legal.
Coughlan was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She graduated from Breck School, a small private school in Golden Valley, Minnesota. When she moved to Los Angeles with her father Daniel Merritt Coughlan, she enrolled at the University of Southern California. She studied abroad in Paris in 1995, and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in French in 1996.
Coughlan's first film appearance to gain mainstream attention was in Kevin Williamson's directorial debut Teaching Mrs. Tingle (1999), in which she co-starred alongside Katie Holmes and Helen Mirren. She was cast in the role after reportedly having been rejected for a role on Williamson's series Dawson's Creek. She followed this with a recurring role on the series Wasteland in 1999.