Merrin Melissa 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, Malcolm in the Middle, and Summerland. Dungey also appeared as Ursula on Once Upon a Time, and starred in the legal drama Conviction. Most recently, she appeared on the medical drama The Resident, and costars in the 2019 legal drama The Fix.
Dungey was born and raised in Sacramento, California, the younger daughter of Don Dungey, a general services manager and Judith Dungey. 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. After high school, Dungey earned a degree of Bachelor of Arts from UCLA in 1993. Dungey has one sister, Channing Dungey, who was named president of ABC Entertainment in February 2016.