Susanna Thompson will be playing the regal Queen Rose Benjamin on NBC's drama "Kings."

Thompson is best known for her work as Karen Sammler on the award-winning television drama "Once & Again." Thompson was recently in the commercial narrative film "American Pastime" alongside Gary Cole, and in 2005, she was nominated for the Golden Star Award at Marrakech International Film Festival for her performance opposite Daniel Day Lewis in "The Ballad of Jack & Rose." Thompson has appeared in such feature films as "Dragonfly" (as Kevin Costner's late wife), "Ghosts of Mississippi" with Alec Baldwin, and "When a Man Loves a Woman" (with Meg Ryan and Andy Garcia).

Thompson has several primetime guest appearances ranging from NBC's hit series "Law & Order: SVU," "Chicago Hope," "The X-Files," and a special two-hour "Star Trek: Voyager" as the Borg queen. In 2007, she starred in the cable miniseries "The Gathering" with Peter Fonda, and has held a recurring role on the past several seasons of "NCIS" opposite Mark Harmon.

Thompson earned a drama scholarship to San Diego State University, where she had the unique honor of appearing in theater productions under the co-direction of Tony Award-winning playwright Tom Stoppard. Thompson now resides in California with her husband.