Heather Burns

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title: "Heather Burns" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["living-people", "american-film-actresses", "american-soap-opera-actresses", "american-television-actresses", "tisch-school-of-the-arts-alumni", "20th-century-american-actresses", "21st-century-american-actresses", "evanston-township-high-school-alumni", "year-of-birth-missing-(living-people)"] description: "American actress" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heather_Burns" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American actress ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox person"]

Field	Value
image	Heather Burns The Best You Can-58 (cropped).jpg
caption	Burns at the 2025 Tribeca Festival
name	Heather Burns
birth_date
occupation	Film, television actress
years_active	1993–present
spouse	Ajay Naidu
children	1
::

| image = Heather Burns The Best You Can-58 (cropped).jpg | caption = Burns at the 2025 Tribeca Festival | name = Heather Burns | birth_date = | birth_place = | occupation = Film, television actress | years_active = 1993–present | spouse = Ajay Naidu | children = 1

Heather Burns is an American actress. She is known for playing the best friend role in a string of successful romantic comedies such as You've Got Mail (1998), Miss Congeniality (2000), Two Weeks Notice (2002), and Bewitched (2005).

Career

Burns has appeared in a number of films with Sandra Bullock, including Miss Congeniality (2000), Two Weeks Notice (2002) and Miss Congeniality 2: Armed & Fabulous (2005). She also starred in the film What's Your Number? (2011) and she held a series regular role opposite Zach Galifianakis in the HBO series Bored to Death and played Trish in the Amazon webseries Sneaky Pete (2017).

In 2020, she appeared as a guest star in the Netflix series The Politician, for which she received praise for her performance. In 2024 she acted in the off Broadway revival of the Kenneth Lonergan play Hold On to Me Darling opposite Adam Driver. Christopher Barnard of Vogue praised her performance describing her as having "sharklike cunning and steadiness".

Personal life

Burns is married to actor Ajay Naidu.

Filmography

Film

::data[format=table]

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1998	You've Got Mail	Christina Plutzker
2000	You Are Here*	Lydia
2000	Miss Congeniality	Cheryl Frasier, Miss Rhode Island
2002	Two Weeks Notice	Meryl Brooks
2003	Kill the Poor	Scarlet
2005	Perception	Ramona
2005	Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous	Cheryl Frasier, Miss United States
2005	Bewitched	Nina
2005	Brooklyn Lobster	Kerry Miller
2006	**	Jules
2007	Watching the Detectives	Denise
2008	Choke	Internet Date / Gwen
2009	Breaking Upwards	Hannah
2010	Ashes	Jasmine
2010	Weakness	Julia
2011	Valley of the Sun	Betsy
2011	What's Your Number?	Eileen
2012	**	Erin
2016	Manchester by the Sea	Jill
2016	Brave New Jersey	Lorraine Davison
::

Television

::data[format=table]

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1996–1997	One Life to Live	Herrick #1	TV series
1998	Law & Order	Lana Madison	Episode: "Carrier"
1999	Chicks	Darcy	TV film
1999	Nearly Yours	Olivia Hammersmith	TV series
2000	**	Beatrice Felsen	Episodes: "The Beat Goes On", "They Say It's Your Birthday"
2000	**	Joanne Sacker	Episode: "Rebound"
2001	**	Joanne Sacker	Episodes: "Turf Wars", "Past Performance", "Junk Bonds", "Framed"
2003	With You in Spirit	Emily Burke	TV film
2006	Law & Order: Criminal Intent	Claire Quinn	Episode: "Dollhouse"
2006–2007	Twenty Good Years	Stella	Main role
2008	Puppy Love	Ricki	TV series
2009	**	Bridget Demopolis	Episodes: "Crime Slut", "42", "The Circle Line"
2009–2011	Bored to Death	Leah	Main role
2013	Save Me	Jenna Derring	TV series
2013	Elementary	Chloe Butler	Episode: "Internal Audit"
2014	Blue Bloods	Sister Mary	Episode: "Burning Bridges"
2017	Friends from College	Anka Wexler	Episode: "Second Wedding"
2017, 2019, 2020	Blindspot	Kathy Gustafson aka Electra	4 episodes
2018	Sneaky Pete	Trish	Episodes: "Maggie", "Buffalo Soldiers"
2020	The Politician	Mary Moskowitz McCutcheon	Episode: "Hail Mary"
2021	The Good Fight	Toni Hedger	Episode: "Once There Was A Court"
2022	Julia	Claire Foster	Episode: "Crepes Suzette"
::

Theater

::data[format=table]

Year	Title	Role	Playwright	Venue	Ref.
2001	Lobby Hero	Dawn	Kenneth Lonergan	Playwrights Horizons, John Houseman Theater
2003	This Is Our Youth	Jessica Goldman	Kenneth Lonergan	Garrick Theatre, West End
2003	Writer's Block	Jenny	Woody Allen	Atlantic Theater Company
2005	Fran's Bed	Vicky	James Lapine	Playwrights Horizons
2008	The Marriage of Bette and Boo	Emily	Christopher Durang	Roundabout Theater Company
2010	Middletown	Mary Swanson	Will Eno	Vineyard Theatre
2012	Medieval Play	Catherine of Sienna	Kenneth Lonergan	Signature Theatre Company
2014	Dinner with Friends	Beth	Donald Margulies	Roundabout Theater Company
2017	The Kid Stays in the Picture	Young Robert Evans, Mia Farrow, Ali MacGraw, Ensemble	Simon McBurney	Royal Court
2018	Peace for Mary Frances	Helen	Lily Thorne	The New Group
2022	Epiphany	Kelly	Brian Watkins	Lincoln Center Theater
2024	Hold On to Me Darling	Nancy	Kenneth Lonergan	Lucille Lortel Theater, Off-broadway
::

References

References

1. "Blu-ray review: 'Bored to Death: The Complete Third Season'".
2. "'Sneaky Pete' Season 2: Here's Why Sara Tomko Looks So Familiar".
3. "The Politician Recap: Operation Spicy Lube".
4. "The Politician Season 2 Review: A Disappointing Second Term".
5. "Hold on to Me Darling review: Adam Driver hits all the right notes".
6. "Hold On to Me Darling, Reviewed: So Lonesome He Could Cry".
7. Daniel Maurer.[http://newyorkmetro.com/movies/filmfestivals/tribeca/12212/ "Tribeca: The Party Report"] {{webarchive. link. (July 20, 2012 .''[[Metro New York]]''. April 26, 2006. Retrieved August 5, 2006.)

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