In 1996, she appeared in episodes of Due South and Beverly Hills, 90210. In 1997 she made her movie debut in the film Vegas Vacation with Chevy Chase. She also had supporting roles in the films Scream 2, Friends'Til the End, Can't Hardly Wait, Jane Austen's Mafia and The Sex Monster. From 2000 to 2002, she starred in the Showtime drama series Resurrection Blvd.. In 2001, she played Bahraini Princess Meriam Al Khalifa in the made-for-TV movieThe Princess and the Marine. In 2003, she made guest appearances on episodes of Friends, ', ', Nip/Tuck and Charmed. Marisol's Charmed episode, "Chris-Crossed," was the show's 'highest-rated non-season-premiere episode'. In 2006, she appeared in six episodes of Cold Case and starred in the film Big Momma's House 2. She starred in the short-lived TV series Blind Justice in 2005 and In Justice, in 2006. In 2007, she starred in 24 as Special Agent Nadia Yassir. In 2008, she starred in the film Felon with Stephen Dorff. In 2010, Nichols portrayed Sarah Monahan in the short-lived supernaturalcrime dramaThe Gates, a summer series on ABC. She also was a guest star in an episode in 2010, as Tracy Keller, former partner and potential romantic interest for Special Agent G. Callen. Nichols' character appears in the. She also had a cameo in Kristin Chenoweth's music video for "I Want Somebody ". Nichols also portrayed "The Desert Wolf" on MTV's show Teen Wolf. In 2012, Nichols starred in the ABC TV series GCB, with Leslie Bibb, Kristin Chenoweth, Annie Potts, Jennifer Aspen and Miriam Shor. As of 2017, she stars as Hermione Lodge, the mother of Veronica Lodge, in Riverdale on The CW, loosely based on the Archie comic book series. On February 23, 2020, Nichols announced that she would be leaving Riverdale ahead of its fifth season, making season four her last on the show. However, in June 2020, Nichols revealed that after having a long talk with showrunner Sacasa, she would be staying on for season five.
Personal life
Circa 1997, Nichols became a member of the Church of Scientology after she was introduced to it by her chiropractor. On November 18, 1999, she married Andrea Sorrentino, whom she met in Italy while she was filming the movie My Father's Shoes. After that marriage ended, Nichols married cinematographer/director Taron Lexton on April 13, 2008. Their daughter Rain India Lexton was born September 30, 2008. Nichols resides in Los Angeles, California. In November 2018, Nichols filed for divorce.
