CHARLENE Hyatt, daughter of Jamaican actor Charles Hyatt, stars in the movie Left to Die, which premieres Sunday on Lifetime Television.

Hyatt plays United States Congresswoman, Rep Corrine Brown. Left To Die is based on the true story about the life of American Sandra Chase, who is played by veteran Hollywood actress Barbara Hershey.

Chase accompanies a friend to Ecuador for vacation but is arrested at the airport in the capital, Quito. She is subsequently imprisoned for drug trafficking.

This is where Hyatt’s character comes in. Brown is part of the team fighting for Chase’s release.

Since her role in Left To Die, Hyatt has appeared on CSI and a new show on Fox called The Mindy Project.

“I’m not sure when they’ll air but it was a blast to work on. I continue to audition for work and wait for the next gig,” Hyatt told the Jamaica Observer.

For Hyatt, acting comes naturally.

“I didn’t choose it, it chose me. Or, more truthfully put, I was chosen for it,” she said.

Born in the United Kingdom, Hyatt immigrated to the United States with her mother Vera when she was 10 years old. Living in Maryland and Washington, DC, she studied acting at Howard University then New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.

Her credits include parts in the HBO series, The Wire, Spike TV’s The Kill Point, The West Wing and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.

She has also appeared in ER, 24, Law & Order, Six Feet Under, The Big Bang Theory, Oz, Criminal Minds, Joan of Arcadia, Dexter, and Glee.

She says her parents have had a strong influence on her career. Vera Hyatt is a retired museum curator while Charles Hyatt starred in the classic Jamaican plays Smile Orange and Ole Story Time.

He died in 2007.

“Being born into a family submerged in art gave me the support to embrace this world without society’s disapproval. I’ve met many people along the way who had the passion for the arts but were so discouraged by family,” she said.