Catherine's big breakthrough role came in 2002 as L.A.P.D. Officer Danielle "Danny" Sofer on the FX hit drama The Shield. She has made guest appearances on some TV shows, such as on The Pretender, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, The Sopranos, Frasier, Judging Amy, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Without A Trace, and Grey's Anatomy.

Catherine is a graduate of the North Carolina School of the Arts. Her father, Fred Dent, is a Louisiana politician who once ran for governor. She is married and has one child.