Allison Christin Mack (born July 29, 1982) is an American former actress. She played Chloe Sullivan on the superhero series Smallville (2001–2011) and had a recurring role on the comedy series Wilfred (2012–2014).
Mack was born on July 29, 1982, in Preetz, West Germany, to American parents Jonathan Mack, an opera singer, and Mindy Mack, a schoolteacher and bookkeeper.[2][3] Her parents were in West Germany at the time of her birth because Jonathan was performing there; they lived in West Germany for two years before moving to the United States.[4]
Career
Early work
Mack's first job was for a German chocolate company in a series of print ads and commercials.[4] She went into modeling for a short period[5] and studied at the Young Actors Space in Los Angeles at age seven.[2]
In October 2001, Mack began starring as Chloe Sullivan (an original character created for the show), one of Clark Kent's best friends in the WB/CW television series Smallville. Mack earned several awards and nominations for her portrayal of Chloe, including the Teen Choice Award for Best Sidekick in 2006 and 2007.[6][7] She appeared as a series regular for nine seasons and returned as an intermittent main cast member in the tenth and final season, including the two-part series finale. From 2003 to 2006, Mack's character appeared in her own miniseriesSmallville: Chloe Chronicles and Smallville: Vengeance Chronicles. In 2008, Mack made her directorial debut in Smallville season 8 episode "Power".[8]
In March 2012, Mack was cast in a recurring role in the second season of the FX sitcom Wilfred. She played Amanda, the love interest of Elijah Wood's lead character Ryan. Mack returned to Wilfred for one episode of the fourth and final season.[11] In 2014, Mack guest-starred as a policewoman named Hilary in an episode of the Fox thriller The Following. On March 21, 2015, she tweeted that she would be appearing in American Odyssey as Julia, who befriends Suzanne, the daughter of Anna Friel's lead character Sgt. Odelle Ballard.[12]
Involvement with NXIVM and fallout
Beginning in 2006, Mack was a member of NXIVM, an organization founded by Keith Raniere and headquartered in Albany, New York. Throughout its existence, advocates of NXIVM characterized it as a benign multi-level marketing company selling professional and personal development courses, while critics described it as a cult.[13][14]
NXIVM and DOS
Mack joined NXIVM after attending a two-day introduction to "Jness", a women's group within NXIVM, eventually becoming a high-ranking member of the organization.[15][16] Mack was co-creator of "The Source", a NXIVM program that recruited actors.[17][18] She was also a member of "Simply Human", an a cappella NXIVM singing group,[19] and the emcee of "A Capella Innovations", a multi-day festival. Hosted by NXIVM in 2007 and 2008, the events were billed as a university singing showcase and were alleged to be "a front to draw impressionable undergrads into NXIVM."[20][18]
United States v. Keith Raniere prosecution exhibit depicting DOS first-line masters
In 2015, Raniere created a secret subgroup within NXIVM called "Dominus Obsequious Sororium" (DOS), of which Mack was allegedly second-in-command.[21][22] DOS was structured as a pyramid group with Raniere at the top (and the only man in DOS) with subordinates including Mack and others as Raniere's first-line DOS masters.[17][23] DOS was ostensibly built around female empowerment but mainly provided a means to traffic women for Raniere's gratification.[18] According to prosecutors, Mack and others recruited women by telling them they were joining a women-only organization that would empower them, with Raniere's status as the leader of DOS concealed from new recruits. As a pre-condition for joining DOS, women were required to provide "collateral", which included nude photographs, damaging information about family and friends, and rights to their assets. Recruits were told their collateral could be released if they left DOS or told anyone about DOS's existence.[17] Recruits were also controlled in several other ways, including requirements to seek permission, physical isolation, forced participation in "readiness drills", sleep deprivation, extremely restrictive diets, and being subject to corporal punishment.[24][25]
Mack reportedly recruited four women into DOS, including India Oxenberg, daughter of actress Catherine Oxenberg.[18] As directed by Raniere, Mack and others required their recruits to be branded with a symbol representing Raniere's initials, with the branding ritual following a script created by Raniere.[26] Mack's recruits were unaware the brand was Raniere's initials and said that Mack told them the brand was a symbol of the elements: air, earth, fire and water.[27][28] Former NXIVM member Sarah Edmondson stated in a 2017 New York Times exposé and a 2018 A&E special on cults details about DOS that she had been branded in an initiation ceremony at Mack's house.[29][30] In a New York Times interview, Mack claimed that the human branding was her idea.[31][21]
Arrest and conviction
The indictment of Mack and other NXIVM members
On April 20, 2018, Mack was arrested by the FBI in Brooklyn on charges of sex trafficking, sex trafficking conspiracy and forced labor conspiracy.[32][33] The federal indictment accused Mack of "recruiting women to join what was purported to be a female mentorship group that was, in fact, created and led by Keith Raniere."[34][17] Mack was one of the "top members of a highly organized scheme which was designed to provide sex to [Raniere]."[35] Prosecutors accused Mack of concealing Raniere’s status as the leader of DOS as she coaxed recruits to provide highly damaging personal information, nude photos and rights to personal assets.[17] After Mack recruited women to join DOS, "under the guise of female empowerment, she starved women until they fit [Raniere’s] sexual feminine ideal."[35] Mack directly or implicitly required her recruits to engage in sexual activity with Raniere.[36][37] In exchange, Mack received financial and other benefits from Raniere.[38][17]
Under the original indictment, Mack faced a minimum of 15 years to life in prison if found guilty.[43][44] In March 2019, it was revealed in court that Mack and the other defendants in the case were in "active plea negotiations" as Raniere appeared in court to plead not guilty to additional child pornography charges related to the case.[45]
According to a filing by the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Mack sat down for proffer sessions to assist the government in the prosecution of Raniere starting in April 2019. Mack detailed the inner workings of DOS. "Mack also provided details regarding crimes committed by other first-line DOS masters, including assignments to seduce Raniere and efforts to find Raniere a virgin successor. Mack detailed Raniere's role in devising assignments for Mack's slaves, including, among other things, Raniere's repeated requests for nude photographs from Mack's DOS slaves; Raniere's instructions regarding the seduction assignment; and Raniere's encouragement of the use of demeaning and derogatory language, including racial slurs, to humiliate DOS slaves." Mack provided information to the government about Clare Bronfman's attempts to harass and threaten DOS victims. Mack also provided a recording in which Raniere detailed how he wanted the branding ceremony conducted.[46]
On April 8, 2019, Mack pleaded guilty to racketeering and racketeering conspiracy and admitted to state law extortion and forced labor.[47][48] In June 2019, Raniere was found guilty on all charges and was sentenced to 120 years in October 2020.[49][50] The COVID-19 pandemic in the United States delayed court proceedings, including the sentencings of Mack and other NXIVM defendants. In 2021, prosecutors began the process of sentencing Mack. Under advisory sentencing guidelines, Mack faced 14 to 17.5 years behind bars.[51] The U.S. Attorney credited Mack with providing "detailed and highly corroborated information" and advocated for favourable sentencing for Mack.[52]
Days before the sentencing, Mack released a statement in which she repudiated Raniere, saying that her involvement with NXIVM was "the biggest mistake and greatest regret of [her] life" and expressed remorse in regard to those affected. In addition to the letter, her attorneys asked for no jail time in consideration for Mack's remorse and her cooperation with Raniere's prosecution.[53]
On June 30, 2021, Mack was sentenced to three years in prison and three years of probation, 1,000 hours of community service and a fine of $20,000.[54][55][56] On September 13, 2021, Mack reported to Federal Correctional Institution, Dublin, in Dublin, California to begin her prison sentence.[57] She was released early on July 3, 2023, after serving 1 year, 9 months, and 20 days of a 3-year sentence.[58]
Civil lawsuit
In January 2020, Mack, Raniere, Clyne and other NXIVM individuals were named as defendants in a civil lawsuit filed in federal court by 80 former NXIVM members. The lawsuit details allegations of fraud and abuse and charges of being a pyramid scheme, exploitation of its recruits, conducting illegal human experiments, and making it "physically and psychologically difficult, and in some cases impossible, to leave the coercive community."[13][59]
Mack had a long-term relationship with Canadian actor Chad Krowchuk during the 2000s[61] when she was residing in Vancouver, British Columbia, where Smallville was produced.
In February 2017, Mack married Canadian actress Nicki Clyne, a fellow NXIVM member.[62] The marriage was alleged to have been a sham to get Clyne around U.S. immigration laws.[42]India Oxenberg, a witness at Mack and Clyne's wedding ceremony, later confirmed the marriage was fake and orchestrated by Raniere to keep Clyne in the United States.[63] In December 2020, Mack filed for divorce from Clyne.[63][64] Mack and Clyne were both sexual partners with NXIVM founder Keith Raniere.[65]
It was reported in 2020 that Mack had attended classes at UC Berkeley.[66]
^Freedman, Michael (October 13, 2003). "Cult of Personality". Forbes. New York. Archived from the original on January 20, 2021. Retrieved November 11, 2017.
^ abcd"Allison Mack (visual voices guide)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved November 17, 2023. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
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