Marsha Thomason is an actress you may not have heard of, but will certainly recognize. The thespian, who has starred in a variety of films and television shows has worked with James Franco in “General Hospital,” Eddie Griffin in “My Baby’s Daddy,” James Caan in NBC’s “Las Vegas” and she can also be seen in several episodes of the hit television show “Lost.”

Despite being one of the most stunning and talented young women in Hollywood, Thomason lacks the name recognition of less accomplished peers. But for the actress who studied theater at the Oldham Theatre Workshop in the U.K., the fact that she has eluded fame is no big deal.

“At the level I am,” she says, “people know who I am, but they are not necessarily intrigued by my personal life, so luckily, I am able to do what I do and go about my business. There are actors who are very successful and open box offices, and the press is interested in them, but because they don’t give them anything, they can go about their lives,” continues Thomason who started acting at a very young age.  “This is all I ever wanted to do, and if I’m put in a position where I am opening movies, which will create an intrigue into more of my life, then I just have to deal with it and suck it up for it’s what I asked for. People are very gracious for the most part. They tell me they appreciate my work, and I am pretty much able to get about with it.”

In ”Lost”, the television series created by J.J. Abrams, Thomason played the mysterious Naomi Dorrit, and was a huge fan of the show prior to joining the cast.

“I started watching it from the first episode because my friend Dominic Monaghan (Charlie Pace) was in it, so I became a fan from the very beginning. I auditioned a few times for a few different roles and they kept bringing me back and eventually I got the role of Naomi.  Being on the show and arriving on the island of Hawaii to shoot was a very cool moment and I enjoyed it very much.”

Born in Manchester, England to a Jamaican mother and a British father, Thomason
was first introduced to U.S. audiences when she starred opposite Martin Lawrence in the movie “Black Knight.”

“I was cast out of England for that movie and came to the States by invitation. It was a big budget movie and was my first American movie, and I had never done anything like that before. Martin’s a real character and he made me laugh a lot. It was a really wonderful experience.”

The success of the movie ensured more roles for the actress who has been honing her acting chops professionally since she was 14 years old.

“Acting is difficult. It’s very competitive and you have to be in it to win. It’s not for the faint hearted. When I started doing it, I didn’t think of anything else other than acting,” she says. “There were a lot of people around me from theater workshops, who were succeeding in theater and film, and I just couldn’t think of anything I wanted to do more as I really enjoy performing and acting was a burning desire.”

In the television series “White Collar,” about a white-collar criminal-turned-FBI consultant, Thomason plays a tough-talking lesbian FBI agent called Diana Barrigan.

“I play this ball-breaking agent who doesn’t take any shit. She’s really great at her job, and each week there’s a different crime which I help solve,” says the actress who is fiercely protective about her acting choices, preferring quality over quantity. “I am definitely sensitive to the exploitation of women, I play a Lesbian on the show. If a piece of great material came in front of me, and it happened to involve some kind of nudity it won’t be a no for me. I look for good writing, great character and an engaging story. If there’s a talent attached that I admire then that’s always an incentive,” says Thomason, who was in the pilot episode of the show.  She returned for the first season finale in December last year and will appear on the series full time in the second season.

“It’s [White Collar] got heart. It’s funny and intelligent and is not your average procedural series for there is a bit more to it. It just arrived in England, and everybody there thinks it’s really good. My family is really enjoying it.”

Now based in Los Angeles with husband Craig Sykes, Thomason who got hitched last April still travels to Manchester faithfully each year to visit family and cites traveling as one of her favorite hobbies. “I traveled for a month around Europe and we recently went to Thailand for a month and it was incredible,” she says.  “It’s one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to and I loved it.”

For “White Collar,” Thomason who initially perfected an American accent for her role opposite Eddie Murphy in “Haunted Mansion,” had very little physical and mental preparation for her return to the television show.

“It all turned around very quickly so I didn’t have time to prepare. The other day I had to shoot a gun and I felt like Angelina Jolie, so I guess my preparation has been watching other movies,” jokes the actress. “I want to be able to play all kinds of roles and previously worked with Jessica Drake, the dialect coach, which was fantastic as I was able to keep the tools that she gave me on that job and use them from that point on.”

“White Collar” Season 2 premieres July 13 at 9 p.m. on USA Network.