Crist grew up in Marin County, California, and she graduated from the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television. Crist got her first on-screen role in 1995, when she was cast as Gail in the comedy TV series Living Single. Crist got her first major recurring role in 2003, when she was first cast as Dana for four episodes of the comedy-drama series Six Feet Under. Since then, Crist has appeared in TV shows such as Code Black, Clubhouse, House, NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles, Dark Skies, The Mentalist, Grey’s Anatomy, The Jane Austen Book Club, Bones, The Night Shift, Cold Case, and Criminal Minds.