Actresses of Color that have played queer characters
Here are some actresses of color that have played queer characters on TV, movies, etc. This also includes voice actresses.
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- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Viola Davis is a critically revered actress of film, television, and theater and has won rave reviews for her multitude of substantial and intriguingly diverse roles. Audiences across the United States and internationally have admired her for her work- including her celebrated, Oscar-nominated performances in The Help (2011), Doubt (2008), and her Oscar winning performance in Fences (2016). In 2015, Davis won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series for her work in ABC's How To Get Away With Murder, making her the first black woman in history to take home the award. In addition to acting, Viola currently produces alongside her husband and producing partner, Julius Tennon, through their JuVee Productions banner. Together they have produced award-garnering productions across theater, television, and film.Annalise Keating - "Hot to Get Away With Murder"- Actress
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Sherri Saum was born on 1 October 1974 in Dayton, Ohio, USA. She is an actress and director, known for Sunset Beach (1997), Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2001) and Finding Home (2003).Lena Adams-Foster - "The Fosters"- Actress
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Tracie Thoms has had wide-ranging success in film, television and theatre throughout her busy career.
Tracie's currently a series regular opposite Oscar winner Octavia Spencer on the Apple series, Truth Be Told, while at the same time recurring on Fox's 9-1-1 and ABC's Station 19.
Tracie realized a long-held dream when she starred as 'Joanne' in the final weeks of the historic Broadway run of the iconic musical, Rent. She played the same key role in Sony's film of Rent opposite Rosario Dawson and Idina Menzel. She was seen opposite Bruce Willis and Joseph Gordon-Levitt in Rian Johnson's Looper, and with Denzel Washington in Safe House. She starred with Kurt Russell in Quentin Tarantino's Grindhouse: Death Proof and opposite Anne Hathaway in David Frankel's The Devil Wears Prada. She was featured in Columbia's remake of Annie with Jamie Foxx and Quvenzhané Wallis. She's also been featured in dozens of indie films throughout her career.
Tracie starred on Broadway most recently in the acclaimed production of James Lapine's Falsettos. She also starred opposite Dulé Hill and Mekhi Phifer in Stick Fly, and opposite Alfre Woodard in Drowning Crow. She starred Off-Broadway in Working at Encores! Off-Center, with Oscar nominee John Hawkes in the world premiere of David Auburn's Lost Lake at Manhattan Theatre Club, and she was a lead in the acclaimed The Exonerated at The Culture Project. She's been featured in The 24 Hour Plays, The 24 Hour Musicals, and 10 Things To Do Before I Die at New York's Second Stage.
Tracie was a series regular for six years on CBS' Cold Case. She starred for Fox in Wonderfalls and recurred on Hulu's The First, WGN's Gone, Lifetime's UnREAL, Netflix's Love and NBC's Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector. She's guest starred on Veep, Person of Interest, Suits, The Shield, The Good Wife, The Mindy Project, Criminal Minds, The Affair, The Good Doctor, Grey's Anatomy, Mad About You, Run, Curb Your Enthusiasm and NCIS: Los Angeles.
Tracie began studying acting in her hometown of Baltimore at age 9. She attended high school at the prestigious Baltimore School for the Arts. Later, she received a bachelor of fine arts degree from Howard University and a graduate degree in acting from New York City's renowned Juilliard School.Joanne Jefferson - "RENT"- Actress
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Shay Mitchell (born Shannon Ashley Mitchell; April 10, 1987) is a Canadian actress, model, entrepreneur and author. She rose to prominence starring as Emily Fields in the Freeform series Pretty Little Liars (2010) (2010-2017).
She was born in Mississauga, Ontario, the daughter of Precious Garcia and Mark Mitchell. Her parents work in finance. Her father is of Scottish and Irish descent and her mother, a Filipina, is from the province of Pampanga, and left the Philippines at age 19. She has one younger brother named Sean. She is a first cousin-once-removed of Lea Salonga, singer and Tony Award-winning theater actress well known for originating the lead role of Kim in the musical Miss Saigon. Even as a young child, Mitchell was interested in performing arts, declaring to her parents that she would pursue such a career. Mitchell began dance lessons at the age of five, and she and several of her classmates toured the city to compete with a variety of other dance schools. At the age of 10, Mitchell's family moved to West Vancouver, British Columbia. Within a year of their arrival, an international modeling agency held an open casting call for teen and pre-teen girls who were vying for representation. Mitchell was one of the girls selected.
She attended Rockridge Secondary School and then later transferred to West Vancouver Secondary School where she graduated. She got the nickname Shay because she's a big fan of Jennifer Lopez aka J. Lo, so her friends called her "Shay Lo". By her late teens, Mitchell had successfully modeled for a variety of companies in cities as varied as Bangkok, Hong Kong and Barcelona, but she later returned to Toronto to study acting. After signing with her first theatrical agency Mitchell appeared in the Canadian teen drama series Degrassi: The Next Generation (2001) and booked several national commercials. Mitchell guest starred in the Global series Rookie Blue and appeared in the music video for "Hold My Hand" by Jamaican rapper Sean Paul. In 2010, Mitchell appeared in a four-episode arc on the Disney XD series Aaron Stone as cheerleader Irina Webber. In December 2009, Mitchell was cast in the ABC Family (now Freeform) planned adaptation of the book series Pretty Little Liars. Initially, Mitchell auditioned for the role of Spencer Hastings. In January 2010, the series was picked up by ABC Family. The series centers on four friends up against an anonymous foe who threatens to reveal all their secrets whilst unraveling the mystery of the murder of their best friend. Mitchell portrays the role of Emily Fields, the "jock girl" of the group. The program gained quick popularity despite mixed critical reviews. The show ran for seven seasons and the series finale aired June 27, 2017.
In January 2011, Mitchell signed a contract with Procter & Gamble to be the spokesperson for the Pantene Nature Fusion shampoo line. Subsequent endorsements include American Eagle, Nike and Biore. In August 2017, Mitchell was cast in a starring role on the upcoming Lifetime television series You, in the role of socialite Peach Salinger. In September 2017, she was cast in the lead role in the ABC television pilot, The Heiresses (2018), adapted from the book with the same name from Sara Shepard and created by I. Marlene King. Mitchell co-authored the young adult novel Bliss with Michaela Blaney (2015). She also hosts her own YouTube lifestyle channel. In 2017, Mitchell started a production company Amore & Vita Inc. with manager David Dean Portelli and has already signed a contract with Warner Bros. Television Group. Mitchell supported Somaly Mam Foundation, a non-profit organization that fought sex trafficking until it ended operations in 2014. She has also worked with The Trevor Project alongside the Pretty Little Liars cast and the NOH8 Campaign. She works with the WE Charity, which helps communities develop educational resources, and she partnered with Represent Clothing to promote tees where half the proceeds went to GLAAD.Emily Fields - "Pretty Little Liars"- Actress
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Bianca Lawson was born on 20 March 1979 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Save the Last Dance (2001), The Feast of All Saints (2001) and Rogue (2013).Maya St. Germain - "Pretty Little Liars"- Actress
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Sara Ramirez was born in Mazatlán, Mexico, on August 31, 1975, and moved to the United States at 7 after their parents' divorce. Sara is a graduate of The Juillard School (1997). Ramirez made their Broadway debut in the Paul Simon musical The Capeman (1998) before winning a Tony Award for their portrayal of the Lady of the Lake in the 2005 production of Spamalot.
Ramirez appeared as Dr. Callie Torres in 239 episodes of the ABC hit Grey's Anatomy, and has gained acclaim for their role as Che Diaz in the Sex and the City reboot, "And Just Like That..."
In addition to their acting career, Sara is a singer/songwriter and activist in support of LGBT rights. They are a member of the True Colors United board of directors and the San Diego, New York, and San Francisco LGBT Centers. In 2015, they were awarded the Ally for Equality Award by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation.Callie Torres - "Grey's Anatomy"- Actress
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- Camera and Electrical Department
Jennifer Beals is an internationally renowned actress who has over 90 credits to her name, including critically acclaimed feature films and some of the highest rated television series to date. Beals is currently executive producing and returning as a lead cast member in the revival of her hit original series THE L WORD: GENERATION Q. The highly anticipated series will launch in December 2019 on Showtime. The ground-breaking lesbian-focused drama THE L WORD originally aired for six seasons. For her performance as Bette Porter, Beals received the prestigious GLAAD Golden Gate Award, as well as two NAACP Image Award nominations and a Satellite Award nomination. In 2012, Beals was presented with the Human Rights Campaign's Ally for Equality Award for her support of the LGBT community. Additionally, Beals and The L Word's Ilene Chaiken are set to executive produce the Freeform series "The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo," an adaption for Taylor Jenkins Reid's acclaimed novel.
Beals and filmmaker Tom Jacobson created the concept for the new novel, The Hive. The book is a gripping thriller set in the near future that focuses on escalating mob violence that ensues from online shaming and internet bullying. Released in September 2019, the novel was named one of People Magazine's 'Best Books of Fall 2019.'
Throughout her accomplished film career, Beals has worked with many of the industry's most acclaimed filmmakers and talent. She co-starred alongside Denzel Washington and Gary Oldman in the blockbuster THE BOOK OF ELI and starred opposite Garry Marshall, Faye Dunaway and Brendan Fraser in TWILIGHT OF THE GOLDS, for which she won a Golden Satellite Award. Beals was featured among an all-star cast including Dustin Hoffman, Gene Hackman and Rachel Weisz in the crime thriller RUNAWAY JURY. She also starred in THE MADONNA AND THE DRAGON from legendary film director Samuel Fuller. More recently, Beals co-starred in the feature film MANHATTAN NIGHT, opposite Adrien Brody and Campbell Scott, as well as AFTER, the film adaption of Anna Todd's series of bestselling young adult novels alongside Josephine Langford and Hero Fiennes Tiffin.
On the television side, Beals recurred in the Amazon series THE LAST TYCOON, receiving critical acclaim for her performance as Hollywood starlet Margo Taft. Los Angeles Magazine proclaimed "Beals stole every scene she's in as a ball-busting, piece-of-work Joan Crawford goddess with a very American secret" and Indiewire named her "the shows biggest stand out." Beals was also seen as the female lead in TAKEN, NBC's straight-to-series adaptation of the hit movie franchise, and co-starred in the Warner Bros TV/DC series SWAMP THING, released in May 2019. Beals starred in the TV movie A WIFE'S NIGHTMARE, for which she received a Canadian Screen Award nomination. Notable television credits include TNT's PROOF, NBC's medical drama THE NIGHT SHIFT and the FOX series THE CHICAGO CODE alongside Jason Clarke.
For her role in the iconic film FLASHDANCE, Beals earned a Golden Globe nomination and an NAACP Image Award for Best Actress. Beals starred in A HOUSE DIVIDED, for which she was nominated for a Satellite Award. Some of her acclaimed independent film projects include IN THE SOUP opposite Steve Buscemi, which won The Grand Jury Prize for Best Dramatic film at the Sundance Film Festival, and CINEMANOVELS which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. Beals extensive credits include films such as RODGER DODGER, MRS. PARKER AND THE VICIOUS CIRCLE, FOUR ROOMS, BEFORE I FALL and DEVIL IN A BLUE DRESS, which earned her another NAACP Image Award nomination. Beals received the Maverick Tribute Award at the Cinequest San Jose Film Festival in 1999.
In addition to her work on-camera, the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group recently named Beals a 'C40 Goodwill Ambassador.' Beals' partnership with C40 will help raise awareness about the bold climate action underway in leading cities driving forward solutions to the climate crisis worldwide. Through her ambassador role, she will support and amplify the voices of inspiring young climate activists in raising awareness of the current climate emergency. Additionally, Beals will also play a leading role in C40's Women4Climate Initiative, helping to celebrate the incredible leadership being delivered by women around the world in climate action.
Originally from Chicago, Beals attended Yale University, where she graduated with honors.Bette Porter - "The L Word"- Actress
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Sheetal Sheth is an acclaimed actress, author, and producer, known for her provocative performances in a wide range of memorable roles on film and television. Sheetal burst onto the scene with raves in the groundbreaking films, 'ABCD' and Slamdance winner, 'American Chai.' She broke out and won hearts in 'Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World' opposite Albert Brooks, as the female lead, Maya, winning the role after an extensive international casting search.
Raised in a small New Jersey city, she discovered her passion for acting in high school and subsequently enrolled in the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. After supplementing her education with a summer in Amsterdam as part of the intensive, International Theatre Workshop studying under renowned acting teachers like Kristin Linklater, she graduated with honors.
Sheetal has become a favorite in the independent film world. She won 3 Best Actress nods on the festival circuit for 'The World Unseen,' 1 for her role in 'Wings of Hope,' and most recently for 'Grin,' which she also produced. In 2012, fans voted her 'Favorite Movie Actress' in AfterEllen's Visibility Awards. To date, she has starred in over 20 feature films and has earned a loyal, international following.
Sheth began her career at a time when few South Asians were making their living as actors. Despite being told she'd have to change her name to work, her successful career has trail-blazed paths for other women of color across media. Sheth supports marginalized communities not only through her own pioneering work as an actor, but by also appearing at workshops and panels and speaking directly to issues facing those communities. Sheetal has represented brands such as Reebok and CHI hair care and has appeared on the cover of magazines including Anokhi, Audrey, Woman International, and Seema. She is known as an outspoken advocate and has delivered talks and keynotes at festivals and charity galas. She's had op-eds published on CNN and Thrive Global. She served in President Clinton's AmeriCorps and is currently on the advisory board of Equality Now and an ambassador for CA First Partner, Jennifer Newsom's The Representation Project. Her extensive background in working with kids led her into the world of children's literature and her first children's book, Always Anjali was published in 2018 to wide acclaim. It won the 2019 Purple Dragonfly Storybook Grand Prize (voted on by teachers and librarians) and is set to be a series.Leyla - "I Can't Think Straight"
Amina - "A World Unseen"- Actress
Lisa Ray was finishing high school in Canada with aspirations of majoring in Journalism at University when a celebrated fashion magazine approached her to model for them, and she ended up on the cover. This catapulted her into a state of instant celebrity. Her high-profile career got her noticed by Indian filmmakers, but she refused many offers until the offbeat _Kasoor (2000)_, which received a considerable amount of attention. Indian-Canadian director Deepa Mehta then cast her as the lead in the lighthearted romantic comedy Bollywood/Hollywood (2002), which went on to be a huge success in Canada. She subsequently moved to London to study acting and concentrate on a serious career in the performing arts. After graduating from drama school she was reunited with Deepa Mehta in the critically lauded Water (2005). She has since carved out a challenging variety of characterizations- everything from a farm girl to a femme fatale- which is a testament to her adaptability and desire for challenge.Tala - "I Can't Think Straight"
Miriam - "A World Unseen"- Actress
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Adepero Oduye hails from Brooklyn, New York City by way of Nigeria. She is a graduate of Cornell University; and has studied acting with Wynn Handman, Austin Pendleton, and Susan Batson. Her name is pronounced "Add-eh-pair-o Oh-due-yay."
Her theatre credits include Danai Gurira's play Eclipsed, at the Yale Repertory Theatre; The Bluest Eye, at the Hartford Stage and Long Wharf Theatres; and Fela!, in the AEA workshop, directed and choreographed by Bill T. Jones.
Ms. Oduye first starred for writer/director Dee Rees as Alike in the award-winning short film Pariah. Among the other shorts that she has starred in are Gabriele Zamparini's Water; Russell Costanzo's The Tested; and Nadiah Hamzah's Sub Rosa.
She has made guest appearances on such television programs as Louie and two Law & Order series.Alike - "Pariah"- Actress
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Aduba began earning recognition for her work in 2003, with a performance in "Translations of Xhosa" at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts that won her a Helen Hayes Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Play. Her Broadway debut was in 2007 as Toby in "Coram Boy". She was a member of the Original Revival Cast of "Godspell" at the Circle in the Square Theatre from 2011 through 2012. She also played the mother of the title character of "Venice" at The Public Theater in New York.
Her first television appearance was on the TV Series "Blue Bloods" in 2012. In 2013 she began to receive wider recognition and acclaim for her portrayal of Suzanne Warren, also known as "Crazy Eyes", in the Netflix series Orange Is the New Black (2013).Suzanne Warren - "Orange Is The New Black"- Actress
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Samira Wiley was born on 15 April 1987 in Washington, District of Columbia, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Orange Is the New Black (2013), The Sitter (2011) and The Handmaid's Tale (2017). She has been married to Lauren Morelli since 25 March 2017.Poussey Washington - "Orange Is The New Black"- Actress
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Kimiko Elizabeth Glenn was born and raised in Phoenix, AZ, where she grew up with her sister Amanda, and parents Mark and Sumiko. She started doing theater when she was ten years old at Valley Youth Theatre and there, began developing her love for performing.
Halfway through her freshman year of college at the Boston Conservatory, she was cast in the 1st National Tour of Spring Awakening. After touring for two years, she finally settled her life in New York.
Since then, she starred as the title role in La Jolla Playhouse's "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots", directed by Des McAnuff; and played the bratty Princess Ssu-Ming in the Playhouse's production of "The Nightingale", directed by Moisés Kaufman. She was honored to perform at the Delacorte Theater for Shakespeare in the Park, in The Public's "Love's Labour's Lost", directed by Alex Timbers. She had a blast originating the role of Emily in the Off-Broadway production of Julianne Moore's Freckleface Strawberry and is proud of the many exciting projects she has been a part of. Favorites include: Behind the Painting written by Maltby & Shire; Plop, written by Bare's Damon Intrabartolo; Yeast Nation from the creators of Urintetown at the NY Fringe festival '11; Crossing Over as part of the National Asian Artists' Project; and the staged reading of Cheer Wars -- her very first New York job.
Kimiko has also appeared in feature films Construction (2021); Nous York (2012); and Hair Brained (2013) starring Brendan Fraser & Parker Posey; and the movie-musical short, Galaxy Comics, by director Kevin McMullin. You may have seen her in the 2011 Disney/ABC Diversity Showcase directed by Ted Sluberski and Joe Ward. She was thrilled to shoot NBCUniversal's half-hour comedy pilot Holding Patterns; and will be joining the cast of Orange Is the New Black (2013), a Netflix series, as Brook Soso.Brook Soso - "Orange Is The New Black"- Actress
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Diane Guerrero (born July 21, 1986) is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Maritza Ramos on the Netflix series Orange Is the New Black and Lina on Jane the Virgin. Among her other roles was a recurring role on Are We There Yet? Guerrero grew up in Boston and remained there after the rest of her family was deported to Colombia. She is an advocate for immigration reform. Her role on Orange Is the New Black has twice contributed to wins for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series.
Guerrero was born in New Jersey to Colombian parents and raised in Boston, Massachusetts. As the only member of her immediate family with United States citizenship (by virtue of being born in the country), she remained in the U.S. when her parents and older brother were deported back to Colombia when she was 14. Her parents had pursued legal citizenship, but had been fraudulently represented. Guerrero's niece, who also grew up without a strong family support system, later served time in jail.
Guerrero was raised in the Jamaica Plain and Roxbury neighborhoods of Boston after being taken in by other Colombian families. She has had an interest in acting since a young age and took advantage of free opportunities in the neighborhood or at school. Then she attended Boston Arts Academy, a performing arts high school, where she was in the music department. Among her high school activities was singing with a jazz group, but she anticipated pursuing political science and communications in college. In 2010, she appeared in the Faces music video that was shot in Norwood, Massachusetts for Louie Bello. Her first job after college was in a law office. At age 24, she decided to pursue a career in acting. In 2011, she moved to New York City and studied acting at the Susan Batson Studios where she met her manager Josh Taylor. Guerrero's life experience compels her to advocate for immigration reform and is an influence that she draws upon in her acting.
She auditioned for a role on Devious Maids, but was cast in Orange is the New Black, where she plays a Bronx-bred character that is Colombian. For season 2, she was part of the cast that earned recognition for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series at the 21st Screen Actors Guild Awards. The cast earned recognition for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series again at the 22nd Screen Actors Guild Awards. She has had a recurring role on Are We There Yet?.
In 2014, she appeared in Emoticon ;), a comedy about a May-December romance in which her character's father is involved with a doctoral candidate. Her performance in this film as Amanda ("Mandy") Nevins, an adopted teenage child, elicited positive criticism such as a description of a "well-drawn smaller moment" that was "beautifully rendered" according to Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter and a performance that "command sympathy" according to Inkoo Kang of the Los Angeles Times.
One of her upcoming roles is as an 1800s Cuban confederate spy, loosely based on the life of Loreta Janeta Velazquez, for Peter and John. She was cast in The CW's series Jane the Virgin in a recurring role. In February 2015, Guerrero was cast as the female lead in CBS' television pilot for Super Clyde, but the show was not picked up for series when CBS announced its fall schedule in May. Guerrero has upcoming film roles in Happy Yummy Chicken, Beyond Control and The Godmother.
In 2016, Guerrero released In the Country We Love: My Family Divided a memoir about her parents being detained and deported when she was fourteen. The book's written with Michelle Burford and published by Henry Holt and Co.Maritza Ramos - "Orange Is The New Black"- Actress
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Jamie Chung was born and raised in California, the daughter of Korean parents. She studied Economics at the University of California, Riverside. Chung's break came in 2004, when she was working in a sports bar. MTV held auditions for The Real World (1992) there, she tried out, and was successful, appearing in the San Diego based fourteenth season.
Chung went on to successfully launched an acting career, making her debut with a small part in Veronica Mars (2004). Roles in other TV series followed, including Days of Our Lives (1965) and Greek (2007). She also transitioned into feature films with such projects as Sorority Row (2009), Sucker Punch (2011) and The Hangover Part II (2011).Mulan - "Once Upon a Time"- Actress
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Sonja Sohn was born on 9 May 1964 in Fort Benning, Georgia, USA. She is an actress and director, known for Slam (1998), The Wire (2002) and Bringing Out the Dead (1999). She was previously married to Adam Plack.Kima Greggs - "The Wire"- Actress
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Serayah was born on 20 June 1995 in Encinitas, California, USA. She is an actress, known for Empire (2015), Takeover and The Sound of Christmas (2022).Tiana - "Empire"- Actress
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Michelle is well known around the world from her early work as a regular cast member on the Australian show "Neighbours" and the hit teen shows "The Tribe" and "Underemployed".
Emmy-nominated for her role of Alex in "Fear the Walking Dead; Flight 462", she won "Best Actress in A Feature Film" at the New Zealand Film and Television Awards 2011 for "My Wedding and Other Secrets" and was nominated for a Logie for her role in "Neighbours".
Her film work has screened in many festivals and won awards including those at Sundance, Cannes and Berlin.
She has worked with Oscar-winning director Jane Campion on BBC mini-series Top of the Lake, Jodie Foster, John Hillcoat and Steven Soderbergh.
Most recently she can be seen in Jordan Peele's Twilight Zone on CBS All Access where she plays a Chinese national marine biologist Dr Ling Hai in "8".Sophia Swanson - "Underemployed"- Actress
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Angel Wainwright got her first break on "The Wire", and continues to do theater, film and television internationally. She has worked in New York, Los Angeles, England UK and Prague. She is best known for her role in "The Unit" as Betsy Blane and Nurse Regina on General Hospital.Laura - "Underemployed"- Actress
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Vanessa Morgan was born on 23 March 1992 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. She is an actress, known for Riverdale (2017), The Latest Buzz (2007) and My Babysitter's a Vampire (2010). She has been married to Michael Kopech since 4 January 2020. They have one child.Bird Castro - "Finding Carter"- Actress
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Kelsey Asbille Chow is the oldest of three siblings, a younger brother and younger sister. At a young age she studied dance, and grew to love performing. School plays led to community theater, then she was member of the Hammond Select Ensemble, which she has performed with in Italy and other places. She has a recurring role in "One Tree Hill (2003)", also co-stars Matisse Burrows in the Disney movie "Den Brother (2010)". She is perhaps best known for her role as Mikayla in Disney XD's popular TV show "Pair of Kings (2010)".Sonya - "Girls Like Girls" (Music video)- Actress
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Seychelle Gabriel is from Burbank, CA and has been acting professionally for over a decade. She began doing background work when she was a child and moved into principle roles towards her later high school years, after performing in the Frank Miller film, The Spirit. She has since then performed in a handful of feature films, in regular roles on television shows such as TNT's Falling Skies and lending her voice in The Legend of Korra, and in recurring roles on shows such as Weeds, Revenge, and Sleepy Hollow. She has attended a semester at London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts, and is also a singer and musician.Asami Sato - "Legend of Korra" (Animation)- Actress
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Deedee Magno was born on 2 April 1975 in Portsmouth, Virginia, USA. She is an actress and cinematographer, known for Steven Universe (2013), Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (1993) and Steven Universe: Attack the Light! (2015). She has been married to Cliffton Hall since 27 April 2003. They have two children.Pearl - "Steven Universe" (Animation)- Actress
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Erica Luttrell was born on 20 March 1982 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She is an actress, known for Westworld (2016), Salvation (2017) and David Makes Man (2019).Sapphire - "Steven Universe" (Animation}- Actress
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Californian Charlyne Yi has many strings to their bow as an actor, comedian, writer, musician and artist. They grew up in the Inland Empire in California. After attending the University of California, Riverside, they left and began a career as a comedian. Their innovative routine includes jokes, music, magic and crowd participation.
They made their movie debut with a supporting turn in the hit Knocked Up (2007). In 2009, they wrote, produced and starred in Paper Heart (2009), alongside Michael Cera. In 2011, they landed the role of Dr. Chi Park in the popular series "House". In 2015 they made their first appearance in "Steven Universe" as Ruby, and since then has made several more throughout the show.
Yi also has a musical career. They performed in a band called 'The Glass Beef' with Paul Rust, and now performs as a SOLO artist and in the band 'Sacred Destinies'. They also sings in the hit cartoon "Steven Universe".Ruby - "Steven Universe" (Animation)- Actress
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Michelle Krusiec is an award winning Taiwanese American director, writer and actor whose lengthy career has proven to be a versatile and influential presence in the industry. Michelle writes and directs in genre, weaving in personal narrative and comedy. She's an alumnae of the AFI Directing Workshop for Women. Her work has screened at top genre, Canadian and US Academy Qualifying festivals: Fantasia, Beyondfest, Brussels Fantastic, Calgary, Palm Springs, Hawaii FF, LAAPFF, among many others.
Michelle's short film NIAN was commissioned for Hulu's Bite Size Halloween. Nian's awards include Best Midnight Short at Palm Springs, Mark Braunstein Maverick Nomination at Woodstock, Young Audience Award at Court Metranges, Honorable Mention at Female Eye. Michelle is attached to write and direct NIAN as a feature for Worthen/Brooks formerly 20th Digital Studio.
Krusiec's work as an actress and advocate for API causes has been honored by The White House, State of California and Museum of Chinese America.Wil Pang - "Saving Face"- Actress
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At the age of five, Lynn Chen began singing on the stage of The Metropolitan Opera House. She has been performing ever since. Her feature film debut was in Sony Pictures Classics' Saving Face, a role that won her the title of "Outstanding Newcomer" at the 2006 AXAwards. She has been a fixture on the film festival circuit -- including Sundance, Toronto, Tribeca, and SXSW. In 2017, she won "Best Actor" at the NBC Shorts Fest and a talent holding deal with the network.
Lynn was featured in Variety's 2020 "Power of Women" Issue for her directorial debut I WIll Make You Mine, which she also wrote, produced, and starred in. The movie has a 100% Rotten Tomato Rating and was an Official Selection of the 2020 SXSW Film Festival.
Lynn has produced, directed, and hosted non-scripted content for outlets like BuzzFeed, Tastemade, Hello Giggles, and ISATV that have seen over 40 million views. She founded the blogs/podcasts "The Actor's Diet" and "Thick Dumpling Skin" (the first site dedicated to Asian-Americans and eating disorders). She has been featured on NPR, Cosmopolitan, and Marie Claire Magazine and has been a speaker at various colleges (Stanford, Dartmouth, Wellesley), conferences (WonderCon), and festivals (Disneyland California Adventure Food & Wine) for her acting work and body image activism. Lynn has been an Ambassador for The National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) and Miry's List. She has also written for LA Weekly, Filmmaker Magazine, and cupcakes & cashmere.Vivian Shing - "Saving Face"- Music Artist
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Ester Renay Dean is an American Singer, Actress and Grammy Award Nominated Songwriter.
Born in Muskogee, Oklahoma, and raised in Tulsa, Ester is the youngest of five children and was raised in a single mother, low-income household. At a young age she learned how to channel her pain into music, using creative writing as a kind of self-therapy. When she was 15 her mother moved Ester and her sister Deandria to Omaha, Nebraska, leaving her older siblings in Tulsa. The separation made Ester again dig deeper for a connection, drawing her closer to the music. Singing in every studio, writing for local Omaha rappers and producers, Ester unknowingly grass-rooted herself and learned the ins and outs of music production.
At 20 yrs old, Ester made a bold move. She packed her bags and left Omaha with only $500 in her pocket and drove 18 hours alone to Atlanta, Georgia determined to break into the music industry. She sang for anyone who would listen. As fate would have it, Ester sat alone backstage at a Charlie Wilson concert, humming a tune to herself. When music producer Tricky Stewart happened by and heard her, he immediately set up a meeting. Caught unawares by Ester's talent, he was blown away when she played him some samples of not only her singing, but also of her excellent songs. He signed her to a small publishing deal that allowed the fledgling artist to grow and connect with other known writers and producers.
Ester broke into the big leagues when she collaborated with Norwegian record producers, Stargate and major label recording artist, Rihanna to write and record Ester's first #1 hit song "Rude Boy". Going on to write "What's My Name", "Where Have You Been" and several other Rihanna hits, Katie Perry's "Firework" and Nicki Minaj's "Superbass", as well many, many other hits by a Who's Who of contemporary popular artists has earned her the well-deserved nickname, "Ester Dean the Song Machine".
Modern popular songs are often a collaborative effort by a songwriting team, with each member responsible for a different aspect of the song, such as the initial beat, chord structure, lyrics, etc. Ester Dean has established a reputation as a master of the top line or "hook" of a song. Her preferred method is to go into the vocal booth and start improvising over top of the beat, knowing she is onto something when she starts to feel "a little chill" go up her arms.
Esters goals and dreams did not stop there. In 2012 Esther set out to conquer the voice-over world, lending her voice to the hugely popular Blue Sky Studios, Ice Age Franchise, in Continental Drift. As well as in the CG animated Fox film, Rio.
In addition voice-over work, Esther has also contributed to movie soundtracks. When she was approached to write the end title song, Let it Grow for the movie The Lorax, Ester somehow managed to write and deliver the song within five hours of receiving the request. Impressing all with her amazing work ethic, Ester was eventually asked to audition for a small role in an upcoming movie about an all-girl a capella group. She jumped at the chance and landed the role of Cynthia Rose in the hit movie Pitch Perfect, going on to co-star in Pitch Perfect 2 and 3.
"Entertaining is what I love to do. From writing fun songs to make you dance. To singing a love song to make you fall in love. Being silly on the TV screen to make you laugh. To delivering a great line of dialog in a drama to make you cry. My life is all about connecting with people. Hoping to make the world feel like we are all one beating heart if only for second".......Ester DeanCynthia Rose - "Pitch Perfect 1 & 2"- Valarie Rae Miller was born on 16 April 1974 in Fort Worth, Texas, USA. She is an actress, known for Crank (2006), Dark Angel (2000) and La La Land (2016).Cynthia McEachin - "Dark Angel"
- Freema Agyeman is a British actress who is known for playing Martha Jones in the BBC science fiction series Doctor Who (2007-2010), Alesha Phillips in crime procedural drama Law & Order: UK (2009-2011), Amanita Caplan in the Netflix science fiction drama Sense8 (2015-2018), and Dr. Helen Sharpe in the NBC medical procedural series New Amsterdam (2018-2022).Amanita - "Sense8"