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IMDbPro

Tenaya Cleveland

  • Actress
  • Producer
  • Writer
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Tenaya Cleveland
There are moments when love has... No Words.  

Teaser for the short film written and directed by Tenaya Cleveland and starring Rebecca Larsen and Tenaya Cleveland.
Play trailer0:34
No Words (2009)
3 Videos
45 Photos
Tenaya Cleveland is an American-born actress and producer. She was born in Hawaii, grew up in California, and has pursued her career from Los Angeles, Atlanta and San Francisco. As a child, she sang in the Malcolm X Jazz Chorus (led by pianist Dick Whittington), alongside greats such as Bobby Hutcherson, Mary Stallings and Richie Cole. At 10, she made her public acting debut as "The Kid" in the play "Bleacher Bums."

After years of acting in theater and small independent films, Cleveland landed a regular background gig on HBO's acclaimed Six Feet Under (2001). This turned into an opportunity to audition for (and land) a speaking role on a season 3 episode, directed by Kathy Bates. After being told that she'd been passed over for a chance at a larger role because of another director's bias toward casting background actors, she quit background acting and committed herself to only booking speaking roles.

Cleveland then started to focus on creating roles for herself by producing independent films. Her passion for the environment and independent filmmaking drew her to work behind the scenes on Josh Tickell's multi-award-winning documentary, Fuel (2008), which won the Audience Award at Sundance Film Festival.

In between shooting scenes for The 12 Lives of Sissy Carlyle (2017), she appeared in small roles on Drop Dead Diva (2009) and Necessary Roughness (2011). Ms. Cleveland was then cast by Tyler Perry in multiple episodes of The Haves and the Have Nots (2013). Her interaction with the show's devoted fans garnered her a small but loyal following, who lovingly dubbed her "Sleeping Beauty," in reaction a scene when her character sleeps through a whispered conversation between her husband and Amanda (played by Robert Pralgo and Jaclyn Betham).

Tenaya is a recurring co-star on The Resident (2018), has appeared on The Haunting of Hill House (2018), MacGyver (2016) and The Vampire Diaries (2009), and continues to pursue her acting and producing career from her Atlanta home base. She has authored articles on acting and independent filmmaking, and served on panels for various film festivals (including the Atlanta Film Festival, where she has been a regular attendee since 2012).
  • More at IMDbPro
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Photos45

Tenaya Cleveland in The Haunting of Hill House
Tenaya Cleveland, Elizabeth Reaser and Michiel Huisman in The Haunting of Hill House
Tenaya Cleveland
Tenaya Cleveland and Lexi Rabe at event of Godzilla: King of the Monsters
Screen Grab of Tenaya Cleveland in The Vampire Diaries
Tenaya Cleveland
Tenaya Cleveland and Erica Frene in The First Lady
Tenaya Cleveland BTS on The First Lady
Tenaya Cleveland
Tenaya Cleveland
Tenaya Cleveland
Tenaya Cleveland at Atlanta Film Festival screening of Blindspotting

Known for

Matt Czuchry, Bruce Greenwood, Emily VanCamp, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Manish Dayal, and Anuja Joshi in The Resident (2018)
The Resident
7.8
TV Series
  • Paramedic Georgetta Chenault
Mckenna Grace, Lulu Wilson, Victoria Pedretti, Julian Hilliard, Paxton Singleton, and Violet McGraw in The Haunting of Hill House (2018)
The Haunting of Hill House
8.6
TV Mini Series
  • Rehab Coordinator
Ian Somerhalder, Paul Wesley, and Nina Dobrev in The Vampire Diaries (2009)
The Vampire Diaries
7.7
TV Series
  • Granola Instructor
Gillian Anderson, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Viola Davis in The First Lady (2022)
The First Lady
7.1
TV Series
  • Luncheon Guest 2

Credits

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IMDbPro

Actress

  • Olivia & the Peach
    • Post-production
    • Short
  • Gillian Anderson, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Viola Davis in The First Lady (2022)
    The First Lady
    • Luncheon Guest 2
    • TV Series
    • 2022
  • Matt Czuchry, Bruce Greenwood, Emily VanCamp, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Manish Dayal, and Anuja Joshi in The Resident (2018)
    The Resident
    • Paramedic Georgetta Chenault
    • TV Series
    • 2018–2021
  • Mckenna Grace, Lulu Wilson, Victoria Pedretti, Julian Hilliard, Paxton Singleton, and Violet McGraw in The Haunting of Hill House (2018)
    The Haunting of Hill House
    • Rehab Coordinator
    • TV Mini Series
    • 2018
  • Lucas Till in MacGyver (2016)
    MacGyver
    • Trauma Surgeon
    • TV Series
    • 2018
  • April Billingsley in The 12 Lives of Sissy Carlyle (2017)
    The 12 Lives of Sissy Carlyle
    • Rosemary Cross
    • 2017
  • Yolanda Robinson in The Detour (2016)
    The Detour
    • Driver
    • TV Series
    • 2016
  • Ian Somerhalder, Paul Wesley, and Nina Dobrev in The Vampire Diaries (2009)
    The Vampire Diaries
    • Granola Instructor
    • TV Series
    • 2015
  • Karen Beyer, Sheri Mann Stewart, and Tenaya Cleveland in Heart Land (2015)
    Heart Land
    • Robbi
    • Short
    • 2015
  • Brian Bremer and Leanna Adams in The Drunks (2015)
    The Drunks
    • Sandra
    • TV Series
    • 2015
  • Crystal Fox, Peter Parros, John Schneider, Gavin Houston, Angela Robinson, Renee Lawless, Tika Sumpter, Aaron O'Connell, and Tyler Lepley in The Haves and the Have Nots (2013)
    The Haves and the Have Nots
    • Professor Cannon's Wife
    • TV Series
    • 2014
  • John Stamos and Callie Thorne in Necessary Roughness (2011)
    Necessary Roughness
    • Doctor Osgood
    • TV Series
    • 2012
  • Brooke Elliott in Drop Dead Diva (2009)
    Drop Dead Diva
    • Tracy Surnow
    • TV Series
    • 2012
  • A Moment in Time
    • Jackie Lewis
    • Short
    • 2012
  • Maiden to Monster
    • Medusa
    • Short
    • 2012
  • Switchboard (2011)
    Switchboard
    • Lily the Receptionist
    • Short
    • 2011

Producer

  • Olivia & the Peach
    • executive producer
    • Post-production
    • Short
  • Karen Beyer, Sheri Mann Stewart, and Tenaya Cleveland in Heart Land (2015)
    Heart Land
    • producer
    • Short
    • 2015
  • Match (2009)
    Match
    • associate producer
    • 2009
  • No Words (2009)
    No Words
    • producer
    • Short
    • 2009
  • Hollywood and Vine (2008)
    Hollywood and Vine
    • producer
    • 2008

Writer

  • Olivia & the Peach
    • writer
    • Post-production
    • Short
  • No Words (2009)
    No Words
    • written by
    • Short
    • 2009

Videos3

Q&A w/ Actress Tenaya Cleveland
Demo Reel 2:23
Q&A w/ Actress Tenaya Cleveland
No Words
Trailer 0:34
No Words
HOLLYWOOD AND VINE
Trailer 2:58
HOLLYWOOD AND VINE

Personal details

Edit
  • Official sites
    • Facebook Fan Page
    • Instagram @tenaya.cleveland
  • Height
    • 5′ 5½″ (1.66 m)
  • Other works
    Los Angeles Stage: Sacred Fools Theater's Fast & Loose, I Wrote This, Serial Killers, Kookamonga Falls, and Dubya 2004, Acme's Day Players, No Shame Theater (regular appearances), and more.

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    In between acting jobs, she was a chauffeur for a limo company.

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