Sheryl Lee Ralph
Encyclopedia
Sheryl Lee Ralph is an American
actress
, singer, and activist.
, and Long Island, New York, Sheryl Lee Ralph was born in Waterbury, Connecticut
to an African American
father and a Jamaican mother. Sheryl attended Uniondale High School in Uniondale, NY. She starred in the High School musical Oklahoma!
and played Ado Annie. Sheryl graduated in 1972. In 1973, she was crowned Miss Black Teen-age New York. At 19, Ralph was the youngest female to ever graduate from Rutgers University. During her time at Rutgers she dated fellow student Jeffrey Kleinbaum. Also that year she was named as one of the top 10 college women in America by Glamour magazine. Initially she hoped to study medicine, but after dealing with cadavers in a premed class and winning a scholarship in a competition at the American College Theater Festival, she quit medicine for the performing arts. Many years later, she served as the commencement speaker at Rutgers for the Class of 2003. Ralph is married to Pennsylvania
State Senator Vincent Hughes
.
chart that same year. In 1988, she starred in the Disney movie Oliver & Company
providing the speaking voice of Rita. Her first film leading role came as Denzel Washington's wife in The Mighty Quinn. In 1992, she starred as Robert De Niro's mistress in Mistress. During the 1990s she also had roles in The Flintstones
, Deterrence
and Unconditional Love.
On television, she is known for playing Ginger St. James on It's a Living, Etienne Toussaint-Bouvier on Designing Women
, and later Dee Mitchell on Moesha
and the supervillainous Cheetah
in Justice League
and Justice League Unlimited
. Ralph produced Divas Simply Singing, which has become an important AIDS
fundraiser. In June 2000, Ralph sued The National Enquirer
for one million dollars over a piece they had written about her and her husband. She was voted one of TV's Favorite Moms for her portrayal of step mom Dee on the number-one rated television series Moesha
. She also appeared on the Showtime series, Barbershop
, as the popular, post-operative transsexual, Claire. Recently, Sheryl brought a new face to the sufferings of war in the NBC hit series ER
.
Ralph's 2002 project, Baby of the Family, concerns a young child
who is born with a caul
over her head; enabling her to see ghosts and the future. Ralph was also recently featured with son Etienne on MTV's My Super Sweet 16
and BET's Baldwin Hills
, as well as an episode of Clean House
that also featured her two children, Etienne and Ivy-Victoria aka "Coco" (named after Ralph's mother).
In July 2004, Ralph was inducted as an honorary member of Delta Sigma Theta
sorority at the 47th National Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada
. In May 2008, Ralph was awarded an honorary doctorate of humane letters from Tougaloo College
after giving the commencement address
.
On June 16, 2009 it was announced that Ralph would join the cast of the Broadway-bound musical The First Wives Club
as Elyse. She replaced Adriane Lenox
, who withdrew from the show due to health concerns.
Produced and arranged by Trevor Lawrence
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, singer, and activist.
Personal life
Raised between Mandeville, JamaicaMandeville, Jamaica
Mandeville is the capital and largest town in the parish of Manchester in the county of Middlesex, Jamaica. In 2005, the town had an estimated population of 50,000, and including the immediate suburbs within a radius of the total population is about 72,000. It is located on an inland plateau at an...
, and Long Island, New York, Sheryl Lee Ralph was born in Waterbury, Connecticut
Waterbury, Connecticut
Waterbury is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, on the Naugatuck River, 33 miles southwest of Hartford and 77 miles northeast of New York City...
to an African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
father and a Jamaican mother. Sheryl attended Uniondale High School in Uniondale, NY. She starred in the High School musical Oklahoma!
Oklahoma!
Oklahoma! is the first musical written by composer Richard Rodgers and librettist Oscar Hammerstein II. The musical is based on Lynn Riggs' 1931 play, Green Grow the Lilacs. Set in Oklahoma Territory outside the town of Claremore in 1906, it tells the story of cowboy Curly McLain and his romance...
and played Ado Annie. Sheryl graduated in 1972. In 1973, she was crowned Miss Black Teen-age New York. At 19, Ralph was the youngest female to ever graduate from Rutgers University. During her time at Rutgers she dated fellow student Jeffrey Kleinbaum. Also that year she was named as one of the top 10 college women in America by Glamour magazine. Initially she hoped to study medicine, but after dealing with cadavers in a premed class and winning a scholarship in a competition at the American College Theater Festival, she quit medicine for the performing arts. Many years later, she served as the commencement speaker at Rutgers for the Class of 2003. Ralph is married to Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
State Senator Vincent Hughes
Vincent Hughes
Vincent J. Hughes is a Democratic member of the Pennsylvania State Senate who has represented the 7th District since 1994. He was previously a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 1987 through 1994. He was elected Minority Caucus Chair in 2009...
.
Career
Ralph began her career on the stage and was nominated in 1982 for a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her role as Deena Jones in Dreamgirls. In 1984, Ralph released her only album In the Evening, in which the title track hit peaked at #6 on the BillboardBillboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
chart that same year. In 1988, she starred in the Disney movie Oliver & Company
Oliver & Company
Oliver & Company is a 1988 American animated film in which a homeless kitten named Oliver joins a gang of dogs to survive on the 1980s New York City streets. The film was produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and became the twenty-seventh animated feature released in the Walt Disney Animated...
providing the speaking voice of Rita. Her first film leading role came as Denzel Washington's wife in The Mighty Quinn. In 1992, she starred as Robert De Niro's mistress in Mistress. During the 1990s she also had roles in The Flintstones
The Flintstones
The Flintstones is an animated, prime-time American television sitcom that screened from September 30, 1960 to April 1, 1966, on ABC. Produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, The Flintstones was about a working class Stone Age man's life with his family and his next-door neighbor and best friend. It...
, Deterrence
Deterrence (film)
Deterrence is a 1999 French/American dramatic film written and directed by Rod Lurie, depicting fictional events about nuclear brinksmanship. It marks the feature directorial debut of Lurie, who was previously a film critic for the New York Daily News, Premiere Magazine, Entertainment Weekly and...
and Unconditional Love.
On television, she is known for playing Ginger St. James on It's a Living, Etienne Toussaint-Bouvier on Designing Women
Designing Women
Designing Women is an American television sitcom that centered on the working and personal lives of four Southern women and one man in an interior design firm in Atlanta, Georgia. It aired on the CBS television network from September 29, 1986 until May 24, 1993. The show was created by head writer...
, and later Dee Mitchell on Moesha
Moesha
Moesha is an American sitcom series that aired on the UPN network from January 23, 1996 to May 14, 2001. The series stars R&B singer Brandy Norwood as Moesha Mitchell, a high school student living with her family in the Leimert Park neighborhood of South Central Los Angeles.-Overview:The show...
and the supervillainous Cheetah
Cheetah (comics)
The Cheetah is a fictional character, a super-villainess appearing in DC Comics publications and related media. Popularly regarded as the archenemy of Wonder Woman, the Cheetah first appeared in 1943 in Wonder Woman #6 , written by Wonder Woman creator William Moulton Marston...
in Justice League
Justice League (TV series)
Justice League is an American animated television series about a team of superheroes which ran from 2001 to 2004 on Cartoon Network. The show was produced by Warner Bros. Animation. It is based on the Justice League of America and associated comic book characters published by DC Comics...
and Justice League Unlimited
Justice League Unlimited
Justice League Unlimited is an American animated television series that was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and aired on Cartoon Network. Featuring a wide array of superheroes from the DC Comics universe, and specifically based on the Justice League superhero team, it is a direct sequel to the...
. Ralph produced Divas Simply Singing, which has become an important AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
fundraiser. In June 2000, Ralph sued The National Enquirer
The National Enquirer
The National Enquirer is an American supermarket tabloid now published by American Media Inc . Founded in 1926, the tabloid has gone through a variety of changes over the years....
for one million dollars over a piece they had written about her and her husband. She was voted one of TV's Favorite Moms for her portrayal of step mom Dee on the number-one rated television series Moesha
Moesha
Moesha is an American sitcom series that aired on the UPN network from January 23, 1996 to May 14, 2001. The series stars R&B singer Brandy Norwood as Moesha Mitchell, a high school student living with her family in the Leimert Park neighborhood of South Central Los Angeles.-Overview:The show...
. She also appeared on the Showtime series, Barbershop
Barbershop: The Series
Barbershop: The Series is an American sitcom which made its debut on the Showtime cable network in August 2005. It is based upon the Mark Brown-created characters from the popular films Barbershop and Barbershop 2: Back in Business , and was developed for television by screenwriter John Ridley...
, as the popular, post-operative transsexual, Claire. Recently, Sheryl brought a new face to the sufferings of war in the NBC hit series ER
ER (TV series)
ER is an American medical drama television series created by novelist Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994 to April 2, 2009. It was produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Entertainment, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
.
Ralph's 2002 project, Baby of the Family, concerns a young child
Child
Biologically, a child is generally a human between the stages of birth and puberty. Some vernacular definitions of a child include the fetus, as being an unborn child. The legal definition of "child" generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger than the age of majority...
who is born with a caul
Caul
A caul is a thin, filmy membrane, the amnion, that can cover a newborn's head and face immediately after birth.-Obstetrics:A child "born with the caul" has a portion of the amniotic sac or membrane remaining on the head. There are two types of cauls. The most common caul is adhered to the head...
over her head; enabling her to see ghosts and the future. Ralph was also recently featured with son Etienne on MTV's My Super Sweet 16
My Super Sweet 16
My Super Sweet 16 is an MTV reality series documenting the lives of teenagers, usually in the United States, Canada and UK, who usually have wealthy parents that throw huge coming of age celebrations. Parties include the quinceañera , the sweet 16, and other birthdays including a My Super Sweet 21 ...
and BET's Baldwin Hills
Baldwin Hills (TV series)
Baldwin Hills is an American reality television series featuring African-American teenagers from the Baldwin Hills district in Los Angeles, California. The series aired on BET from July 2007 to March 2009.- Overview :...
, as well as an episode of Clean House
Clean House
Clean House is a home makeover and interior design television show, originally broadcast in 2003 which has aired 9 seasons of programs on the Style Network...
that also featured her two children, Etienne and Ivy-Victoria aka "Coco" (named after Ralph's mother).
In July 2004, Ralph was inducted as an honorary member of Delta Sigma Theta
Delta Sigma Theta
Delta Sigma Theta is a non-profit Greek-lettered sorority of college-educated women who perform public service and place emphasis on the African American community. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority was founded on January 13, 1913 by twenty-two collegiate women at Howard University...
sorority at the 47th National Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
. In May 2008, Ralph was awarded an honorary doctorate of humane letters from Tougaloo College
Tougaloo College
Tougaloo College is a private, co-educational, liberal arts institution of higher education founded in 1869, in Madison County, north of Jackson, Mississippi, USA.Academically, Tougaloo College has received high ranks in recent years...
after giving the commencement address
Commencement speech
A commencement speech or commencement address is a speech given to graduating students, generally at a university, although the term is also used for secondary education institutions. The "commencement" is a ceremony in which degrees or diplomas are conferred upon graduating students...
.
On June 16, 2009 it was announced that Ralph would join the cast of the Broadway-bound musical The First Wives Club
The First Wives Club
The First Wives Club is a 1996 comedy film, based on the best-selling 1992 novel of the same name by Olivia Goldsmith. Narrated by Diane Keaton, it stars Keaton, Goldie Hawn, and Bette Midler as three divorced women who seek revenge on their husbands who left them for younger women...
as Elyse. She replaced Adriane Lenox
Adriane Lenox
Adriane Lenox is an American stage and film actress whose performance in the play Doubt: A Parable garnered her the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play in 2005. She also appeared as Hattie in the Broadway revival of Kiss Me, Kate and had a role in the 2009 film The Blind Side, as Denise...
, who withdrew from the show due to health concerns.
Filmography
- A Piece of the ActionA Piece of the Action (film)A Piece of the Action is a 1977 comedy crime film starring Sidney Poitier and Bill Cosby. Poitier also directed the film. This was the third film pairing of Poitier and Cosby following Uptown Saturday Night and Let's Do It Again, and Poiter's last acting role for more than 10 years, as he focused...
(1977) - Oliver & CompanyOliver & CompanyOliver & Company is a 1988 American animated film in which a homeless kitten named Oliver joins a gang of dogs to survive on the 1980s New York City streets. The film was produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and became the twenty-seventh animated feature released in the Walt Disney Animated...
(1988) (voice) - The Mighty Quinn (1989)
- The Distinguished GentlemanThe Distinguished GentlemanThe Distinguished Gentleman is a comedy starring Eddie Murphy. The film was directed by Jonathan Lynn. In addition to Murphy, the film stars Lane Smith, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Joe Don Baker, Victoria Rowell, Grant Shaud, Kevin McCarthy, Charles S...
(1992) - Sister Act 2: Back in the HabitSister Act 2: Back in the HabitSister Act 2: Back In The Habit is a 1993 comedy film starring Whoopi Goldberg. Directed by Bill Duke, and released by Touchstone Pictures, it is the sequel to the successful 1992 film Sister Act...
(1993) - White Man's BurdenWhite Man's Burden (film)White Man's Burden is a 1995 dramatic film about racism in an alternative America where black and white Americans have reversed cultural roles....
(1995) - Lover's Knot (1996)
- BogusBogusBogus may refer to:*Bogus , a 1996 film starring Whoopi Goldberg* Bogus Basin mountain resort in Idaho*Mr. Bogus, a 1992 animation-See also:*BogoMips*Bogon *Bogosort*Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey...
(1996) - Jamaica Beat (1997)
- Secrets (1998) (short subject) (also director and producer)
- Unconditional Love (1999)
- Personals (1999)
- DeterrenceDeterrence (film)Deterrence is a 1999 French/American dramatic film written and directed by Rod Lurie, depicting fictional events about nuclear brinksmanship. It marks the feature directorial debut of Lurie, who was previously a film critic for the New York Daily News, Premiere Magazine, Entertainment Weekly and...
(1999) - Lost in the Pershing Point Hotel (2000)
- Baby of the Family (2002)
- Broadway: Beyond the Golden Age (2007) (documentary)
- Blessed and Cursed (2010)
Television work
- Good TimesGood TimesGood Times is an American sitcom that originally aired from February 8, 1974, until August 1, 1979, on the CBS television network. It was created by Eric Monte and Michael Evans, and developed by Norman Lear, the series' primary executive producer...
(1978) - J.J and the Plumber's Helper. - Wonder WomanWonder Woman (TV series)Wonder Woman is an American television series based on the DC Comics comic book superhero of the same name. Starring Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman/Diana Prince and Lyle Waggoner as Steve Trevor, the show originally aired from 1975 to 1979....
(1979) - The Neighborhood (1982)
- Search for TomorrowSearch for TomorrowSearch for Tomorrow is an American soap opera which premiered on September 3, 1951 on CBS. The show was moved from CBS to NBC on March 29, 1982. It continued on NBC until the final episode aired on December 26, 1986, a run of thirty-five years. At the time of its final broadcast it was the...
(cast member from 1983–1984) - V: The Series (1984)
- Code Name: Foxfire (1985) (canceled after a few episodes)
- Hunter (1985–1986) - The Return of Typhoon Thompson episode.
- Pros and ConsPros and Cons (TV series)Pros and Cons is an American television series that ran on ABC in the USA in 1991–1992. It is a revamped version of Gabriel's Fire, which aired on ABC the previous season.-Overview:...
(1986) - It's a LivingIt's a Living (US TV series)It's a Living is an American sitcom set in a restaurant at the top of the Bonaventure Hotel in Los Angeles. The show aired on ABC from 1980 to 1982...
(cast member from 1986–1989) - Sister Margaret and the Saturday Night Ladies (1987)
- New Attitude (1990) (canceled after a few episodes)
- The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw (1991)
- Designing WomenDesigning WomenDesigning Women is an American television sitcom that centered on the working and personal lives of four Southern women and one man in an interior design firm in Atlanta, Georgia. It aired on the CBS television network from September 29, 1986 until May 24, 1993. The show was created by head writer...
(cast member from 1992–1993) - George (1993) (canceled after a few episodes)
- Witch Hunt (1994)
- MoeshaMoeshaMoesha is an American sitcom series that aired on the UPN network from January 23, 1996 to May 14, 2001. The series stars R&B singer Brandy Norwood as Moesha Mitchell, a high school student living with her family in the Leimert Park neighborhood of South Central Los Angeles.-Overview:The show...
(cast member from 1996–2001) - Sabrina, the Teenage Witch (TV series)Sabrina, the Teenage Witch (TV series)Sabrina, the Teenage Witch is an American sitcom based on the Archie comic book series of the same name.The show stars Melissa Joan Hart as Sabrina Spellman, a teenager with magical powers, who lives with her aunts Hilda and Zelda , and their magical talking cat Salem...
(Season 3, Episode 14 "What Price Harvey)" - The Jennie ProjectThe Jennie ProjectThe Jennie Project is a Disney Channel Original Movie that was released in the summer of 2001. The film was based on the book Jennie by Douglas Preston. The movie is about a chimpanzee who knows and uses American Sign Language to communicate....
(2001) - Justice LeagueJustice League (TV series)Justice League is an American animated television series about a team of superheroes which ran from 2001 to 2004 on Cartoon Network. The show was produced by Warner Bros. Animation. It is based on the Justice League of America and associated comic book characters published by DC Comics...
(2001) - CheetahCheetah (comics)The Cheetah is a fictional character, a super-villainess appearing in DC Comics publications and related media. Popularly regarded as the archenemy of Wonder Woman, the Cheetah first appeared in 1943 in Wonder Woman #6 , written by Wonder Woman creator William Moulton Marston... - Da Kink in My HairDa Kink in My HairDa Kink in My Hair is a play by Trey Anthony, which debuted at the Toronto Fringe Festival in 2001.The play's central character is Novelette, the Caribbean Canadian owner of Letty's, a Toronto hair salon...
(2004) - BarberShop: The SeriesBarbershop: The SeriesBarbershop: The Series is an American sitcom which made its debut on the Showtime cable network in August 2005. It is based upon the Mark Brown-created characters from the popular films Barbershop and Barbershop 2: Back in Business , and was developed for television by screenwriter John Ridley...
(2005) - Flavor of Love 3 (2008) - Guest Star
- My Super Sweet 16My Super Sweet 16My Super Sweet 16 is an MTV reality series documenting the lives of teenagers, usually in the United States, Canada and UK, who usually have wealthy parents that throw huge coming of age celebrations. Parties include the quinceañera , the sweet 16, and other birthdays including a My Super Sweet 21 ...
(2008) - Hannah MontanaHannah MontanaHannah Montana is an American television series, which debuted on March 24, 2006 on the Disney Channel. The series focuses on a girl who lives a double life as an average teenage school girl named Miley Stewart by day and a famous pop singer named Hannah Montana by night, concealing her real...
(2008) - Baldwin HillsBaldwin Hills (TV series)Baldwin Hills is an American reality television series featuring African-American teenagers from the Baldwin Hills district in Los Angeles, California. The series aired on BET from July 2007 to March 2009.- Overview :...
- (recurring, Etienne's Mom, season 3, 2009) - Zevo-3Zevo-3Zevo-3 is an French-American animated television series that currently airs on Nicktoons. It is based on three characters that previously appeared in Skechers commercials , although they have been redesigned...
(2010 to present) - Young JusticeYoung Justice (TV series)Young Justice is an American animated television series created by Greg Weisman and Brandon Vietti for Cartoon Network. Despite its title, it is not an adaptation of Todd Dezago and Todd Nauck's Young Justice comic series, but rather an adaptation of the entire DC Universe with a focus on young...
(2011) - Amanda WallerAmanda WallerDr. Amanda Blake Waller is a character published by DC Comics. She first appeared in Legends #1 in 1986, and was created by John Ostrander, Len Wein, and John Byrne... - Tyler Perry's House of PayneTyler Perry's House of PayneTyler Perry's House of Payne is an American comedy-drama television series created and produced by playwright, director, and producer Tyler Perry. The show revolves around a multi-generational family living under one roof in Atlanta, Georgia led by patriarch Curtis Payne and his wife Ella...
(2011) - Felicia Starr
Stage work
- Reggae (1980)
- Dreamgirls (1981)
- Thoroughly Modern MillieThoroughly Modern Millie (musical)Thoroughly Modern Millie is a musical with music by Jeanine Tesori, lyrics by Dick Scanlan, and a book by Richard Morris and Scanlan. Based on the 1967 film of the same name, Thoroughly Modern Millie tells the story of a small-town girl, Millie Dillmount, who comes to New York City to marry for...
(2002)
Album
In the Evening (1984, The New York Music Company)- "You're So Romantic" (4:38)
- "In the Evening" (3:50)
- "Give Me Love" (3:34)
- "Evolution" (4:02)
- "Back to Being in Love" (3:01)
- "Be Somebody" (3:35)
- "I'm Your Kind of Girl" (3:55)
- "B.A.B.Y." (3:15)
- "Ready or Not" (3:46)
- "I'm So Glad That We Met" (3:56)
Produced and arranged by Trevor Lawrence
Singles
- "When I First Saw You" (1983) - USUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
R&BHot R&B/Hip-Hop SongsHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
#50 - "In the Evening" (1984) - US Hot Dance Music/Club Play Singles #6; UKUK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
#64 - "You're So Romantic" (1985)
- "In the Evening" (remixRemixA remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
) (1996) - "Evolution" (remix) (1998)
- "Here Comes the Rain AgainHere Comes the Rain Again"Here Comes the Rain Again" is a song by British pop duo Eurythmics. It was written by group members Annie Lennox and David A. Stewart and produced by Stewart. The song was released as the third single in the UK from the album Touch and in the United States as the first single. It became...
" (1999) (coverCover versionIn popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of EurythmicsEurythmicsEurythmics were a British pop rock duo, formed in 1980, currently disbanded, but known to reunite from time to time. Consisting of members Annie Lennox and David A...
song)