1. Sheryl Lee Ralph was born on December 30,1956 and is an American actress and singer.
35 Facts About Sheryl Lee Ralph
1. 2.
Sheryl Lee Ralph made her film debut in the 1977 comedy A Piece of the Action.
3.
Sheryl Lee Ralph has a younger brother, actor and comedian Michael Ralph.
4.
Sheryl Lee Ralph was raised between Mandeville, Jamaica, and Long Island.
5.
At 19, Sheryl Lee Ralph was the youngest woman to ever graduate from Rutgers University.
6.
Sheryl Lee Ralph began her career in the 1970s, starring in the 1977 American crime comedy film A Piece of the Action directed by Sidney Poitier.
7.
Sheryl Lee Ralph made several appearances in television shows, such as Good Times, Wonder Woman and The Jeffersons.
8.
Sheryl Lee Ralph then landed a role in the Broadway production Reggae, before portraying Deena Jones in the original Broadway musical Dreamgirls.
9.
Sheryl Lee Ralph landed the leading role of Ginger St James on the television series It's a Living.
10.
Sheryl Lee Ralph's first leading role in a film came as Denzel Washington's wife in The Mighty Quinn, released in 1989.
11.
Sheryl Lee Ralph played Florence Watson, the mother of Rita Louise Watson in the 1993 film Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit.
12.
Sheryl Lee Ralph provided the voice of Cheetah in Justice League and Justice League Unlimited.
13.
Sheryl Lee Ralph produced Divas Simply Singing, which has become an important AIDS fundraiser.
14.
Sheryl Lee Ralph appeared on the Showtime series Barbershop as Claire.
15.
Sheryl Lee Ralph played a character who brought a new face to the sufferings of war in the NBC hit series ER.
16.
Sheryl Lee Ralph's 2002 project Baby of the Family concerns a young child who is born with a caul over her head, which enables her to see ghosts and the future.
17.
Sheryl Lee Ralph was 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 featured her two children, Etienne and Ivy-Victoria, named after Sheryl Lee Ralph's mother.
18.
On June 16,2009, it was announced that Sheryl Lee Ralph would join the cast of the Broadway-bound musical The First Wives Club as Elyse.
19.
Sheryl Lee Ralph replaced Adriane Lenox, who withdrew from the show due to health concerns.
20.
In 2011, Sheryl Lee Ralph guest-starred in Young Justice as Amanda Waller.
21.
In 2013, Sheryl Lee Ralph appeared in the NBC television show Smash as Cynthia, the mother of Jennifer Hudson's character.
22.
On February 9,2013, Sheryl Lee Ralph appeared at the 2013 Columbus Middle School youth rally in Columbus, Mississippi.
23.
From January 10 to April 11,2019, Sheryl Lee Ralph appeared as one of the main characters, Rose, in the television series Fam which ran for one season and was canceled in May 2019.
24.
In 2021, Sheryl Lee Ralph joined the sitcom Abbott Elementary, portraying veteran elementary school teacher Barbara Howard.
25.
In October 2022, Sheryl Lee Ralph was presented with the Order of Jamaica by the governor-general for her contribution to the national film industry.
26.
In 2023, Sheryl Lee Ralph performed "Lift Every Voice and Sing", known as the Black national anthem, at the Super Bowl LVII pre-show.
27.
Later in 2023, Sheryl Lee Ralph became the first celebrity and the first Black person to play Mrs Claus in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade's history.
28.
In 2024, Sheryl Lee Ralph sang for President Joe Biden at a large fundraiser to raise money for his reelection.
29.
Sheryl Lee Ralph was married to French businessman Eric Maurice from 1990 to 2001, and they have two children, a son born in 1992 and a daughter in 1995.
30.
Sheryl Lee Ralph has been married to Pennsylvania State Senator Vincent Hughes since July 30,2005.
31.
In July 2004, Sheryl Lee Ralph was inducted as an honorary member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority at the 47th National Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada.
32.
In May 2008, Sheryl Lee Ralph was awarded an honorary doctorate of humane letters from Tougaloo College after giving the commencement address.
33.
In 2023, Sheryl Lee Ralph was named the commencement speaker for Rutgers University, her alma mater.
34.
In December 2024, Sheryl Lee Ralph was honored as the Person of the Year in the Jamaicans.
35.
In December 2024, Sheryl Lee Ralph was named The Advocate's 2024 Advocate of the Year, recognizing her impactful work in advocacy and representation of marginalized communities.