Sheryl Lee Ralph | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Ralph in 2012 | |
| Born | (1956-12-30)December 30, 1956 (age 69) Waterbury, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Other names | Sheryl Lee Ralph-Hughes |
| Education | Rutgers University, New Brunswick (BFA) |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1977–present |
| Known for | Dreamgirls (Broadway; 1981) It's a Living Moesha Motherland: Fort Salem Abbott Elementary |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 2 |
| Website | sherylleeralph |
Sheryl Lee RalphOJ (Hon.)[1] (born December 30, 1956) is an American actress and singer. Known for her performances on stage and screen, she earned acclaim for her role as Deena Jones in theBroadway musicalDreamgirls (1981), for which she was nominated for aTony Award for Best Actress in a Musical. Since 2021, she has starred as Barbara Howard on theABCmockumentarysitcomAbbott Elementary, for which she won aPrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in2022, becoming the first Black woman in 35 years to win the award.[2]
She made her film debut in the 1977 comedyA Piece of the Action. In 1991, she won theIndependent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female for her performance in the 1990 comedy-drama filmTo Sleep with Anger. Ralph's other notable roles includeThe Mighty Quinn (1989),Mistress (1992),The Distinguished Gentleman (1992),Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (1993), andThe Comeback Trail (2020).
After early guest roles on television shows such asGood Times,The Jeffersons andWonder Woman she then starred in theABC sitcomsIt's a Living (1986–1989) andNew Attitude (1990), as well as theNick at Nite sitcomInstant Mom (2013–2015). Her role as Dee Mitchell in theUPN sitcomMoesha (1996–2001) earned her fiveNAACP Image Award nominations.
Her other Broadway roles include Muzzy Van Hossmere inThoroughly Modern Millie (2002) andMadame Morrible inWicked (2016–2017). Additionally, she has produced the Broadway playsThoughts of a Colored Man (2021) andOhio State Murders (2022).
Ralph was born inWaterbury, Connecticut, the daughter of Stanley Ralph, an African-American college professor, and Ivy RalphO.D., aJamaican fashion designer and the creator of thekariba suit.[3][4] She has a younger brother, actor and comedianMichael Ralph. According to research conducted byFinding Your Roots, her maternal 3rd great grandfather was a white man named Hugh McClymont, a wealthy estate owner in Jamaica who bequeathed his entire property “Ginger Hall” to his freequadroon wife, Mary Robinson, and their children. She was raised betweenMandeville, Jamaica, andLong Island.[5][6] Ralph attendedUniondale High School inUniondale, New York.
She starred in a high-school production of the musicalOklahoma!, portraying Ado Annie. Ralph graduated in 1972. Earlier that year, she was crowned Miss Black Teen-age New York. At 19, Ralph was the youngest woman to ever graduate from Rutgers University. During her time at Rutgers, Ralph was one of the earliest winners of theIrene Ryan Acting Scholarships awarded by theAmerican College Theatre Festival.[7]
That year she was named one of the top ten college women in America byGlamour magazine. Initially she hoped to study medicine, but after dealing with cadavers in a pre-med class and winning a scholarship in a competition at the American College Theatre Festival, she gave up medicine for the performing arts.[8] Many years later, she served as the commencement speaker at Rutgers for the Class of 2023, then for Drexel University in 2024.
Ralph began her career in the 1970s, starring in the 1977 Americancrime comedy filmA Piece of the Action directed bySidney Poitier. She also made several appearances in television shows, such asGood Times,Wonder Woman andThe Jeffersons. Ralph then landed a role in the Broadway productionReggae (1980),[9] before portraying Deena Jones in the original Broadway musicalDreamgirls (1981).[10] On television, she was in the cast of the CBS daytime soap operaSearch for Tomorrow while starring on Broadway inDreamgirls. For her performance inDreamgirls, Ralph was nominated in 1982 for a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical.[11]
Afterwards, she signed withSid Bernstein's music label, and released her only studio albumIn the Evening in 1984. The album's title track peaked at No. 5 on theBillboardDance Music/Club Play Singles chart and No. 64 on theUK Singles Chart that same year.[12] Ralph landed the leading role of Ginger St. James on the television seriesIt's a Living. In 1988 she starred in the Disney filmOliver & Company, providing the voice of Rita, a sassyAfghan Hound. Her first leading role in a film came as Denzel Washington's wife inThe Mighty Quinn, released in 1989.
In 1990, she was cast as Vicki St. James in theABC sitcomNew Attitude. The following year, Ralph won theIndependent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female for her performance in the 1990 drama filmTo Sleep with Anger. In 1992, she starred withRobert De Niro in the title role inMistress. That same year, she played Etienne Toussaint-Bouvier onDesigning Women, and co-starred withEddie Murphy inThe Distinguished Gentleman. She also played Florence Watson, the mother of Rita Louise Watson (Lauryn Hill) in the 1993 filmSister Act 2: Back in the Habit. Her role as Dee Mitchell onMoesha (1996–2001) earned her five nominations for theNAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. During the 1990s, she also had roles inThe Flintstones,Deterrence, andUnconditional Love. She provided the voice ofCheetah inJustice League andJustice League Unlimited. Ralph producedDivas Simply Singing, which has become an important AIDS fundraiser. She also appeared on theShowtime seriesBarbershop as Claire. Ralph played a character who brought a new face to the sufferings of war in the NBC hit seriesER. Ralph's 2002 projectBaby of the Family concerns a young child who is born with acaul over her head, which enables her to see ghosts and the future. Ralph was also featured with son Etienne on MTV'sMy Super Sweet 16 and BET'sBaldwin Hills, as well as an episode ofClean House that also featured her two children, Etienne and Ivy-Victoria (aka Coco), named after Ralph's mother.
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On June 16, 2009, it was announced that Ralph would join the cast of the Broadway-bound musicalThe First Wives Club as Elyse. She replacedAdriane Lenox, who withdrew from the show due to health concerns.[13] In 2011, Ralph guest-starred inYoung Justice asAmanda Waller. In 2013, Ralph appeared in theNBC television showSmash as Cynthia, the mother ofJennifer Hudson's character.[14] On February 9, 2013, Ralph appeared at the 2013 Columbus Middle School youth rally in Columbus, Mississippi. In August 2014, she appeared on KTLA Los AngelesMorning News as a fill-in entertainment reporter. In November 2014, Ralph appeared onNicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn as the rich lady who claims her dog from Nicky, Ricky, Dicky, and Dawn. Some of her recent TV appearances include the TNT dramedyClaws, and on the Nickelodeon sitcomInstant Mom as the mother of Stephanie (Tia Mowry). From January 10 to April 11, 2019, Ralph appeared as one of the main characters, Rose, in the television seriesFam, which ran for one season and was canceled in May 2019.
In 2021, Ralph joined the sitcomAbbott Elementary, portraying veteran elementary school teacher Barbara Howard.[15] For her role, Ralph won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 2022, becoming the second Black actress to win in the category afterJackée Harry, who won in1987 for227, and theCritics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 2023. In October 2022, Ralph was presented with theOrder of Jamaica by thegovernor-general for her contribution to the national film industry.[16]
In 2023, Ralph performed "Lift Every Voice and Sing", also known as the Black national anthem, at theSuper Bowl LVII pre-show.[17] Later in 2023, Ralph became the first celebrity and the first Black person to play Mrs. Claus in theMacy's Thanksgiving Day Parade’s history.[18]
In 2024, Ralph sang for PresidentJoe Biden at a large fundraiser to raise money for his reelection.[19] Earlier, she had joined Vice PresidentKamala Harris for anabortion-related campaign event in Pennsylvania.[20]
Ralph was celebrated at the 2024Variety Faith and Spirituality in Entertainment Honors for her portrayal of Christian teacher Barbara Howard on “Abbott Elementary."[21]
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. She has been married toPennsylvaniaState SenatorVincent Hughes since July 30, 2005.[22]
In July 2004, Ralph was inducted as an honorary member ofDelta Sigma Theta sorority at the 47th National Convention inLas Vegas, Nevada.[23]
In May 2008, Ralph was awarded an honorary doctorate of humane letters fromTougaloo College after giving thecommencement address.[citation needed]
In 2023, Ralph was named the commencement speaker forRutgers University, heralma mater. It was also announced that she would receive anhonorary Doctorate of Fine Arts degree at the ceremony.[24]
In December 2024, Ralph was honored as the Person of the Year in the Jamaicans.com Best of Jamaica 2024 Awards. This prestigious recognition celebrated her extraordinary contributions to representing Jamaican culture and excellence globally.[25][26][27][28]
In December 2024, Ralph was named the 2024 Advocate of the Year byThe Advocate, recognizing her impactful work in advocacy and representation of marginalized communities. On April 16, 2025, Ralph was honored with a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame.[29][30]
Produced and arranged byTrevor Lawrence
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Dance [31] | US R&B [31] | AUS [32] | BEL (FL) [33] | NLD [34] | UK [35] | |||
| "When I First Saw You"[36] | 1983 | — | 50 | — | — | — | — | Non-album single |
| "In the Evening"[37] | 1984 | 6 | — | — | 16 | 18 | 64 | In the Evening |
| "You're So Romantic"[38] | 1985 | 37 | 84 | — | — | — | — | |
| "In the Evening (Remix)"[39] | 1997 | — | — | 17 | — | — | — | Non-album singles |
| "Evolution (Remix)"[39] | 1998 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Here Comes the Rain Again"[39] | 1999 | 37 | 44 | — | — | — | — | |
| "Blood Sweat & Tears (from the seriesArcane League of Legends)"[40] | 2024 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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