Tracee Ellis Ross

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Tracee Ellis Ross

Tracee Ellis Ross at the 2007 Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week (Photograph by Christopher Peterson)
Born Tracee Joy Silberstein
October 29, 1972 (1972-10-29) (age 35)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.

Tracee Ellis Ross (born Tracee Joy Silberstein on October 29, 1972) is an American actress.

The daughter of singer/actress Diana Ross and Robert Ellis Silberstein; she is best known for her lead role on the UPN/CW NAACP Image Award and Emmy Award nominated series, Girlfriends.

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[edit] Background

Tracee Ellis Ross is the second of Diana Ross' five children. Her siblings are:

In 1973, Tracee (as an infant) appeared on a cover of Ebony magazine, alongside her mother and older sister, Rhonda. For Ross' primary and secondary education, she attended the elite Dalton School in Manhattan and the ultra exclusive Institut Le Rosey in Switzerland. Like older sister Rhonda, Ross is a Brown University alumna. She appeared in plays there, and graduated in 1994. [1] From there, she went on to model, write, produce, and most notably, act.

[edit] Career

[edit] Modeling

Ross worked in the fashion industry, as a model and contributing fashion editor to Mirabella and New York.

As a model she worked with photographers Herb Ritts, Peter Lindberg, Francesco Scavullo, and Mario Testino.[citation needed] She has also been featured in national advertising campaigns, including those for Gap, The Donna Karan Collection, Paul Mitchell, and DKNY.

She was the cover girl in the Fall 2006 edition of "Vibe Vixen".

[edit] Acting

Ross made her big screen debut in 1996, playing a Jewish/African-American woman in the independent feature film Far Harbor. The following year, she debuted as host of The Dish, a Lifetime TV magazine series keeping tabs on popular culture. In 1998, she starred as a former high school track star who remained silent about having been abused at the hands of a coach, in the NBC made-for-TV movie: Race Against Fear: A Moment of Truth. Her next role was an independent feature film Sue. In 2000, she landed her first major studio role in Diane Keaton's Hanging Up. The same year, she broke into comedy as a regular performer in the MTV series The Lyricist Lounge Show, a hip-hop variety series mixing music, dramatic sketches, and comedic skits.

Ross' biggest career achievement came when she landed the role of Joan Carol Clayton — a successful lawyer looking for love, challenges, and adventure, in the hit UPN/CW series Girlfriends. The series centers on four young African-American women. In 2007, Ross won an NAACP Image Award in the category, Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series for her role on Girlfriends. Tracee directed the very last episode of Girlfriends[citation needed]. The show was cancelled by CW after 8 years of running. It is the third longest running live comedy sitcom ever after The Jeffersons's eleven seasons and The Cosby Show's eight seasons.

In Fall 2007 Tracee starred with her brother Evan Ross and Queen Latifah in the HBO movie "Life Support," That same year, she appeared in the Tyler Perry theatrical movie, Daddy's Little Girls.

[edit] Filmography

  • Daddy's Little Girls (2007) Cynthia
  • HBO Original Movie Life Support (2007)
  • Girlfriends (2000-2008) TV Series…Joan Clayton
  • In the Weeds (2000)…Caroline
  • Hanging Up (2000)…Kim
  • The Lyricist Lounge Show (2000) TV Series…Various
  • Race Against Fear: A Moment of Truth (1998) (TV)…Kaycee King
  • A Fare to Remember (1998)
  • Sue (1997)…Linda
  • The Dish(1997) TV Series…Host
  • Far Harbor (1996) (as Tracee Ellie Ross)…Kiki

[edit] Herself

[edit] Awards and nominations

Year Result Category Title Role
NAACP Image Awards
2008 Nominated Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series Girlfriends Joan Clayton
2007 Win Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series Girlfriends Joan Clayton
2006 Nominated Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series Girlfriends Joan Clayton
2005 Nominated Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series Girlfriends Joan Clayton
2004 Nominated Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series Girlfriends Joan Clayton
2003 Nominated Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series Girlfriends Joan Clayton
2002 Nominated Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series Girlfriends Joan Clayton
BET Comedy Awards
2005 Win Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Girlfriends Joan Clayton
2004 Nominated Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Girlfriends Joan Clayton

[edit] External links

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