Grace Gealey

Grace Gealey
Born (1984-07-26) July 26, 1984
Butler, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Occupation Actress
Years active 2013–present
Spouse(s) Trai Byers (m. 2016)

Grace Gealey (born July 26, 1984)[1] is an American actress, known for her role as Anika Calhoun in the Fox music-industry primetime soap opera, Empire.

Early life

Gealey was born in Butler, Pennsylvania, and raised in the Cayman Islands from infancy.[2] After moving to the United States, she received her bachelor's degree in Theater Arts at the University of South Florida in Tampa.[2] Gealey later attended the University of California, Irvine, where she received her Master’s of Fine Arts in acting.[2]

Career

Gealey then moved to New York City where she performed Off-Broadway, including in Venus Flytrap: A Femme Noir Mystery, and Rent.[3][4] In 2013, she performed in the Chicago productions of The Misanthrope and Tartuffe.[5][6] In 2014, Gealey was cast as Anika Calhoun in the Fox musical prime time drama, Empire opposite Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson.[7][8] The series debuted on January 7, 2015.[9]

Personal life

During an interview on the daytime talk show, FABLife which aired on October 7, 2015, Gealey confirmed she was engaged to costar Trai Byers.[10] She and Byers married on Grand Cayman Island on April 14, 2016.[11][12]

Filmography

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2014–present Empire Anika Calhoun Series regular

References

  1. "Grace Gealey". TVGuide.com. Retrieved March 25, 2015. Note: While some sources give her birthplace as the Cayman Island, Gealey says she was born in Butler, Pennsylvania. See interview in LumiereMagazine.com, below.
  2. 1 2 3 Gealey in Moise, Herlande (November 11, 2014). "Let's Talk About Beauty: Chatting up with Empire's Grace Gealey". LumiereMagazine.com. Archived from the original on April 3, 2015. Retrieved May 10, 2015. I was born in Butler, PA to an American father and Afro-Caribbean mother. Our family moved to the Cayman Islands (my mother's native home) when I was about 2 years old.
  3. "Cayman talent off-Broadway". Retrieved 15 January 2015.
  4. "Cayman actor Grace Gealey Broadway experiences". Cayman 27. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
  5. "Review: The Misanthrope (Court Theatre)". chicagotheaterbeat.com.
  6. "Review: Tartuffe (Court Theatre)". chicagotheaterbeat.com.
  7. Lesley Goldberg. "Gabourey Sidibe Reunites With Lee Daniels on Fox's 'Empire'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
  8. The Deadline Team. "Gabourey Sidibe Joins Fox Drama Pilot ‘Empire’ - Deadline". Deadline. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
  9. "Gealey graces TV in new FOX series". The Cayman Reporter. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
  10. Corinthios, Aurelie (October 7, 2015). "It's Official! Grace Gealey Shows Off Engagement Ring from Empire Costar Trai Byers". People. Time Inc. Retrieved October 7, 2015.
  11. "Empire Stars Trai Byers and Grace Gealey Have Secret Island Wedding". TMZ.com. April 16, 2016. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
  12. "Empire Stars Trai Byers and Grace Gealey Get Married in Caribbean Beach Wedding". Us Weekly. April 16, 2016. Retrieved April 16, 2016.

External links

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