Chandra Wilson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Chandra Wilson
Wilson in 2013
Born	Chandra Danette Wilson (1969-08-27) August 27, 1969 (age 55) Houston, Texas, U.S.
Alma mater	New York University (BFA)
Occupation	Actress director
Years active	1989–present
Children	3

Chandra Danette Wilson (born August 27, 1969) is an American actress and director. She is best known for playing Dr. Miranda Bailey in the TV show Grey's Anatomy since 2005. For this role, she has been nominated for the Emmy Award four times. She also played Dr. Bailey in the shows Private Practice and Station 19. Chandra Wilson started acting on stage in New York in 1991. She then began to appear in many prime-time TV shows. Her first movie role was in the 1993 film Philadelphia.

Early Life and Acting Start

Chandra Wilson was born and grew up in Houston, Texas. Her mother, who worked for the post office, wanted to keep Chandra busy. So, she signed Chandra up for many activities after school. Chandra remembers, "Starting at age four, my mom decided that she was not going to have an idle child in the house."

She added, "I started taking dance lessons on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Then I was in acting classes on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. I was also modeling on Saturdays. And that was my childhood." Her first show was The King and I when she was just five years old.

By the age of five, Chandra was performing in musicals with the Theatre Under the Stars Company in Houston. She went to Houston's High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. After that, she studied at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. She earned a degree in drama in 1991. For the next four years, from 1991 to 1995, she studied acting at the Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute. At the same time, she was getting professional theater jobs.

She made her New York stage debut in 1991 in a play called The Good Times Are Killing Me. She won a Theater World Award for her amazing first performance. She also acted in other plays like Paper Moon: The Musical and Little Shop of Horrors.

While becoming known on the New York stage, Chandra also started getting guest roles on TV shows. She appeared on The Cosby Show (1989), Law & Order (1992), and CBS Schoolbreak Special (1992). She made her first big movie appearance with Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington in the 1993 film Philadelphia. Even though she received praise for her acting, Chandra worked hard for many years to get bigger roles. For eight years, she worked part-time as a teller at Deutsche Bank to earn money while trying to become a major star.

In 2005, Chandra Wilson got her big break. She was cast as Dr. Miranda Bailey on the popular ABC show Grey's Anatomy.

Career Highlights

Chandra Wilson's first regular TV role was in the short-lived series Bob Patterson (2001). Critics praised her performance, with one calling her "the only person in the show you can imagine wanting to see again." She also appeared on shows like Third Watch (2001), Law & Order SVU, Sex and the City (2002), and The Sopranos (2004). She had a small role in the 1996 film Lone Star.

Chandra also had a successful career in theater. She played Bonna Willis in The Good Times Are Killing Me. She was also in the musical Caroline, or Change, which was nominated for a Tony Award. Chandra is a talented singer. She has sung in several theater productions, including On the Town (1998), Avenue Q (2003), and Caroline, or Change (2004).

Chandra was still working at a bank when she auditioned for the Grey's Anatomy pilot. The role of Dr. Miranda Bailey was originally planned for a blonde-haired white woman. However, Chandra gave such an impressive audition that the show's producers decided to give her the part. The show became a huge success. Chandra was nominated for an Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama in 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009. She won the Screen Actors Guild Award in 2007 for Outstanding Female Actor in a Drama Series. She also won a SAG Award as part of the Grey's Anatomy cast for Best Ensemble in a Drama Series.

Chandra Wilson made her TV directing debut with the episode "Give Peace a Chance" in season 6 of Grey's Anatomy. She has directed many other episodes of the show since then. She has also directed episodes for other TV series like The Fosters, Scandal, and Good Trouble.

Chandra earned great reviews for her performance as the tough Dr. Bailey. She was nominated for four Emmy Awards in a row (2006-2009). She also won four NAACP Image Awards in a row (2007-2010) for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. In 2008, she won the People's Choice Award for Favorite Scene-Stealing Star. In 2009, while still on Grey's Anatomy, Chandra took a short break to perform on Broadway. She played Mama Morton in a new production of Chicago.

Chandra explained that the only difference in her acting career now is that people recognize her. She said, "People say I made it now, but I feel like I made it doing summer stock." She is also aware that fame can be temporary. When she finally left her bank job to focus only on Grey's Anatomy, she made sure to keep a good relationship with her former employer. She said, "They told me I could come back if acting doesn't work out. I told them, 'Keep my seat warm.'"

In 2014, Chandra Wilson made a guest appearance on the soap opera General Hospital as a patient. She appeared on General Hospital again in 2018 and 2019 in different roles.

Personal Life

Chandra Wilson has been with her partner for many years. As of 2019, they had been together for 31 years. Chandra and her partner have three children. Their daughters Serena and Joylin were born in 1992 and 1998. Their son Michael was born in 2005.

Selected Filmography

Film Roles

Television Roles

Director Roles

Stage Performances

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Chandra Wilson para niños