Chandra Wilson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Chandra Wilson
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Wilson in 2013
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Chandra Danette Wilson
August 27, 1969 Houston, Texas, U.S.
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| Alma mater | New York University (BFA) |
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| Years active | 1989–present |
| Children | 3 |
Chandra Danette Wilson (born August 27, 1969) is an American actress and director. She is most famous for playing Dr. Miranda Bailey in the popular TV show Grey's Anatomy since 2005. Her performance in this role has earned her four nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award.
Besides Grey's Anatomy, she has also appeared as Dr. Bailey in the shows Private Practice and Station 19. Wilson started her acting career on the stage in New York in 1991. She also had guest roles in several TV shows and appeared in the 1993 movie Philadelphia.
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Early Life and Education
Chandra Wilson was born and grew up in Houston, Texas. Her mother, who worked for the post office, wanted to make sure her daughter stayed busy and active. Wilson remembers, "Starting at age four, my mom decided that she was not going to have an idle child in the house."
Because of this, her childhood was filled with activities. She took dance lessons, acting classes, and even did modeling on Saturdays. Her first time on stage was in the musical The King and I when she was just five years old.
Wilson attended the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Houston. After graduating, she moved to New York to study at the prestigious Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. She earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in drama in 1991. For the next few years, she continued to study acting while performing in professional plays.
Career Beginnings
Wilson started her career on the New York stage. In 1991, she performed in a play called The Good Times Are Killing Me and won a Theater World Award for her outstanding debut. She also appeared in other plays, including Paper Moon: The Musical and Little Shop of Horrors.
While building her name in theater, she also started getting small roles on television. She appeared in shows like The Cosby Show (1989) and Law & Order (1992). She also had a role in the award-winning 1993 movie Philadelphia, which starred Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington.
Even though she received good reviews for her acting, it was hard for Wilson to get bigger roles. For eight years, she worked part-time as a bank teller at Deutsche Bank to support herself while she pursued her acting dreams.
Breakthrough with Grey's Anatomy
In 2005, Wilson got the role that would make her famous: Dr. Miranda Bailey on the ABC show Grey's Anatomy. Interestingly, the character was originally written to be a petite, blonde-haired white woman. But Wilson's audition was so powerful that the producers knew they had found their Dr. Bailey.
The show became a huge success, and so did Wilson. Her portrayal of the tough but caring Dr. Bailey earned her rave reviews. For her work on the show, she was nominated for an Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama four years in a row (2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009). She also won a Screen Actors Guild Award in 2007 for her performance.
Wilson has also directed many episodes of Grey's Anatomy, starting with an episode in season six. She has directed over 20 episodes of the show since 2009.
Other Roles and Stage Work
While starring in Grey's Anatomy, Wilson has taken on other projects. In 2009, she returned to Broadway to play Matron "Mama" Morton in the hit musical Chicago. She has also appeared in other TV shows, including ... and the City and The Sopranos.
In 2014, she made a guest appearance on the soap opera General Hospital. She enjoyed it so much that she returned for guest roles in 2018 and 2019, playing different characters each time.
Wilson has said that the biggest difference in her career after Grey's Anatomy is that people now recognize her. But she stays humble about her fame. When she finally left her job at the bank, she told them to "Keep my seat warm," just in case.
Personal Life and Activism
Wilson is in a long-term relationship with her partner. Together, they have three children: a daughter named Serena (born 1992), a daughter named Joylin (born 1998), and a son named Michael (born 2005).
Wilson is also a dedicated activist. Her oldest daughter, Serena, was diagnosed with a rare condition called cyclic vomiting syndrome (CVS) in 2010. Since then, Wilson has become a spokesperson for the Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome Association to raise awareness about the illness.
She used her role on Grey's Anatomy to help. She pitched an idea to the producers to feature CVS in an episode. The episode, called "Second Opinion," aired in 2012 and was directed by Wilson herself. This helped educate millions of viewers about the condition.
See also
In Spanish: Chandra Wilson para niños
