Dawn-Lyen Gardner facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dawn-Lyen Gardner
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Dawnlyen Gardner
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| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1994–present |
Dawn-Lyen Gardner is an American actress. She is famous for playing Charley Bordelon West in the TV drama series Queen Sugar. She is also known for her voice acting work, including a role in the Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Gardner was born in Los Angeles, California. Her father is African-American and her mother is Chinese. She became interested in acting at a young age.
In 1999, she graduated from the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts. After high school, Gardner moved to New York City to study at the famous Juilliard School, a top school for music, dance, and acting. At Juilliard, she was classmates with actress Rutina Wesley. They would later act together in the TV show Queen Sugar. Gardner graduated from Juilliard in 2003.
Acting Career
Early Roles and Stage Work
Gardner started her acting career when she was young. She had a recurring role on the TV show Viper and also appeared on the medical drama ER.
While studying at Juilliard, she also performed in many plays. Some of the plays she acted in were The School of Night and The Seagull. She also acted in plays at theaters across the country. During this time, she had guest roles on TV shows like Crossing Jordan, Bones, Heroes, and Castle.
Voice Acting
Besides acting on screen and on stage, Gardner is also a talented voice actress. She voiced the character Steela Gerrera in the popular animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
Breakthrough with Queen Sugar
In 2016, Gardner got her biggest role yet. She was cast as one of the main characters in the Oprah Winfrey Network drama series Queen Sugar. The show was created by director Ava DuVernay and TV star Oprah Winfrey. Gardner played Charley Bordelon West, one of three siblings who move back to Louisiana to run their family's sugarcane farm.
She starred in the show for six seasons and returned for a special appearance in the final season in 2022. Her performance was highly praised, and she was nominated for several awards, including four Black Reel Awards and an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | The Sinbad Show | Donna | Episode: "Breaking the Pattern" |
| 1994 | Viper | Ronnie Wilkes | Recurring role, 4 episodes |
| 1994 | ER | Sandy Rochon | Episode: "Into That Good Night" |
| 2004 | Invisible Scream | Andi | Short film |
| 2004 | Married to the Kellys | Shannon | Episode: "The Other Sister" |
| 2004 | Crossing Jordan | Leever | Episode: "After Dark" |
| 2005 | Summerland | Tess | Episode: "Where There's a Will There's a Wave" |
| 2006 | Art School Confidential | Coed | |
| 2007 | Bones | Court Reporter | Episode: "The Man in the Mansion" |
| 2007 | Cane | Melissa | Episode: "The Exile" |
| 2009–2010 | Heroes | Elizabeth | Episodes: "Chapter Nine 'Brother's Keeper'" and "Chapter Thirteen 'Let It Bleed'" |
| 2011 | Castle | Simone Jenkins | Episode: "Cops & Robbers" |
| 2012 | Prototype 2 | Collette Heller (voice) | Video game |
| 2012 | Star Wars: The Clone Wars | Steela Gerrera (voice) | 4 episodes |
| 2015 | The Mysteries of Laura | Samantha Williams | Episode: "The Mystery of the Watery Grave" |
| 2016 | Unforgettable | Erica Campbell | Episode: "Breathing Space" |
| 2016–2021, 2022 | Queen Sugar | Charley Bordelon West | Series regular, 78 episodes Nominated — Black Reel Award for Outstanding Actress, Drama Series (2017–2019, 2021) Nomination — NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series (2022) |
| 2016 | Luke Cage | Megan McLaren | Recurring role, 4 episodes |
| 2017 | The Dunning Man | Alice | |
| 2018 | Conan Exiles | Jamila the Pirate Queen | |
| 2018 | God Friended Me | Katie | Episodes: "Pilot" and "The Good Samaritan" |
| 2025 | Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld | Arin (voice) | Episode: "A Good Turn" |
