Jayma Mays facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jayma Mays
Mays in 2010
Born	Jamia Suzette Mays (1979-07-16) July 16, 1979 (age 46) Bristol, Tennessee, U.S.
Alma mater	Radford University
Occupation	Actress
Years active	2004–present
Spouse(s)	Adam Campbell ​ (m. 2007)​
Children	1

Jamia Suzette "Jayma" Mays (born July 16, 1979) is an American actress. She is famous for playing the guidance counselor Emma Pillsbury in the musical TV series Glee. She also starred in movies like Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009) and The Smurfs (2011).

Mays has appeared in many other TV shows. She played Debbie in the comedy The Millers and had a memorable role as Charlie Andrews in the science-fiction show Heroes. From 2017 to 2018, she played a lawyer named Carol Anne Keane in the comedy series Trial & Error.

Early Life

Jayma Mays was born in Bristol, Tennessee, and grew up in Grundy, Virginia. Her mother, Susan, and her father, James, was a high school teacher who also worked in the coal mining industry.

When she was 15 years old, Mays had a unique job at a local radio station. Her task was to read the obituaries, which are announcements of people who have recently passed away.

After graduating from Grundy High School, she went to Southwest Virginia Community College. She later studied at Virginia Tech for a year before moving to Radford University to finish her education.

Acting Career

Mays in 2009

Mays began her acting career in 2004 with an appearance on the TV show Joey. The next year, she was in her first movie, Red Eye. She also appeared in popular shows like How I Met Your Mother, Pushing Daisies, Ghost Whisperer, and Ugly Betty.

Success with Glee and Movies

Mays became very well-known for her role as Emma Pillsbury on the show Glee. Her character was a sweet guidance counselor who had mysophobia, a fear of germs. She was a main character for the first three seasons and returned as a guest star in later seasons. For her audition, she sang a song from The Rocky Horror Show, and she later performed it on the show.

Besides Glee, Mays starred in several movies. She played Amy Anderson in the comedy Paul Blart: Mall Cop and Grace Winslow in the family film The Smurfs and its sequel.

Later Roles

From 2017 to 2018, Mays starred in the comedy series Trial & Error. In 2020, she appeared as Princess Joanna in Bill & Ted Face the Music.

In 2022, she played the character Ruby in Disenchanted, the sequel to the popular Disney movie Enchanted.

Personal Life

Mays met her husband, actor Adam Campbell, while they were filming the movie Epic Movie in 2006. They got married in 2007. The couple has one son, who was born in August 2016.

In 2014, Mays took part in the Ice Bucket Challenge. This was a popular online trend that helped raise money and awareness for the disease ALS.

Selected Filmography

Here are some of the movies and TV shows Jayma Mays has appeared in.

Movies

Television

See also

In Spanish: Jayma Mays para niños