Rutina Wesley facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Rutina Wesley
Wesley in 2012
Born	(1978-12-21) December 21, 1978 (age 46) Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
Education	University of Evansville (BFA) Juilliard School (GrDip)
Occupation	Actress
Years active	2005–present
Spouse(s)	Jacob Fishel ​ ​ (m. 2005; sep. 2013)​

Rutina Wesley (born December 21, 1978) is an American actress. She is well-known for playing Tara Thornton in the HBO TV show True Blood. She also starred as Nova Bordelon in the Queen Sugar series on the OWN.

Early Life and Education

Rutina Wesley grew up in Las Vegas, Nevada. Her father, Ivery Wheeler, is a professional tap dancer. Her mother, Cassandra Wesley, was a showgirl.

Rutina went to high school at the Las Vegas Academy of International Studies, Performing and Visual Arts. She also studied dance at Simba Studios and the West Las Vegas Arts Center.

After high school, Rutina decided to go to the University of Evansville in Indiana. She earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Theatre Performance in 2001.

Later, she continued her acting studies at the Juilliard School in 2001. She graduated in May 2005. During her studies, she spent a summer learning at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.

Rutina Wesley's Acting Career

Wesley at the International Comic-Con San Diego with Ryan Kwanten, Deborah Ann Woll, Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, and Nelsan Ellis from the TV series True Blood in 2011.

Rutina Wesley started her acting career on stage. In December 2006, she was in a Broadway play called The Vertical Hour. In 2007, she also performed in a play called In Darfur.

Her first movie role was in 2007 in the film How She Move. She played the main character, Raya Green. Raya enters a step-dancing competition to win money for her education. Rutina trained for five weeks to learn the dance moves for the movie. She also learned a Jamaican accent for the role.

In 2007, Rutina auditioned for the TV show True Blood. She got the part of Tara Thornton. The show's creator, Alan Ball, chose her because she showed Tara's sensitive side. This role made her very famous.

In 2015, Rutina joined the NBC drama series Hannibal. She played Reba McClane, a blind woman who becomes friends with Francis Dolarhyde. Rutina also appeared as Liza Warner in the fourth season of Arrow.

In 2016, Rutina was cast as the main character, Nova Bordelon, in the TV show Queen Sugar. This show is produced by Ava DuVernay and Oprah Winfrey.

In 2023, Rutina played Maria in the HBO series The Last of Us.

Personal Life

Rutina Wesley lives in both Astoria, Queens and Los Angeles, California.

Filmography

Film Roles

Television Roles

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Rutina Wesley para niños

• LGBT culture in New York City
• List of LGBT people from New York City
• NYC Pride March