Sela Ward facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sela Ward
Ward in 2010
Born	Sela Ann Ward (1956-07-11) July 11, 1956 (age 69) Meridian, Mississippi, U.S.
Alma mater	University of Alabama
Occupation	Actress author producer
Years active	1983–present
Known for	Sisters Once and Again CSI: NY
Spouse(s)	Howard Sherman (m. 1992)
Children	2

Sela Ann Ward (born July 11, 1956) is an American actress. She is also an author and producer. Sela Ward became well-known for her roles in popular TV shows. These include Sisters, Once and Again, CSI: NY, and FBI.

She has won several awards for her acting. These include two Primetime Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Award. She has also appeared in many movies. Some of her films are The Fugitive, The Day After Tomorrow, and Gone Girl.

Early Life and Education

Sela Ward was born in Meridian, Mississippi. Her mother, Annie Kate, was a homemaker. Her father, Granberry Holland Ward, Jr., was an electrical engineer. Sela is the oldest of four children. She has a sister named Jenna and two brothers, Joseph Brock and Granberry Holland Ward III.

She went to Lamar School in Meridian. After high school, Sela attended the University of Alabama. There, she was chosen as Homecoming Queen. She was also a Crimson Tide cheerleader. She studied both fine art and advertising and graduated in 1977.

Acting Career

Ward in 1994

Sela Ward started her career in New York City. She worked as a storyboard artist, drawing pictures for multimedia presentations. To earn more money, she began modeling. She joined the Wilhelmina agency and soon appeared in TV commercials for Maybelline cosmetics.

Later, Ward moved to California to become an actress. Her first movie role was in 1983 in The Man Who Loved Women. In the same year, she got her first regular TV role in the CBS series Emerald Point N.A.S.. Throughout the 1980s, she continued to get guest roles in TV shows and movies. A notable role was with Tom Hanks in the 1986 film Nothing in Common.

Breakthrough Roles

In 1991, Sela Ward was cast as Teddy Reed in the TV show Sisters. Her character was a free-spirited artist. For this role, she won her first Emmy Award in 1994. She also played Helen Kimble, the wife of Dr. Richard Kimble (Harrison Ford), in the popular 1993 movie The Fugitive.

In 1995, Ward won a CableACE Award. This was for her role as TV journalist Jessica Savitch in the TV movie Almost Golden: The Jessica Savitch Story. This movie became one of the most-watched TV films on the Lifetime channel.

Facing Ageism in Hollywood

In 1995, Sela Ward was considered for a role in the James Bond movie GoldenEye. However, she was told they wanted "Sela, but Sela ten years ago." Even though the new James Bond actor, Pierce Brosnan, was 42, they wanted a younger actress. This experience inspired her to create a documentary. It was called The Changing Face of Beauty. This film explored how American society focuses on youth and how it affects women. She later voiced a character in an episode of The New Batman/Superman Adventures that also touched on the media's focus on youth.

More Success in Television

From 1999 to 2002, Ward was the voice for Sprint's long-distance phone service commercials. She also appeared on the TV show Frasier. In 1999, she took on the lead role of Lily Brooks Manning in the ABC drama series Once and Again. The show's creators initially thought she was "too beautiful" for the role of an average single mother. However, Ward proved them wrong and won her second Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award for her performance.

In 2004, she played a private investigator in the TV film Suburban Madness. That same year, she appeared in the movie The Day After Tomorrow with Dennis Quaid and Jake Gyllenhaal. From 2005 to 2006, she had a recurring role in the Fox series House. She played Stacy Warner, a hospital attorney and the former partner of Dr. Gregory House. She made her final guest appearance in the show's finale in 2012.

Sela Ward was offered lead roles in CSI: Miami and Desperate Housewives. However, she turned them down. She wanted to spend more time with her family.

Recent Work

Even though she took a break from TV, she continued to act in movies. She starred with Kevin Costner in The Guardian (2006). She also appeared in the thriller The Stepfather (2009). In 2010, Ward joined the cast of the police drama CSI: NY. She played Jo Danville until the show ended in 2013.

In 2014, Ward played newswoman Sharon Schieber in the movie Gone Girl. In June 2016, she co-starred in Independence Day: Resurgence. In this film, she played the President of the United States, President Elizabeth Lanford. She also had a leading role with Nick Nolte in the comedy series Graves. From 2018 to 2019, she starred in the crime series FBI as Special Agent in Charge Dana Mosier.

Personal Life

Sela Ward married entrepreneur Howard Elliott Sherman on May 23, 1992. They have two children, Austin and Anabella.

In 1997, Sela Ward met two foster children during a visit to Mississippi. This inspired her to help more children who had been abused or neglected. She helped create and fund Hope Village for Children. This is a permanent group home and emergency shelter in her hometown of Meridian. It also has transition houses to help children move forward. Hope Village opened in January 2002. It is located on a 30-acre property that was once an orphanage. As of 2015, Hope Village could house 44 residents and helped about 300 children each year.

In 2002, Ward wrote her autobiography called Homesick: A Memoir. In 2014, her art was shown in a group exhibition at KM Fine Arts.

Legacy

A part of 22nd Avenue in Meridian, Mississippi, has been named the "Sela Ward Parkway" in her honor. It is about 0.9 miles long.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Sela Ward para niños