Shondrella Avery facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Shondrella Avery
Avery in December 2007
Born	Shondrella Dupre Avery Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Alma mater	California State University, Los Angeles
Occupation	Actress, model, comedian
Years active	1999–present
Spouse(s)	Ade Kester

Shondrella Dupre Avery is an American actress, model, and comedian. She is known for her role as LaFawnduh Lucas-Dynamite in the movie Napoleon Dynamite (2004). She also had important roles in films like Domino (2005) and The Secret Life of Bees (2008).

Early Life and Growing Up

Shondrella Avery was born in Los Angeles, California. She grew up in South Central Los Angeles. She is the oldest of ten children in her family. Her experiences growing up in a large family inspired her one-woman show called "Ain't I Enough," which was shown on HBO.

She went to the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts. Later, she studied at California State University, Los Angeles, where she earned her degree in Fine Arts.

Shondrella Avery's Career Journey

Avery started her career as a comedian. She performed with famous comedy groups like The Groundlings in Los Angeles and The Second City in Chicago. She and her family also helped create places for new comedians to practice in Los Angeles County.

Her big break came in 2001. She performed with her friend Tony Rock (who is Chris Rock's brother) at a party. People loved their performance!

TV Shows and Movies

From 2002 to 2005, Avery played Candy Taylor on the TV show One on One. She then continued playing the same character on the spin-off show Cuts. At the same time, she was also on Girls Behaving Badly, a reality prank show with only female cast members.

In movies, Avery became well-known for playing LaFawnduh Lucas-Dynamite in the 2004 film Napoleon Dynamite. When she got this role, she was working a regular job at Hilton Hotels. After that, she appeared in other movies like Trippin' and Domino. She also worked with Denzel Washington in Déjà Vu. In 2012, she was in End of Watch, which was filmed in her hometown of South Central Los Angeles.

Shondrella Avery has also been featured in magazines like People and US. She often attends events with other celebrities. In 2010, she helped celebrate her friend Mo'Nique winning an Oscar for her role in Precious.

More recently, in 2023, Avery signed a deal with Jeff Jenkins Productions to create new shows and movies. She is also working on projects with Macy Gray and John Salley.

Shondrella Avery's Personal Life and Charity Work

Shondrella Avery is married to Ade Kester. She cares a lot about helping others and is involved in many charity causes.

She is a strong supporter of children. She mentors kids at "A Place Called Home" in South Central Los Angeles. She also speaks at high schools and universities for the WGA Writer's Program for teens. Avery volunteers her time at Penny Lane, a children's charity in Los Angeles.

She is a board member for the Sickle Cell Disease Foundation of California. This cause is very important to her because her mother has sickle cell disease, and two of her siblings passed away from it. She also works with Coach Art, a charity that offers free sports and art lessons to children who have long-term illnesses.

Filmography

Movies

Television Shows