Victoria Rowell facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Victoria Rowell
Rowell in 2012
Born	Victoria Lynn Rowell (1959-05-10) May 10, 1959 (age 66) Portland, Maine, U.S.
Occupation	Actress, director, writer, producer
Years active	1987–present
Spouse(s)	Tom Fahey ​ ​ (m. 1989; div. 1990)​ Radcliffe Bailey ​ ​ (m. 2009; div. 2014)​
Children	2

Victoria Lynn Rowell (born May 10, 1959) is an American actress, writer, and director. She started her career as a ballet dancer and model. Her first acting role was in the 1987 comedy film Leonard Part 6.

In 1990, Victoria joined the TV show The Young and the Restless as Drucilla Winters. This became her most famous and longest role on television. She was nominated for three Daytime Emmy Awards for this part. She left the show in 2007. Victoria Rowell is also well-known for playing Dr. Amanda Bentley in the TV show Diagnosis: Murder from 1993 to 2001. For many years, she worked on both shows at the same time!

Victoria has also acted in several movies. She appeared with Eddie Murphy in The Distinguished Gentleman (1992). She also had roles in Dumb and Dumber (1994) and Barb Wire (1996). She has won 11 NAACP Image Awards, which celebrate achievements by people of color in entertainment.

Victoria's Early Life

Victoria Lynn Rowell was born in Portland, Maine, on May 10, 1959. Her biological mother was Dorothy Rowell, and her birth father's last name was Wilson. Victoria didn't know much about her father. When she was very young, Victoria and her two sisters, Sheree and Lori, were placed in foster care.

While living with foster parents Agatha C. and Robert Armstead in Maine, Victoria started taking ballet lessons at age eight. She later danced with the American Ballet Theater II and studied at the Juilliard School. She also taught dance in New England.

Victoria's Acting Career

In the 1980s, Victoria Rowell became a popular model for fashion shows and catalogs. She made her first movie appearance in 1987 in Leonard Part 6 with Bill Cosby. She also had a recurring role on The Cosby Show. In 1988, she played Nella Franklin on the TV show As the World Turns.

In 1990, Victoria was cast as Drucilla Barber on The Young and the Restless. Her character, Drucilla, started as a street kid and later became a ballet dancer. Fans loved her, and she was nominated for three Daytime Emmy Awards in 1996, 1997, and 1998. She won 11 NAACP Image Awards for playing Drucilla. Victoria played Drucilla from 1990 to 1998, then briefly returned in 2000, and again from 2002 until 2007.

In 2007, Victoria became unhappy with some things behind the scenes at The Young and the Restless. She felt there weren't enough African-American actors and crew members in important roles. She also felt her ideas for her character's storylines were not heard, which led her to leave the show. In the story, Drucilla fell off a cliff and was thought to be gone, as her body was never found. Victoria has said she would love to return to the show, and many fans want her back. However, the TV network has said they are not planning to bring Drucilla back. In 2014, Victoria shared her thoughts on social media, saying the show, which had been on for over 40 years, didn't have enough African-Americans in leadership positions.

From 1993 to 2001, Victoria Rowell starred as Dr. Amanda Bentley in the CBS show Diagnosis: Murder. She acted alongside Dick Van Dyke. For most of this time, she was working on both Diagnosis: Murder and The Young and the Restless at the same time. There was even an episode of Diagnosis: Murder where a murder happened on the set of The Young and the Restless. In that episode, Victoria played both Dr. Amanda and Drucilla! Diagnosis: Murder ran for 178 episodes and also had two TV movies after the series ended.

In the 1990s, Victoria also appeared in several movies. She played the love interest of Eddie Murphy's character in The Distinguished Gentleman (1992). In 1994, she was an FBI agent named Beth Jordan in the comedy film Dumb and Dumber. She also acted with Mario Van Peebles in the science-fiction crime film Full Eclipse (1993). She had a big role in the action film Barb Wire (1996) with Pamela Anderson. In 1997, she was in the drama film Eve's Bayou, which was praised by critics. In the 2000s, she appeared in smaller films like Motives and A Perfect Fit. In 2006, she played Samuel L. Jackson's character's wife in Home of the Brave. She also had recurring roles on TV shows like Single Ladies and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

In 2009, Victoria signed a deal to write a book about the world of daytime TV. She released her memoir, The Women Who Raised Me: A Memoir, in 2008. She later wrote two novels: Secrets of a Soap Opera Diva: A Novel (2010) and The Young and the Ruthless: Back in the Bubbles (2013).

Victoria created, directed, produced, and starred in the comedy series The Rich and the Ruthless. This show started in 2017 and finished in 2021. In 2018, she also created a short series called Jacqueline and Jilly for Urban Movie Channel. In 2020, she directed her first full-length movie, Everything Is Fine. She has since directed other films like A Rich Christmas (2021) for BET+, Stranger Next Door (2022) for Lifetime, Montross: Blood Rules (2022) for TV One, Catfish Christmas (2022), and Blackjack Christmas (2022) for BET+. In 2022, she returned to CBS with a recurring role in the medical drama Good Sam. In 2024, she co-starred with Diane Keaton, Kathy Bates, and Alfre Woodard in the comedy film Summer Camp.

Victoria's Personal Life

Rowell (left) with Maj. Gen. Nadja West in Washington, D.C. in 2013

Victoria Rowell married Tom Fahey in 1989. They had a daughter named Maya but divorced the next year. Victoria also had a long-term relationship with musician Wynton Marsalis, and they had a son named Jasper. In May 2008, Victoria announced she was engaged to Radcliffe Bailey, an artist from Atlanta. Victoria and Radcliffe got married on June 27, 2009, in Dublin, New Hampshire. They divorced on January 2, 2014.

Helping Foster Children

In 1990, Victoria Rowell started the "Rowell Foster Children Positive Plan." This organization helps foster children by giving them emotional support and money. It especially helps those who want to become actors and dancers, just like Victoria did. In 2004, she was a special guest on the TV show Dr. Phil. On the show, she helped a young person who had been in foster care by offering a job opportunity, dental care, and a scholarship from her foundation.

In May 2006, the University of Southern Maine gave Victoria an honorary Doctorate degree. This was to recognize her important work helping foster children. In 2007, Victoria published a memoir (a book about her own life) that focused on her time in foster care. The book is called The Women Who Raised Me. In it, Victoria talks about all the foster mothers who took care of her and her sisters. She also honored these women in a documentary film called The Mentor, which she was part of. Victoria said she started writing the book when The Young and the Restless didn't accept her offer to write for the show. She began a national book tour in April 2007.

In March 2008, Victoria Rowell was the first person to receive the Gift of Adoption Celebration of Adoption Award. This award is given to people or groups who help connect children with adoptive families.

In March 2012, Victoria's book, Tag, Toss & Run: 40 Classic Lawn Games, was released. She wrote this book with environmental activist Paul Tukey.

Victoria's Film and TV Roles

Movies

Television Shows

Awards and Nominations

Victoria Rowell has won many awards for her acting. Here are some of them:

See also

In Spanish: Victoria Rowell para niños