Grace Gealey

Grace Gealey

Byers in 2016
Born (1984-07-26) July 26, 1984
Butler, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Occupation Actress
Years active 2012–present
Spouse(s) Trai Byers (m. 2016)

Grace Byers (née Gealey;[1] born July 26, 1984)[2] is an American actress, known for her role as Anika Calhoun in the Fox music-industry primetime soap opera, Empire.

Early life

Gealey was born in Butler, Pennsylvania, and raised in the Cayman Islands from infancy.[3] After moving to the United States, she received her bachelor's degree in Theater Arts at the University of South Florida in Tampa.[3] Gealey later attended the University of California, Irvine, where she received her Master’s of Fine Arts in acting.[3]

Career

Gealey then moved to New York City where she performed Off-Broadway, including in Venus Flytrap: A Femme Noir Mystery, and Rent.[4][5] In 2013, she performed in the Chicago productions of The Misanthrope and Tartuffe.[6][7] In 2014, Gealey was cast as Anika Calhoun in the Fox musical prime time drama, Empire opposite Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson.[8][9] The series debuted on January 7, 2015.[10]

Personal life

Gealey became engaged to her Empire costar Trai Byers in 2015.[11] She and Byers married on Grand Cayman Island on April 14, 2016.[12][13]

Filmography

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2015–present Empire Anika Calhoun Series regular

References

  1. ↑ Grace Byers verified Twitter page. Retrieved on June 22, 2016.
  2. ↑ "Grace Gealey". TVGuide.com. Retrieved March 25, 2015. Note: While some sources give her birthplace as the Cayman Island, Gealey says she was born in Butler, Pennsylvania. See interview in LumiereMagazine.com, below.
  3. 1 2 3 Gealey in Moise, Herlande (November 11, 2014). "Let's Talk About Beauty: Chatting up with Empire's Grace Gealey". LumiereMagazine.com. Archived from the original on April 3, 2015. Retrieved May 10, 2015. I was born in Butler, PA to an American father and Afro-Caribbean mother. Our family moved to the Cayman Islands (my mother's native home) when I was about 2 years old.
  4. ↑ "Cayman talent off-Broadway". Retrieved 15 January 2015.
  5. ↑ "Cayman actor Grace Gealey Broadway experiences". Cayman 27. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
  6. ↑ "Review: The Misanthrope (Court Theatre)". chicagotheaterbeat.com.
  7. ↑ "Review: Tartuffe (Court Theatre)". chicagotheaterbeat.com.
  8. ↑ Lesley Goldberg. "Gabourey Sidibe Reunites With Lee Daniels on Fox's 'Empire'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
  9. ↑ The Deadline Team. "Gabourey Sidibe Joins Fox Drama Pilot ‘Empire’ - Deadline". Deadline. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
  10. ↑ "Gealey graces TV in new FOX series". The Cayman Reporter. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
  11. ↑ Corinthios, Aurelie. "It's Official! Grace Gealey Shows Off Engagement 2015". People. Time Inc. Retrieved October 7, 2015.
  12. ↑ "Empire Stars Trai Byers and Grace Gealey Have Secret Island Wedding". TMZ.com. April 16, 2016. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
  13. ↑ "Empire Stars Trai Byers and Grace Gealey Get Married in Caribbean Beach Wedding". Us Weekly. April 16, 2016. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
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