Chandra Wilson is an American actress, singer, director, producer, theatre artist, and activist who is well-known for appearing as Dr. Miranda Bailey in the ABC television drama show, Grey’s Anatomy. For the role, she has won several awards and nominations and various reviews in her favor. She started her acting pursuits at a very young age and performed in her very first show when she was only 5 years old. Soon after, Chandra Wilson started taking part in theatre productions and has appeared in the productions of The Good Times are Killing Me, Paper Moon: The Musical, The Family of Mann, Avenue Q, The Little Shop of Horrors, Chicago, Caroline, or Change, and many more. Although it took her some time to make it big as an actress, once she made it, there was nothing holding her back and has appeared in a variety of shows and movies which include the likes of Law & Order, The Cosby Show, Philadelphia, The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Megan Mullally Show, S*x and the City, Ellen: The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Private Practice, Grey’s Anatomy: B-Team, Lone Star, Station 19, General Hospital, Late Show with David Letterman, A Single Woman, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Pyramid, Wendy: The Wendy Williams Show, Frankie and Alice, and The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. Moreover, over the course of her career, Chandra Wilson has also branched out as a singer, director, and producer while she has also been a constant advocate of a number of social issues.
Sun Sign
Virgo
Nationality
Education
Chandra Wilson studied at Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts which is a secondary school located in Houston, Texas. Later, she got enrolled at New York University‘s Tisch School of the Arts and in the year 1991, she graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Drama.
Then, she joined Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute where she studied from 1991 to 1995.
Manager
Chandra Wilson is represented by Innovative Artists, Talent Agency, Santa Monica, Los Angeles County, California, United States.
Genre
Soundtrack
Instruments
Vocals
Labels
Unsigned
Boyfriend / Spouse
It was later revealed that she started dating a man in 1988 and the duo has since been together. On May 6, 2007, edition of Parade, Chandra Wilson said that “I’m in a relationship but I’m not married”. The couple welcomed their first child, a daughter named Sarina McFarlane, in 1992 and after a few years, they again became parents to another child, a daughter named Joylin, in 1998. Later, on October 31, 2005, they were blessed with their 3rd child, a son named Michael.
Sexual Orientation
Straight
Distinctive Features
- Often sports forehead bangs
- Wide smile
Brand Endorsements
Chandra Wilson has appeared in a number of TV commercials for several brands such as Folgers Gourmet Coffee (2007), Blockbuster Video, Burger King, Scope, and the United Negro College Fund.
She has also been a part of several radio commercials.
Best Known For
- Having been cast as Dr. Miranda Bailey in the ABC medical drama television series, Grey’s Anatomy (from 2005). She was nominated for an Emmy Award in the “Best Supporting Actress in a Drama” category consecutively in 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009. In 2007, she won the Screen Actors Guild Award in the “Outstanding Female Actor in a Drama Series” category and has also won a SAG Award, as part of the Grey’s Anatomy cast, in the “Best Ensemble in a Drama Series” category. She was also nominated for NAACP Image Awards in the “Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series” category consecutively from 2007 to 2010. In 2008, she won a People’s Choice Award for “Favorite Scene-Stealing Star” for her role. Her performance on the show has also gained many positive reviews.
- Appearing in a number of stage productions such as On the Town, The Good Times are Killing Me, The Miracle Worker, Paper Moon: The Musical, The Family of Mann, Avenue Q, Believing, The Little Shop of Horrors, Chicago, and Caroline, or Change
- Having been cast in several shows such as Law & Order, The Cosby Show, CBS Schoolbreak Special, The Show, The Show, Third Watch, S*x and the City, Ellen: The Show, Queens Supreme, The Sopranos, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Private Practice, Grey’s Anatomy: B-Team, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Station 19, General Hospital, Late Show with , Live!, The Pyramid, , Wendy: The Show, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, , and Home & Family
As a Singer
Chandra Wilson has giver musical performances in numerous productions such as On the Town (1998), Avenue Q (2003) and Caroline, or Change (2004).
First Film
Chandra Wilson made her first feature film appearance by appearing in the film, Peer Pressure, Drugs and… You, in 1990.
Then, she made her first theatrical film appearance in the crime comedy-drama film, Mad Dog and Glory, in 1993. Directed by John McNaughton, the film starred the likes of , , , Kathy Baker, and .
As a voiceover artist, Chandra Wilson made her theatrical film debut by providing vocals to the character of Coretta Scott King in the biographical drama film, A Single Woman, in 2009. The film starred actors Jeanmarie Simpson and Judd Nelson and was first premiered at Culver City, California, United States in September 2008.
First TV Show
Chandra Wilson made her first TV show appearance by playing the role of Dina in an episode, titled The Lost Weekend, of the family romantic comedy sitcom, The Cosby Show, in February 1989. It starred the likes of , Phylicia Rashad, Sabrina Le Beauf, Geoffrey Owens, and .
Personal Trainer
Chandra Wilson maintains a healthy lifestyle and often works out for around 45 minutes, doing mostly exercises. She usually spends some time on the treadmill and then uses some lights weights for her workout routine.
As far as her diet is concerned, she focuses on eating healthy and tries to avoid processed foods as much as possible.
Chandra Wilson Facts
- She grew up in Houston, Texas under the care of her mother, who got her enrolled in a bunch of after-school activities in order to keep her daughter occupied. This later helped Wilson carve a career in the entertainment industry.
- She has also stated that “Starting at age four, my mom decided that she was not going to have an idle child in the house” and “So I started taking dance lessons on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and then I was in acting classes on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and I was also modeling on Saturdays. And that was my childhood.” “My first show was The King and I when I was five”, that’s what she shared in an interview with Broadway.com.
- Chandra Wilson began with her pursuits as a theatre artist at the age of 5 by performing in musicals with Houston’s Theatre Under the Stars Company. Later, she gained professional theatre credits while studying at Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute.
- In 1991, she made her New York debut in a play by getting cast in a production of The Good Times Are Killing Me. Her brilliant performance in the play was recognized as she won the Theater World Award in the “Outstanding Debut Performance” category.
- During her early years as an artist, she was also a part of some off-Broadway productions of plays such as Paper Moon: The Musical and Little Shop of Horrors.
- In 2001, Chandra Wilson was cast as Claudia in the comedy television sitcom, Bob Patterson. The show aired for a very short duration and in a review for USA Today, Robert Bianco said that Wilson was “the only person in the show you can imagine wanting to see again”. Her performance gained many positive reviews and the Los Angeles Times also said, “The only character here that’s amusingly written is Bob’s new assistant, Claudia (Chandra Wilson)”
- She has performed a variety of roles in several productions which include the likes of Bonna Willis in The Good Times Are Killing Me, Woman of Carnegie Hall, Flossie’s Friend, Person of New York, Lucy Schmeeler understudy in On the Town, and Gary Coleman understudy in Avenue Q.
- In 2004, she was cast as Dotty Moffett in a production of the musical, Caroline, or Change, at Eugene O’Neill Theatre. The musical was also nominated for a Tony Award.
- As a director, Chandra Wilson made her TV show debut in the 7th episode of season 6, titled Give Peace a Chance, of Grey’s Anatomy which aired in October 2009. Her other directing credits include shows such as The Fosters and Scandal.
- The character of Dr. Miranda Bailey, which she played on Grey’s Anatomy, was originally written for a petite, Caucasian blonde.
- When she auditioned for a role on Grey’s Anatomy, she was also working at a bank.
- In 2009, she took a hiatus from Grey’s Anatomy to play the role of Matron “Mama” Morton in the Broadway revival of the musical, Chicago.
- Chandra Wilson has made guest appearances on the ABC daytime television medical drama series, General Hospital, on a couple of occasions and has played roles such as Sydney Val Jean, Dr. Francine Massey, and Tina Estrada.
- While she was still struggling to make it big as an artist, she worked part-time as a teller at Deutsche Bank in order to make ends meet. She worked at the Banker’s Trust location on 130 Liberty Street, right across the street from the South Tower of the World Trade Center and was there during the devastating September 11 attacks.
- She later quit her job at Deutsche Bank, to focus on her career as an actress, on healthy terms and she has also said that “They told me I could come back if acting doesn’t work out. I told them, ‘Keep my seat warm.’”
- Chandra Wilson has worked for the cause of cyclic vomiting syndrome, which is a chronic functional condition of unknown cause characterised by recurring attacks of intense nausea, vomiting, and sometimes abdominal pain, headaches, or migraines, and has served as the spokesperson for the Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome Association, as well as, the celebrity ambassador for CureMito!. Her daughter was also diagnosed with the disease in 2010. She has also helped to feature the issue in an episode, titled Second Opinion, of Grey’s Anatomy.
- She hosted the 10th Annual Voice Awards event for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, as she has also advocated mental and/or substance use disorders, in 2015.
- On March 10, 2016, she was inducted into the Texas Film Hall of Fame in Austin, Texas, United States.
- She has also been cast in a number of films such as Mad Dog and Glory, Philadelphia, Lone Star, Head of State, I Love the 80’s 3-D, Strangers with Candy, Accidental Friendship, Frankie and Alice, and Christmas Harmony.
- In 2015, Chandra Wilson worked as the co-producer for the documentary, Autism in America.
- Visit her official website @ chandrawilson.com.
- Chandra Wilson does not have any verified social media account.
Featured Image by SAMHSA / United States Government Work / / Public Domain
Facts of Chandra Danette Wilson
- Gender Female
- full nameChandra Danette Wilson
- middle nameDanette
- nicknamesChandra
- birthplaceHouston, Texas, United States
- Date of Birth August 27, 1969
- Age 55 years 0 months
- Horoscope Virgo
- Lucky Number 6
- Lucky Stone Sapphire
- Lucky Color Green
- Best Match for Marriage Taurus, Capricorn
- nationalityAmerican
- net worth$12 million
- professionActress, Singer, Director, Producer, Theatre Artist, Activist
- weight70 kg or 154.5 lbs
- height5 ft or 152.5 cm
- hair colorDark Brown
- eye colorDark Brown
- body type / buildAverage
- high schoolKinder High School
- motherWilma Bradshaw Allen