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Andrea Desiree Lewis (born August 15, 1985) is a Canadian actress and singer, known for her role as Hazel Aden in the long-running TV series Degrassi: The Next Generation.
Andrea Lewis | |
|---|---|
| Born | Andrea Desiree Lewis August 15, 1985 Pickering, Ontario, Canada |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, singer |
| Years active | 1998–present |
| Spouse | Felix Howard |
| Website | missandrealewis |
One of two children, Lewis is the daughter of Caribbean-born parents. Her mother is from Jamaica and her father is from St. Vincent.[1]
Lewis made her feature flim debut in 1998 as Cassandra in Maya Angelou's directorial debut Down in the Delta.[2] The following year, she acted with Naomi Judd in the television Christmas special A Holiday Romance.[3]
In 2001, Lewis appeared with Diahann Carroll in the biopic The Natalie Cole Story.[4] The same year, she played Brigette in an episode of Soul Food: The Series on Showtime, returning in 2003 for one episode, playing Dana.[4] She also began her role as Hazel Aden in Degrassi: The Next Generation. She would stay as a regular on the show until her character's graduation in 2006.[5] In 2003 and again in 2006, she was nominated in the category of Best Young Ensemble Performance in a TV Series (Comedy or Drama) for her role in Degrassi: The Next Generation at the Young Artist Awards.[6]
In 2002, Lewis played Hilary Duff's best friend, Carla Hall, in the Disney Channel Original Movie Cadet Kelly.[7]
Lewis released her debut album Float Away, on September 20, 2005. The album was released in Canada only.
She appeared in the Nickelodeon's musical film Spectacular!, playing Robin, a member in a high school choir. Lewis appeared alongside Nolan Gerard Funk, Tammin Sursok, Victoria Justice and Simon Curtis. The film's premiere broadcast was on February 16, 2009.[8]
Her second album, 5-4-3-2-1, was released on October 10, 2010 for free on her blog.[9]
In 2011, Lewis played a minor role in the musical Hairspray which travelled around Canada.
She founded the entertainment company Jungle Wild Productions in 2012 with Brian Walker. The company's mission is to produce diverse and original television, film, and digital content showcasing women, people of colour, and people in LGBT communities.[10][11]
In 2013, Lewis created her own YouTube channel where she could showcase her own work. Much of the work featured on the channel "focuses on the theme of self-love and finding inner strength."[12] That year she created and starred in her own web series called Black Actress,[13] which can be seen on Issa Rae's YouTube channel. Black Actress includes candid confessionals by actresses such as Amber Riley, Garcell Beauvais, Jenifer Lewis, and Naturi Naughton, who share their experiences in the acting profession.[14][15]
In 2016, she created and starred in the web series Beyond Complicated, which can be found on Lewis' YouTube Channel.[16]
Lewis reunited with the Degrassi cast in 2018 for former co-star and on-screen romance Drake's music video for his single "I'm Upset."[17][18]
She released her short documentary, Black Men, on her YouTube channel in 2019. The short included interviews of Black men and boys, including stars Shamier Anderson, Allen Maldonado, and Sinorice Moss, investigating how "hyper-masculinity, societal oppression, and sterotypes influence how Black men relate to each other and to themselves."[12]
Lewis served as the creator and executive producer of the three-part docuseries The Black Beauty Effect. The series examined "the Black women who serve as catalysts for social change within the beauty industry." It featured beauty influencers and industry insiders such as Whitney White, Mikki Taylor, Cara Sabin, and Amber Riley. Jackie Aina, Kahlana Barfield Brown, and C.J. Faison served as executive producers as well. The series premiered in 2022.[19][20]
In 2023, she starred in the Hulu and Andscape produced movie Three Ways.[21] That year, Lewis also starred in the Hallmark mystery film A Nashville Legacy as Naima.[22]
Lewis and her best friend, Shannon T. Boodram, started their own blog, Those Girls Are Wild, which includes comedic skits performed by the two.[9]
On October 28, 2021, via Instagram, Lewis announced her marriage to music executive and producer Felix Howard. They live between London and California.[23]
Albums
| Year | Album |
|---|---|
| September 20, 2005 | Float Away |
| October 10, 2010 | 54321 |
Singles
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Down in the Delta | Cassandra | |
| 2002 | Junk | Girl Scout #1 | |
| 2008 | Body Shop | Woman in Bar | |
| 2014 | Bastards | Bette | Short film |
| 2015 | Everyday Miracles | Bar Patron | |
| 2022 | Three Ways | Stacy |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Harrison Bergeron | Television movie | |
| 1999 | A Holiday Romance | Autumn | Television movie |
| 2000 | Livin' for Love: The Natalie Cole Story | Natalie Cole 14-15 | Television movie |
| 2001–2003 | Soul Food | Brigette | 2 episodes |
| 2001–2006 | Degrassi: The Next Generation | Hazel Aden | Season 1-2 recurring, season 3-5 regular, 87 episodes |
| 2002 | Cadet Kelly | Cadet Carla Hall | Television movie |
| 2005–2006 | Moccasin Flats | Melissa | 8 episodes |
| 2009 | Spectacular! | Robin | Television movie |
| 2011 | Warehouse 13 | JoBeth | 1 episode |
| 2016 | Conversating While Black | Anya | |
| 2016-2017 | The Number: The Reboot | Sasha | 4 episodes |
| 2022 | Revenge of the Black Best Friend | Herself | 2 episodes |
| 2023 | A Nashville Legacy | Naima | Television movie |
| Dress for Success | Television movie | ||
| Christmas Revisted | Television movie |
Music videos
Web series
| Year | Title | Artist | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Black Actress | Kori Bailey | Main role; Executive producer; Writer |
| 2016 | Beyond Complicated | Kori | 4 episodes; Producer; Writer |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | It Takes a Village to Raise...Hell | Michelle |
| Year | Title | Producer | Writer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Black Actress | Yes | Yes | |
| 2016 | Beyond Complicated | Yes | Yes | 7 episodes |
| 2018 | Token | Yes | Yes | |
| 2022 | The Black Beauty Effect | Yes | No | 3 episodes |
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