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Wakeema Hollis (born November 25, 1984) is an American actress and model. She is known for playing Monica Colby in the CW series Dynasty (2017–2021).
Wakeema Hollis | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 25, 1984 Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Other names | Hollis |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1999–present |
| Spouse |
Darrell Walden (m. 2022) |
Hollis was born in Memphis, Tennessee.,[1] but her mother, Frances, raised Hollis and her brother in Jackson, Tennessee, near her "vast extended family."[2] She attended Alexander Elementary School, Jackson Central-Merry Middle and High School, where her theatre teacher, Becky Fly, introduced her to a love for acting. Hollis believes, "If I had never met Ms. [Becky] Fly, my life would have been so different [...] I would never be doing what I'm doing now. She saw something in me I didn't see in myself."[2] At age 15, Hollis was introduced to an agent through Fly, and she began book modeling jobs on weekends and during breaks from school.
After graduating From Jackson Central-Merry High School, Hollis moved to New York to pursue a modeling career. She appeared in high fashion magazines, walked runways in New York, Paris, Milan, and London, including before the British royal family,[2] and worked with designers such as Marc Jacobs, Jean Paul Gaultier, Vivienne Westwood, and Ralph Lauren.[3] Hollis later attended William Esper Studio in New York, which she graduated from in 2016.[2] In an interview with Bustle in 2019, Hollis admitted that the decision to transition from modeling to acting was a difficult one, "Modeling was the only thing I knew ... it was really scary, but it was also what I wanted. It's what I've always wanted. I couldn't not do it."[4]
In 2017, within the span of a week, Hollis was cast in recurring roles as Monica Colby in The CW's Dynasty, a drama television series reboot based on the 1980s prime time soap opera of the same name,[5] and Harriet in Prime Video's The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, a period comedy-drama television series.[4]
Hollis starred in The Photograph, a romantic drama film that was released on February 14, 2020.[6] In 2021, Hollis appeared in And Just Like That... on Max, a revival/sequel series of HBO's Sex and the City.[7]
Hollis resides in New York City, but she travels to Jackson, Tennessee at least once a year where her mother, brother, and extended family live. Hollis maintains her membership at her family's church, Deliverance House of Prayer.[2]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Girls | Waitress | TV series; Episode: "Incidentals" |
| Black Box | Kidada | TV series; Episode: "Kodachrome" | |
| The Mysteries of Laura | Natalie Marquez | TV series; Episode: "The Mystery of the Red Runway" | |
| 2015 | Creative Control | Casey | Feature film |
| The Affair | Hot Female | TV series; Episode: "206" | |
| 2017–2019, 2021 | Dynasty | Monica Colby | TV series; recurring role; 34 episodes |
| 2017–2018 | The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel | Harriet | TV series; recurring role; 4 episodes |
| 2019 | Orange Is the New Black | Laniece | TV series; Episode: "The Big House" |
| First Wives Club | Melissa | TV series; recurring role; 3 episodes | |
| 2020 | The Photograph | Denise Holness | Feature film |
| Paint | Christina | Feature film | |
| 2021–2023 | And Just Like That... | Deirdre | TV series; recurring role; 3 episodes |
| 2022 | Only Murders in the Building | Naomi Jackson/Brazzos | TV series; Episode: "Performance Review" |
| 2023 | Aurora: A Love Story | Giselle | Feature film |
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