Wakeema Hollis

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	(1984-11-25) November 25, 1984 (age 40) Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
Other names	Hollis
Occupations	Actress model
Years active	1999–present
Spouse	Darrell Walden ​ (m. 2022)​

Early life and modeling

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]

Acting

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]

Personal life

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]

On August 20, 2022, Hollis married Darrell Walden Jr.^[8][9] On November 13, 2024, Hollis announced that she and Walden were pregnant with their first child.^[10]

Filmography

Film and television roles

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

References

1. "Wakeema Hollis". FMD. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
2. McAllister, Keli (October 8, 2017). "JMCSS alumna lands starring role in 'Dynasty' remake". Jackson Sun. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
3. "Inside Scoop Series: An interview with international fashion model Wakeema Hollis". NATURAL HAIR IN THE MEDIA. November 27, 2012. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
4. Cawley, Kaitlyn (January 2, 2019). "Wakeema Hollis Of 'Dynasty' Wants You Know That This 'Overnight Success' Took Years". Bustle Entertainment. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
5. Nguyen, Hanh (August 2, 2017). "'Dynasty': 4 Ways CW's Reboot Has Updated the Series to Be More Inclusive and Tolerant". IndieWire. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
6. Hollis, Wakeema (January 29, 2020). "Picture this... A little girl from Tennessee followed her heart, pursued her dreams, and now I'm making my big screen debut!!⁣ ⁣I can't even count the number of times I've been laughed at or told that a small town girl like me would never make it. Always believe in yourself 🤍⁣ THE PHOTOGRAPH directed by @stellameghie hits theaters on Feb 14!! #DreamBig #NeverGiveUp #ThePhotograph". Instagram. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
7. Hollis, Wakeema (December 23, 2021). "And Just Like That… you can catch me on the Sex and The City reboot! ⁣When I first moved to NY this show was everything. I never imagined that I'd one day be on it. I love it when things come full circle. 🙏🏾". Instagram. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
8. Hollis, Wakeema (August 20, 2023). "1 year ago today I was fortunate enough to marry this wonderful man. This year has been an amazing journey. Here's to many more adventures together! ♥️ #anniversary #marriage #love #travel". Instagram. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
9. Walden, Jr., Darrell (August 20, 2023). "Damn it's been 365 days already?! @iamwakeema 😬😅🙏🏾 Happy 1yr Anniversary, My 💚. 🥂 #TheWaldens #antigua 🇦🇬 #blacklove #marriage". Instagram. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
10. Hollis, Wakeema (November 13, 2024). "We prayed. He answered.♥️🙏🏾 @dw.jr #pregnant #maternityshoot. . 📸 . . . . . @lizgillz". Instagram. Retrieved December 15, 2024.

External links

• Wakeema Hollis at IMDb