Christel Adnana Mina Khalil (born November 30, 1987) is an American actress.

Background

Khalil was born in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, to a mother of Native American, African American, and European descent and a Pakistani father. Khalil has stated she identifies as mixed race. She has three older brothers and a younger paternal half-sister. In January 2017, in the wake of President Donald Trump's signing of

Executive Order 13769 Executive Order 13769, titled Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States, labeled the "Muslim ban" by critics, or commonly referred to as the Trump travel ban, was an executive order by US President Donald Trump ...

, Khalil revealed that her father is an immigrant from his native country of

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

Career

Khalil is best known for her portrayal as Lily Winters on the

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...

The Young and the Restless ''The Young and the Restless'' (often abbreviated as ''Y&R'') is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in fictional Genoa City (not the real-life similarly-named Genoa City, ...

''. At the ''

39th Daytime Emmy Awards The 39th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards presented by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS), "recognizes outstanding achievement in all fields of daytime television production and are presented to individuals and programs broadc ...

'' on June 23, 2012, she won the

Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series The Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series was an award presented annually by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) and the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS). It was given annually f ...

after four nominations in the category. In August 2018, she announced her decision to downgrade from being on contract with the show and instead continue on a recurring basis. Khalil explained the decision was driven by her desire to have more freedom in both her professional and personal life. She continued to make sporadic appearances on the show until being approached by current head writer and co-executive producer

Josh Griffith Joe Shelby "Josh" Griffith (born August 15, 19??) is an American soap opera writer and producer. Personal life Born on August 15, in the U.S. state of New York, Josh is the son of Joe (Rip) Griffith and Sue Estes Griffith, both teachers and artist ...

in January 2020, to return to filming on a regular basis. Khalil has had small roles in movies such as ''Dragon Fury'', '' Matilda'', ''Interview With the Assassin'' and ''White Like the Moon''. She voiced Cornelia Hale in '' W.I.T.C.H.'', and also appeared on ''

That's So Raven ''That's So Raven'' is an American television teen sitcom that was created by Michael Poryes and Susan Sherman, and aired on Disney Channel for four seasons between January 2003 and November 2007. The series centers on Raven Baxter (Raven-S ...

'' and '' Malcolm in the Middle'', among other shows. Khalil also performed in Los Angeles theater productions before landing her role on ''The Young and the Restless''. In 2012, she was featured in musician Johnny Britt's music video for his single ''Beautiful Queen''. In spring 2018, Khalil co-starred in the independent thriller, ''Good Deed'', which premiered on the Lifetime network in November 2018 under the title ''Sorority Stalker.'' In spring 2019, she was cast in the independent comedy ''We Need To Talk'' by writer and director Todd Wolfe.

Personal life

In September 2008, she married musician Stephen Hensley. ''The Young and the Restless'' co-star Elizabeth Hendrickson served as a bridesmaid while

Bryton James Bryton McClure (born August 17, 1986), also credited as Bryton James and mononymously as Bryton, is an American musical theatre, film and television actor. As a child actor, he played Richie Crawford on the ABC/ CBS sitcom ''Family Matters''. ...

was a groomsman. Khalil gave birth to their son on April 17, 2010, during an at home

water birth Water birth is labor and sometimes delivery that occurs in water, usually a birthing pool. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists does not recommend birthing in water as the safety has not been determined. Proponents believe ch ...

. Bryton James is his godfather and actress Fadhia Marcelin is his godmother. She and Hensley split in early 2011 and divorced later that year. In 2015, Khalil stated she had been in a relationship with bar runner Ray Wicks for 4 years. Khalil ended the relationship in August 2015. In the summer of 2018, Khalil stated that she in a relationship with Canadian businessman Sam Restagno, who works in private equity. The two met in 2016, during that years Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, California. In 2019, Khalil and her son relocated to

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

to be with Restagno, who was born and based there. In July 2020, Khalil moved back to Los Angeles. She is best friends with

, who portrays her character's brother,

Devon Hamilton Devon Hamilton is a fictional character from ''The Young and the Restless'', an American soap opera on the CBS network, portrayed by Bryton James. The character made his first appearance on June 1, 2004, and was introduced as a homeless teenager ...

on ''The Young and the Restless''. She is also friends with several former and current ''The Young and the Restless'' co-stars, including

Mishael Morgan Marie-Charms Mishael Morgan (born July 15, 1986) known professionally as Mishael Morgan, is a Trinidadian-Canadian actress known for the roles of Hilary Curtis and Amanda Sinclair on CBS Daytime soap opera, ''The Young and the Restless'', the lat ...

and Nadine Heimann. In October 2015, she modeled for Heimann's

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

, True Connection. In June 2015, after the

United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

's decision on ''

Obergefell v. Hodges ''Obergefell v. Hodges'', ( ), is a landmark LGBT rights case in which the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that the fundamental right to marry is guaranteed to same-sex couples by both the Due Process Clause and the Equal Protect ...

'', she voiced her support for same-sex marriage. Khalil has said one of her favorite hobbies is traveling because she loves experiencing different cultures and travel makes her feel connected to who she is as a person.

Filmography

Awards and nominations

References

External links

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Christel Khalil Official Twitter
on Twitter.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Khalil, Christel 1987 births 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Living people Actresses from Los Angeles Daytime Emmy Award winners Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series winners American television actresses African-American actresses American voice actresses American soap opera actresses American child actresses American film actors of Pakistani descent American people who self-identify as being of Native American descent 20th-century African-American women 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American women 21st-century African-American people