Caryn Ward Ross (née Ward) is an American actress, dancer, choreographer and producer.

Life and career

Ward was born in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, Ward's mother is a lawyer and her father is a medical doctor. She attended

Howard University Howard University is a private, historically black, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity" and accredited by the Mid ...

where she graduated with a degree in

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...

. Ward also studied dance at

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Founded in 1958, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AAADT) is the largest modern dance company in the United States.Dance Data Project (October 2024) 2024 Largest Contemporary and Modern Companies Report Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. She performed with various artists including

Janet Jackson Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreogr ...

Arsenio Hall Arsenio Hall (born February 12, 1956) is an American comedian, actor and talk show host. He hosted a late-night talk show, '' The Arsenio Hall Show'', from 1989 until 1994, and again from 2013 to 2014. He has appeared in ''Martial Law'', '' Comi ...

, and

Rosie Perez Rosa Maria Perez (born September 6, 1964) is an American actress. Her breakthrough came at age 24 with her portrayal of Tina in the film '' Do the Right Thing'' (1989), followed by '' White Men Can't Jump'' (1992). Perez's performance in '' Fear ...

. Ward began her career as a child actor in the 1980s, appearing in a recurring role in the musical-dance drama series '' Fame'' from 1985 to 1986. She later appeared in '' Webster'', ''

Paradise In religion and folklore, paradise is a place of everlasting happiness, delight, and bliss. Paradisiacal notions are often laden with pastoral imagery, and may be cosmogonical, eschatological, or both, often contrasted with the miseries of human ...

'' and ''

Family Matters ''Family Matters'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired on ABC for eight seasons from September 22, 1989, to May 9, 1997, then moved to CBS for its ninth and final season from September 19, 1997, to July 17, 1998. A spin-of ...

''. From 1990 to 1991, she co-starred in the short-lived

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

sitcom '' You Take the Kids'', starring

Nell Carter Nell Carter (born Nell Ruth Hardy; September 13, 1948 – January 23, 2003) was an American actress and singer. Carter began her career in 1970, singing in the theater, and later began work on television. She was best known for her role as Nell ...

. Ward later took ten year-break from acting and in 2000s, began appearing in episodes of ''

Friends ''Friends'' is an American television sitcom created by David Crane (producer), David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting List of Friends episodes, ten seasons. With an ensemble cast ...

'', ''

Strong Medicine ''Strong Medicine'' is an American medical drama with a focus on feminist politics, health issues and class conflict that aired on the Lifetime network from 2000 to 2006. It was created and produced in part by Whoopi Goldberg, who made cam ...

'', ''

The Shield ''The Shield'' is an American crime drama television series created by Shawn Ryan and starring Michael Chiklis that aired on FX from March 12, 2002 to November 25, 2008 for seven seasons. The show is known for its portrayal of corrupt police ...

'', and '' Lincoln Heights''. In 2004, she made her movie debut appearing in an supporting role in the thriller '' Motives'', opposite

Vivica A. Fox Vivica Anjanetta Fox (born July 30, 1964) is an American actress and producer. She began her career on ''Soul Train'' (19821983) and played roles on the daytime television soap operas ''Days of Our Lives'' (1988) and ''Generations (American TV s ...

and

Shemar Moore Shemar Franklin Moore (born April 20, 1970) is an American actor. His notable roles include Malcolm Winters on ''The Young and the Restless'' (1994–2002, 2004–05, 2014, 2019, 2023), Derek Morgan on ''Criminal Minds'' (2005–17), and the l ...

. She later appeared in several featuring films, including ''

Boss'n Up ''Boss'n Up'', a musical film inspired by Snoop Dogg's album '' R&G (Rhythm & Gangsta): The Masterpiece'', debuted on 6 December 2005. The film was released in DVD format, and was the first film made under Snoop Dogg's newly-founded production ...

'' (2005), '' Traci Townsend'' (2006), and ''

N-Secure ''N-Secure'' is a 2010 American crime thriller film Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is pa ...

'' (2009). From 2006 to 2015, she had a recurring role in the CW/BET comedy series, '' The Game''. Ward starred and produced films ''The Affair'' (2014) and ''Zodiac Sign'' (2015). She starred in the short-lived

Bounce TV Bounce TV is an American digital terrestrial television, digital broadcast television network owned by Scripps Networks, a subsidiary of E. W. Scripps Company. It launched on September 26, 2011, and was promoted as "the first 24/7 digital multic ...

sitcom ''Grown Folks'' in 2017, which was canceled after 13 episodes. In 2018, she received

Indie Series Awards The Indie Series Awards (formerly the Indie Soap Awards) is an annual event hosted by '' We Love Soaps'', based in Los Angeles, California, honoring the best in independently produced, scripted entertainment created for the Internet. The ceremon ...

nomination for her performance in the

Victoria Rowell Victoria Lynn Rowell (born May 10, 1959) is an American actress, screenwriter, director, and producer. She began her career as a ballet dancer and model before making her acting debut in the 1987 comedy film '' Leonard Part 6''. In 1990, Rowell ...

comedy series '' The Rich and the Ruthless''. Later in 2018, she so-created alongside her husband Craig Ross Jr., starred and produced

Urban Movie Channel ALLBLK (typeset as ALLBLK in press materials but stylized allblk in its logotype; pronounced as "all-black"; ALLWAYSBLK in Canada and the Caribbean), formerly Urban Movie Channel (UMC) is an over-the-top SVOD service operated by the AMC Network ...

drama series ''

Monogamy Monogamy ( ) is a social relation, relationship of Dyad (sociology), two individuals in which they form a mutual and exclusive intimate Significant other, partnership. Having only one partner at any one time, whether for life or #Serial monogamy ...

''.

Personal life

On June 26, 2011, Caryn Ward married television and film director Craig Ross, Jr.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ward Ross, Caryn Year of birth missing (living people) Living people 20th-century African-American actresses 20th-century American actresses 21st-century African-American actresses 21st-century American actresses Actresses from Los Angeles African-American child actresses African-American dancers African-American female dancers American child actresses American female dancers American film actresses American television actresses Dancers from California Howard University alumni