Erica Chantal Ash (born September 19, 1977) is an American actress, comedian, singer and model. She was a cast member on the

sketch comedy Sketch comedy comprises a series of short, amusing scenes or vignettes, called "sketches", commonly between one and ten minutes long, performed by a group of comic actors or comedians. The form developed and became popular in vaudeville, and ...

programs ''

MADtv ''Mad TV'' (stylized as ''MADtv'') is an American sketch comedy television series originally inspired by '' Mad'' magazine. In its initial run, it aired on Fox from 1995 to 2009. After a one-off reunion show in 2015 to celebrate the twentiet ...

'' and ''

The Big Gay Sketch Show ''The Big Gay Sketch Show'' is an LGBT-themed sketch comedy program that debuted on Logo on April 24, 2007. The series is produced by Rosie O'Donnell and directed by Amanda Bearse. The program was originally titled ''The Big Gay Show'' but was r ...

'', and she later starred in the

Starz Starz (stylized as STARZ since 2016; pronounced "stars") is an American premium cable and satellite television network owned by Lions Gate Entertainment, and is the flagship property of parent subsidiary Starz Inc. Programming on Starz consis ...

sitcom ''

Survivor's Remorse ''Survivor's Remorse'' is an American comedy-drama that aired on Starz. It premiered on October 4, 2014, and ended on October 15, 2017. The plot centers around the lives of Cam Calloway ( Jessie T. Usher) and his family after he signs a pro-bas ...

''.

Early life

Ash was born in

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, a ...

to Donald and Diann Ash. Her parents were both in the

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distin ...

, leading the family to relocate often, moving to Germany and other parts of the world. She attended a performing-arts school in

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,71 ...

, during her youth. Ash planned on becoming a doctor, graduating from

Emory University Emory University is a private research university in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1836 as "Emory College" by the Methodist Episcopal Church and named in honor of Methodist bishop John Emory, Emory is the second-oldest private institution of h ...

, in Atlanta with a degree in pre-medicine, and prepared to attend medical school. However, after a trip to Japan, where she became a backup singer and a runway model, Ash decided to pursue a career in entertainment.

Career

''The Big Gay Sketch Show''

In February 2006, Ash landed multiple job opportunities in Broadway shows like ''

The Lion King ''The Lion King'' is a 1994 American animated musical drama film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 32nd Disney animated feature film and the fifth produced during the Disney Renaissance, ...

'' and a two-week job in Germany. After returning from Germany, she successfully auditioned for the cable television comedy show ''

''. Ash was a cast member for only two seasons. While she was a cast member, Ash had to split her time between the first season of the sketch show and ''The Lion King''. Some of her characters included LaTanya, an uncouth, loudmouthed fitness instructor who teaches classes with a "Chicago-style" twist (i.e. Chicago-style yoga, Chicago-style pilates).

''MadTV''

Ash joined the cast of ''

'' in 2008 as a feature performer for the 14th season, along with

Matt Braunger Matthew Braunger (born August 1, 1974) is an American actor, writer, and stand-up comedian. His most recent special ''Finally Live In Portland'' was launched by Comedy Dynamics in 2019. Outside of performing stand-up, Braunger is noted for bein ...

Eric Price Eric Price (born July 19, 1974) is an American actor and comedian who is most notable for his membership in the recurring cast of comedians on sketch comedy series '' MADtv'' during its 14th Season. He is also known for his voice roles as Padd ...

, and Lauren Pritchard. She became the fifth African-American female cast member in the show's history (

Debra Wilson Debra Wilson, also known as Debra Wilson Skelton or Debra Skelton, is an American actress and comedian. She is known for being the longest-serving original cast member on the sketch comedy series '' Mad TV'', having appeared on the show's fir ...

Daniele Gaither Daniele Gaither is an American actress and comedian. Gaither is most notable for her membership in the recurring cast of comedians on sketch comedy series ''MADtv''. Early life Daniele Gaither was born in St. Paul, Minnesota. As a child, Gait ...

Nicole Randall Johnson Nicole Randall Johnson (born December 9, 1973) is an American actress, writer and producer. Johnson is most notable for her membership in the recurring cast of performers on the sketch comedy series ''MADtv''. Biography Johnson was born in Los ...

, and Daheli Hall were the first four). Of the five female African-American cast members, Ash and Hall are the only two who were never promoted to a repertory player. Ash remained a featured member of the ''MADtv'' cast during the show's 14th and final season on FOX.

Characters

Impressions

Filmography

The following is a brief list of Erica Ash's television and voice acting career projects as compiled by the

Internet Movie Database IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...

Film appearances

Television appearances

Video games

References

External links

*
Erica Ash's Official Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ash, Erica Living people Actresses from Florida African-American female models American female models African-American models American film actresses American television actresses American sketch comedians American video game actresses American voice actresses American women comedians Emory University alumni Female models from Florida 1977 births 21st-century American singers 21st-century American comedians 21st-century American actresses 20th-century African-American women singers 21st-century African-American women 21st-century African-American musicians