Tawny Cypress is an American actress. She has appeared in various

television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

and

stage play A play is a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between characters and is intended for theatrical performance rather than mere reading. The creator of a play is known as a playwright. Plays are staged at various levels, ranging ...

s. She starred as art dealer

Simone Deveaux Simone Deveaux is a fictional character in the TV series '' Heroes''. She is portrayed by Tawny Cypress. Character's background Genesis When Simone Deveaux is introduced in the premiere episode, she is an art dealer living in New York City wh ...

on the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

superhero series ''

Heroes Heroes or Héroes may refer to: * Hero, one who displays courage and self-sacrifice for the greater good Film * ''Heroes'' (1977 film), an American drama * ''Heroes'' (2008 film), an Indian Hindi film Gaming * ''Heroes of Might and Magic'' ...

''. She previously held roles on several TV series, including

Fox Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species ...

's drama '' K-Ville'' as Ginger "Love Tap" LeBeau, Carly Heath on the

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

drama ''

House of Cards A house of cards (also known as a card tower or card castle) is a structure created by stacking playing cards on top of each other, often in the shape of a pyramid. "House of cards" is also an expression that dates back to 1645 meaning a struc ...

,'' and Cherie Rollins-Murray on the second and third seasons of the

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 ...

series ''

Unforgettable Unforgettable may refer to: Film * ''Unforgettable'' (1996 film), a thriller starring Ray Liotta * ''Unforgettable'' (2014 film), a Bollywood film * ''Unforgettable'' (2016 film), a South Korean film * ''Unforgettable'' (2017 film), an America ...

.'' In 2019, Cypress starred as Inez in the film ''Inez & Doug & Kira''. Since 2021, Cypress has starred as Taissa Turner on Showtime's '' Yellowjackets''.

Early life

Tawny Cypress was born in

Point Pleasant, New Jersey Point Pleasant is a Borough (New Jersey), borough situated on the Jersey Shore, in northern Ocean County, New Jersey, Ocean County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 18,941, an i ...

. She spent her childhood living in communities along the

Jersey Shore The Jersey Shore, commonly called the Shore by locals, is the coast, coastal region of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The term encompasses about of shore, oceanfront bordering the Atlantic Ocean, from Perth Amboy, New Jersey, Perth Amboy in the n ...

, including the towns of

Sea Girt Sea Girt is a Borough (New Jersey), borough situated on the Jersey Shore, within Monmouth County, New Jersey, Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 1,866, an increase ...

, Belmar and Red Bank. She attended

Mason Gross School of the Arts Mason Gross School of the Arts ("Mason Gross" or "MGSA") is the arts conservatory at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Mason Gross offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in art, design, dance, filmmaking, music, and theater. Ma ...

Rutgers University Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's C ...

. Cypress also attended William Esper Studio, where she was invited to teach in 2020.

Career

Since 2000, she has been actively working in film and television. She had a main role in '' The Blacklist: Redemption'' as Nez Rowan, a mercenary. In 2021, Cypress was cast on ''Yellowjackets'' in the main role of Taissa Turner, a survivor of a horrific plane crash in the 1990s, now running for the

New Jersey State Senate The New Jersey Senate is the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature by the Constitution of 1844, replacing the Legislative Council. There are 40 legislative districts, representing districts with an average population of 232,225 (2020 figure ...

while trying to keep quiet the demons of nineteen months of survival in the Canadian wilderness.

Personal life

Cypress resides in New York City. Her brother is comic book artist Toby Cypress. Since 2011, she has been married to Tom Dillon. They have one child and reside in New Jersey with their many dogs and cats. Cypress revealed in the documentary '' Queer for Fear'' that she is attracted to women.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* Actresses from New Jersey Living people People from Point Pleasant, New Jersey 21st-century American actresses American television actresses American film actresses American stage actresses 21st-century African-American actresses Year of birth missing (living people) African-American LGBTQ people American LGBTQ actresses LGBTQ people from New Jersey Actors from Ocean County, New Jersey {{US-theat-actor-stub