Sheryl Lee Ralph OJ (born December 30, 1956) is an American actress and singer. Known for her performances on stage and screen she earned acclaim for her role as Deena Jones in the Broadway musical Dreamgirls (1981), for which she was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical. Since 2021 she has starred as Barbara Howard on the ABC mockumentary sitcom Abbott Elementary, for which she received the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, becoming the first Black woman in 35 years to win the award.
She made her film screen debut in the 1977 comedy film A Piece of the Action. In 1991, she won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female for her performance in the 1990 comedy-drama film To Sleep with Anger. Ralph's other notable roles include The Mighty Quinn (1989), Mistress (1992), The Distinguished Gentleman (1992), Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (1993), and The Comeback Trail (2020).
After early guest roles on television shows such as Good Times, The Jeffersons and Wonder Woman she then starred in the ABC sitcoms It's a Living (1986–1989) and New Attitude (1990), as well as the Nick at Nite sitcom Instant Mom (2013–2015). Her role as Dee Mitchell, in the UPN sitcom Moesha (1996–2001) earned her five NAACP Image Award nominations.
Her other Broadway roles include Muzzy Van Hossmere in Thoroughly Modern Millie (2002) and Madame Morrible in Wicked (2016–2017). Additionally, she has produced the Broadway plays Thoughts of a Colored Man (2021) and Ohio State Murders (2022).
Early life
Ralph was born in Waterbury, Connecticut, the daughter of Stanley Ralph, a college professor, and Ivy Ralph O.D., a Jamaican fashion designer and the creator of the kariba suit. She has a younger brother, actor and comedian Michael Ralph. According to a DNA analysis, she descends partly from the Tikar people of Cameroon. She was raised between Mandeville, Jamaica, and Long Island. Ralph attended Uniondale High School in Uniondale, New York.
She starred in a high-school production of the musical Oklahoma!, portraying Ado Annie. Sheryl graduated in 1972. Earlier that year, she was crowned Miss Black Teen-age New York. At 19, Ralph was the youngest woman to ever graduate from Rutgers University. During her time at Rutgers, Ralph was one of the earliest winners of the Irene Ryan Acting Scholarships awarded by the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival.
That year she was named one of the top ten college women in America by Glamour magazine. Initially she hoped to study medicine, but after dealing with cadavers in a pre-med class and winning a scholarship in a competition at the American College Theater Festival, she gave up medicine for the performing arts. Many years later, she served as the commencement speaker at Rutgers for the Class of 2023.
Career
Ralph began her career in the 1970s, starring in the 1977 American crime comedy film A Piece of the Action directed by Sidney Poitier. She also made several appearances in television shows, such as Good Times, Wonder Woman and The Jeffersons. Ralph then landed a role in the Broadway production Reggae (1980), before portraying Deena Jones in the original Broadway musical Dreamgirls (1981). On television, she was in the cast of the CBS daytime soap opera Search for Tomorrow while starring on Broadway in Dreamgirls. For her performance in Dreamgirls, Ralph was nominated in 1982 for a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical.
Afterwards, she signed with Sid Bernstein's music label, and released her only studio album In the Evening in 1984. The album's title track peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Dance Music/Club Play Singles chart and No. 64 on the UK Singles Chart that same year. Ralph landed the leading role of Ginger St. James on the television series It's a Living. In 1988 she starred in the Disney film Oliver & Company, providing the voice of Rita, a sassy Afghan Hound. Her first leading role in a film came as Denzel Washington's wife in The Mighty Quinn, released in 1989.