Chandra Wilson - wikipedia Chandra Wilson Chandra Wilson Wilson at the 2014 Voice Awards, August 2014 Chandra Danette Wilson ( 1969 - 08 - 27 ) August 27, 1969 ( age 48 ) Houston, Texas, U.S. Alma mater New York University Occupation Actress, singer, director Years active 1989 -- present Children Chandra Danette Wilson ( born August 27, 1969 ) is an American actress, known for her role as Dr. Miranda Bailey in the ABC television drama Grey 's Anatomy since 2005, for which she has been nominated for the Emmy for Best Supporting Actress four times. She made her New York stage debut in 1991 and began to land guest spots on a variety of prime - time television shows. She made her first film appearance in the 1993 film Philadelphia. Contents 1 Early life 2 Career 3 Personal life 3.1 Activism 4 Credits 4.1 Film 4.2 Television 4.3 Theatre 5 Awards and nominations 6 References 7 External links Early Life Wilson was born and raised in Houston, Texas. Her mother, a postal worker, wanted to keep her daughter active, so she enrolled Chandra in a litany of after - school activities that would set the course for her show business career. `` Starting at age four, my mom decided that she was not going to have an idle child in the house, '' Wilson recalls. `` So I started taking dance lessons on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and then I was in acting classes on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and I was also modeling on Saturdays. And that was my childhood. '' By the age of five, Wilson was performing in musicals with Houston 's Theatre Under the Stars company. She attended Houston 's High School for the Performing and Visual Arts and continued on to New York University 's Tisch School of the Arts, graduating with a BFA in drama in 1991. For the next four years, from 1991 -- 95, she studied at the Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute while at the same time racking up professional theater credits. She made her New York debut in a 1991 production of The Good Times Are Killing Me and won a Theater World Award for Outstanding Debut Performance. Her other early stage credits include off - Broadway productions of Paper Moon : The Musical and Little Shop of Horrors. While she was making a name for herself on the New York stage, Wilson also began to land guest spots on a variety of prime - time television shows. She appeared on The Cosby Show ( 1989 ), Law & Order ( 1992 ) and CBS ' Schoolbreak Special ( 1992 ). She made her big - screen debut alongside Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington in the highly acclaimed 1993 film Philadelphia. Despite receiving high praise for nearly all of her performances, however, Wilson struggled for many years to gain more prominent roles. For eight years, while she tried to break into major stardom, Wilson worked part - time as a teller at Deutsche Bank in order to make ends meet. Throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s, Wilson continued to turn in memorable, if brief, performances on popular TV shows. She appeared on Third Watch ( 2001 ), Sex and the City ( 2002 ), The Sopranos ( 2004 ) and in sporadic episodes of Law And Order : SVU. And while struggling to land recurring roles on television, Wilson managed to attain considerable prominence on the Broadway stage in musicals such as On the Town ( 1998 ), Avenue Q ( 2003 ) and Caroline, or Change ( 2004 ). In 2005, Wilson landed her breakthrough role as Dr. Miranda Bailey on the hit ABC show Grey 's Anatomy. Career Wilson 's first regular network TV role was in the short - lived series Bob Patterson ( 2001 ), a post-Seinfeld vehicle for Jason Alexander. In a review for USA Today, Robert Bianco called Wilson `` the only person in the show you can imagine wanting to see again ''. Similarly, the Los Angeles Times said, `` The only character here that 's amusingly written is Bob 's new assistant, Claudia ( Chandra Wilson ) ''. She also appeared on Law & Order SVU, Sex and the City, and The Sopranos, and had a small role in Lone Star ( 1996 ). Wilson also had career in theater, where she played Bonna Willis in The Good Times Are Killing Me, and was featured in the Tony - nominated musical Caroline, or Change. Wilson is an accomplished singer, and has sung in several productions. Wilson worked as a temp at Deutsche Bank Alex. Brown where she made presentations for the investment banking units. She worked at the Banker 's Trust location on 130 Liberty Street, right across the street from the South Tower of the World Trade Center through 9 - 11 when that building was lost to the terrorist attacks. Wilson was still working at a bank when she auditioned for the Grey 's Anatomy pilot. She was cast as Miranda Bailey, a role initially envisioned as a blond Caucasian woman. The show became a success. Wilson was nominated in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 for an Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama. She was nominated and won the Screen Actors Guild Award in 2007 for Outstanding Female Actor in a Drama Series ; she also won a SAG Award as part of the Grey 's Anatomy cast, which won Best Ensemble in a Drama Series. Wilson made her television directing debut with the episode `` Give Peace a Chance '', the 7th episode in season 6 of Grey 's Anatomy. She also directed episode 17, `` Push '', of the same season and the fifth episode of season 7, `` Almost Grown '', the 21st episode of eight season, `` Moment of Truth '', `` Second Opinion '', the 6th episode of ninth season and `` Transplant Wasteland '', the 17th episode of ninth season. The part of Dr. Bailey, supervisor to the hospital interns, had been written for a petite, Caucasian blonde, but Wilson, a full - figured African - American woman, gave such an impressive audition that the show 's producers decided to give her the part. `` Besides, '' she later joked, `` I knew the casting director. '' Wilson earned rave reviews for her performance as the tough - as - nails Dr. Bailey. Wilson was nominated for four consecutive Emmy Awards ( 2006 - 2009 ) and won four consecutive NAACP Image Awards ( 2007 - 2010 ) for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. She also won the 2008 People 's Choice Award for Favorite Scene - Stealing Star. In 2009, while still starring on Grey 's Anatomy, Wilson took a brief hiatus from the show to return to Broadway as Mama Morton in a revival of Chicago. Wilson said the only difference between her acting career now and her acting career a decade ago is that people actually recognize her on the street. `` The only difference in my career now is the visibility I have, '' she insisted. `` People say I made it now, but I feel like I made it doing summer stock. '' She is also clear - headed about the fragility of her new - found fame and fortune. Upon finally leaving her job at Deutsche Bank to focus solely on her role in Grey 's Anatomy, Wilson was careful not to burn any bridges. She said, `` They told me I could come back if acting does n't work out. I told them, ' Keep my seat warm. ' '' Personal Life In Parade May 6, 2007 edition Wilson described herself as `` I 'm in a relationship but I 'm not married ''. She has been with her boyfriend for 9 years as of 2007. Wilson and her partner have 3 children ; their daughter Sarina was born in 1992, daughter Joylin was born in 1998, and son Michael was born on October 31, 2005. Activism Wilson is an activist for the cause of cyclic vomiting syndrome and serves as the spokesperson for the Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome Association, as well as, the celebrity ambassador for CureMito ! after her teenage daughter, Sarina, developed the disease in 2010. For the ninth season of Grey 's Anatomy Wilson met with the producers and pitched the idea of featuring cyclic vomiting syndrome in an upcoming episode. The episode, `` Second Opinion '', aired on November 15, 2012 and was directed by Wilson. She also is an advocate for people with mental and / or substance use disorders. In 2015, she hosted the 10th Annual Voice Awards event for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Credits Film Year Title Role Notes Peer Pressure, Drugs and... You 1993 Mad Dog and Glory 1993 Philadelphia Chandra Lone Star Athena 2003 Head of State Jaime Uncredited 2005 I Love the 80 's 3 - D Herself 2008 A Single Woman Coretta Scott King 2008 Accidental Friendship Yvonne Caldwell Frankie and Alice Maxine Television Year Title Role Notes The Cosby Show Dina Episode : `` The Lost Weekend '' 1992 CBS Schoolbreak Special Gloria Episode : `` Sexual Considerations '' 1992 Law & Order Serena Price Episode : `` Cradle to Grave '' 2000 Cosby Unknown Episode : `` It 's a Wonderful Wife '' 2001 Third Watch Volunteer Episode : `` Man Enough '' 2001 100 Centre Street Unknown Episode : `` No Good Deed Goes Unpunished '' 2001 Bob Patterson Claudia Unknown episodes 2002 Sex and the City Police Officer Episode : `` Anchors Away '' 2002 Law & Order : Special Victims Unit Nurse Jenkins Episode : `` Waste '' 2003 Queens Supreme Dolores Episode : `` The House Next Door '' The Sopranos Evelyn Greenwood Episode : `` Cold Cuts '' 2005 Law & Order : Special Victims Unit Rachel Sorannis Episode : `` 911 '' 2005 -- present Grey 's Anatomy Dr. Miranda Bailey Main Cast ( Season 1 -- present ) NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series ( 2007 -- 08 ) People 's Choice Award for Favorite Scene Stealing Star Satellite Award for Best Cast -- Television Series Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series Nominated -- BET Award for Best Actress on Television ( 2007 -- 08 ) Nominated -- Golden Nymph Award for Outstanding Actress -- Drama Series Nominated -- NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series ( 2010 -- 14 ) Nominated -- NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Nominated -- Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series ( 2006 -- 09 ) Nominated -- Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress -- Series, Miniseries or Television Film ( 2007 -- 08 ) Nominated -- Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series ( 2006, 2008 ) 2008 Accidental Friendship Yvonne Television movie Prism Award for Performance in a Television Movie or Miniseries Nominated -- NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special Nominated -- Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie 2009 Private Practice Dr. Miranda Bailey 2 episodes Theatre Chicago ( 2009 ) Caroline, or Change ( 2004 ) Avenue Q ( 2003 ) On The Town ( 1998 ) Awards and nominations BET Awards 2008, Best Actress : Grey 's Anatomy ( nominated ) 2007, Best Actress : Grey 's Anatomy ( nominated ) Emmy Awards 2009, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series : Grey 's Anatomy ( nominated ) 2009, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie : Accidental Friendship ( nominated ) 2008, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series : Grey 's Anatomy ( nominated ) 2007, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series : Grey 's Anatomy ( nominated ) 2006, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series : Grey 's Anatomy ( nominated ) Image Awards 2014, Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series : Grey 's Anatomy ( nominated ) 2013, Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series : Grey 's Anatomy ( nominated ) 2012, Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series : Grey 's Anatomy ( nominated ) 2011, Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series : Grey 's Anatomy ( nominated ) 2010, Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series : Grey 's Anatomy - Give Peace a Chance ( winner ) 2010, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series : Grey 's Anatomy ( nominated ) 2009, Outstanding Actress in a Mini-Series / Television Movie : Accidental Friendship ( nominated ) 2009, Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series : Grey 's Anatomy ( Winner ) 2008, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series : Grey 's Anatomy ( winner ) 2007, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series : Grey 's Anatomy ( winner ) 2006, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series : Grey 's Anatomy ( nominated ) People 's Choice Awards 2008, Favorite Scene Stealing Star : Grey 's Anatomy ( winner ) Satellite Awards 2008, Best Supporting Actress in a Television Vision / Mini-Series : Grey 's Anatomy ( nominated ) 2007, Best Supporting Actress in a Television Vision / Mini-Series : Grey 's Anatomy ( nominated ) 2008, Best Ensemble Cast in a Series : Grey 's Anatomy ( Winner ) Screen Actors Guild Awards 2008, Outstanding Cast in a Drama Series : Grey 's Anatomy ( nominated ) 2007, Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series : Grey 's Anatomy ( winner ) 2007, Outstanding Cast in a Drama Series : Grey 's Anatomy ( winner ) Theatre World Award 1991, Performance as Bonna Willis in The Good Times are Killing Me References Jump up ^ `` Chandra Wilson : Biography ''. TV Guide. Retrieved 2013 - 05 - 05. Jump up ^ `` Chandra Wilson - Biography ''. Yahoo !. Retrieved 2013 - 05 - 05. Jump up ^ `` Chandra Wilson biography ''. The Biography Channel. Retrieved 2013 - 05 - 05. Jump up ^ `` Alexander 's sitcom lacks character ''. USA Today. 2001 - 10 - 02. Jump up ^ Rosenberg, Howard ( 2001 - 10 - 02 ). `` Comic Timing Ca n't Save ' Bob Patterson ' ''. Los Angeles Times. Jump up ^ MacMedan, Dan ( 2006 - 03 - 01 ). `` At TV fest, ' Grey 's Anatomy ' cast has as much fun as characters ''. USA Today. Retrieved 2007 - 01 - 28. Jump up ^ ^ `` Grey 's Anatomy : Transplant Wasteland ''. Zap2It. Retrieved February 23, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Archived copy ''. Archived from the original on 2010 - 08 - 17. Retrieved 2016 - 07 - 07. Jump up ^ Freydkin, Donna ( 2006 - 09 - 20 ). `` Grey 's ladies ''. USA Today. Retrieved 2007 - 01 - 28. Jump up ^ `` Chandra Wilson ''. curemito.org. Jump up ^ Salahi, Lara ( 2011 - 04 - 11 ). `` ' Grey 's Anatomy ' Chandra Wilson : Real - Life Stomach Migraine Mystery ''. ABC News. Retrieved 2014 - 08 - 20. Jump up ^ `` Grey 's Anatomy, Chandra Wilson - CVSA ''. cvsaonline.org. Jump up ^ `` Second Opinion ''. 15 November 2012 -- via IMDb. ^ Jump up to : http://www.samhsa.gov/newsroom/press-announcements/201503090430 Jump up ^ `` The Good Times Are Killing Me ''. ( McGinn - Cazale ) Loretel Archives / The Off - Broadway Database ( Lucille Lortel Foundation ). Retrieved 24 February 2013. External links Chandra Wilson on IMDb Chandra Wilson at the Internet Broadway Database Satellite Award for Best Cast -- Television Series 2000 The West Wing Alan Alda Stockard Channing Kristin Chenoweth Dulé Hill Allison Janney Moira Kelly Rob Lowe Joshua Malina Mary McCormack Janel Moloney Richard Schiff Martin Sheen Jimmy Smits John Spencer Bradley Whitford 2001 Buffy the Vampire Slayer Amber Benson Marc Blucas David Boreanaz Nicholas Brendon Charisma Carpenter Emma Caulfield Sarah Michelle Gellar Seth Green Alyson Hannigan Anthony Stewart Head James Marsters Michelle Trachtenberg 2005 Rescue Me Denis Leary John Scurti Daniel Sunjata Mike Lombardi Steven Pasquale Andrea Roth Callie Thorne Adam Ferrara Larenz Tate James McCaffrey Dean Winters 2006 Grey 's Anatomy Justin Chambers Eric Dane Patrick Dempsey Katherine Heigl T.R. Knight Sandra Oh James Pickens Jr. Ellen Pompeo Sara Ramirez Kate Walsh Isaiah Washington Chandra Wilson 2007 Mad Men Bryan Batt Anne Dudek Michael Gladis Jon Hamm Christina Hendricks January Jones Vincent Kartheiser Robert Morse Elisabeth Moss Kiernan Shipka Maggie Siff John Slattery Rich Sommer Aaron Staton 2009 True Blood Chris Bauer Mehcad Brooks Anna Camp Nelsan Ellis Michelle Forbes Mariana Klaveno Ryan Kwanten Todd Lowe Michael McMillian Stephen Moyer Anna Paquin Jim Parrack Carrie Preston William Sanderson Alexander Skarsgård Sam Trammell Rutina Wesley Deborah Ann Woll 2012 The Walking Dead Andrew Lincoln Sarah Wayne Callies Laurie Holden Norman Reedus Steven Yeun Lauren Cohan Chandler Riggs Melissa McBride Scott Wilson Danai Gurira Michael Rooker David Morrissey 2013 Orange Is the New Black Taylor Schilling Laura Prepon Michael J. Harney Michelle Hurst Kate Mulgrew Jason Biggs 2014 The Knick Clive Owen André Holland Jeremy Bobb Juliet Rylance Eve Hewson Michael Angarano Chris Sullivan Cara Seymour Eric Johnson David Fierro Maya Kazan Leon Addison Brown Grainger Hines Matt Frewer 2015 American Crime Felicity Huffman Timothy Hutton W. Earl Brown Richard Cabral Regina King Caitlin Gerard Benito Martinez Penelope Ann Miller Elvis Nolasco Johnny Ortiz 2016 Outlander Caitriona Balfe Sam Heughan Tobias Menzies Lotte Verbeek Laura Donnelly Steven Cree Duncan Lacroix Grant O'Rourke Gary Lewis Graham McTavish Stephen Walters Simon Callow Nell Hudson Dominique Pinon Stanley Weber Richard Rankin Sophie Skelton Andrew Gower Rosie Day Clive Russell Frances de la Tour Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series Kathy Baker ( 1994 ) Gillian Anderson ( 1995 ) Gillian Anderson ( 1996 ) Julianna Margulies ( 1997 ) Julianna Margulies ( 1998 ) Edie Falco ( 1999 ) Allison Janney ( 2000 ) Allison Janney ( 2001 ) Edie Falco ( 2002 ) Frances Conroy ( 2003 ) Jennifer Garner ( 2004 ) Sandra Oh ( 2005 ) Chandra Wilson ( 2006 ) Edie Falco ( 2007 ) Sally Field ( 2008 ) Julianna Margulies ( 2009 ) Julianna Margulies ( 2010 ) Jessica Lange ( 2011 ) Claire Danes ( 2012 ) Maggie Smith ( 2013 ) Viola Davis ( 2014 ) Viola Davis ( 2015 ) Claire Foy ( 2016 ) Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series ( 2000 -- 2009 ) 2000 : The West Wing, season 1 / season 2 Hill Janney Kelly Lowe Moloney Schiff Sheen Spencer Whitford 2001 : The West Wing, season 2 / season 3 Hill Janney Lowe Moloney Schiff Sheen Spencer Whitford 2002 : Six Feet Under, season 2 Ambrose Conroy Griffiths Hall Krause Rodríguez St. Patrick 2003 : Six Feet Under, season 3 Ambrose Conroy Foster Griffiths Hall Krause Macdissi Machado Rodríguez St. Patrick Taylor Wilson 2004 : CSI : Crime Scene Investigation, season 4 / season 5 Dourdan Eads Fox Guilfoyle Hall Helgenberger Petersen Szmanda 2005 : Lost, season 1 / season 2 Akinnuoye - Agbaje Andrews de Ravin Fox Garcia Grace Holloway Kelley D.D. Kim Y. Kim Lilly Monaghan O'Quinn Perrineau Rodriguez Somerhalder Watros 2006 : Grey 's Anatomy, season 2 / season 3 Chambers Dane Dempsey Heigl Knight Oh Pickens Pompeo Ramirez Walsh Washington Wilson 2007 The Sopranos, season 6, part II Antonacci Bracco Falco Gandolfini Grimaldi Iler Imperioli Nascarella Schirripa Servitto Sigler Sirico Turturro Van Zandt Vincent 2008 : Mad Men, season 2 Batt Brie Gladis Hamm Hart Hendricks Jones Kartheiser Moses Moss Shipka Slattery Sommer Staton 2009 : Mad Men, season 3 Alemanni Batt Gilmore Gladis Hamm Harris Hendricks Jones Kartheiser Morse Moss Shipka Slattery Sommer Stanley Staton Complete list ( 1994 -- 1999 ) ( 2000 -- 2009 ) ( 2010 -- present ) VIAF : 26825755 LCCN : no2006103300 MusicBrainz : 217156c7 - 28fc - 4d7f - 8fed - 8afb99b1cd63 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chandra_Wilson&oldid=798516925 '' Categories : 1969 births Living people Tisch School of the Arts alumni Actresses from Houston Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series Screen Actors Guild Award winners Women television directors African - American television directors American television directors American television actresses African - American actresses American actresses American film actresses African - American female singers American musical theatre actresses American stage actresses 20th - century American actresses 21st - century American actresses High School for the Performing and Visual Arts alumni Hidden categories : Articles with hCards Articles with IBDb links Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Asturianu Čeština Deutsch Eesti Ελληνικά Español فارسی Français 한국어 Հայերեն Italiano עברית ქართული Magyar Bahasa Melayu Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Polski Português Русский Suomi Svenska Edit links This page was last edited on 2 September 2017, at 09 : 51. 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Question: who plays miranda bailey on grey's anatomy
Answer: Chandra Danette Wilson