Cynthia Addai-Robinson

**Cynthia Addai-Robinson** (born January 12, 1985) is an English-born American actress. She is known for her roles as Naevia in the Starz television series *Spartacus* and DC Comics character Amanda Waller in The CW TV series *Arrow*. Since November 2016, she played the role of Nadine Memphis on the USA Network series *Shooter*.

## Early life and education

Addai-Robinson was born in London; her mother is from Ghana and her father is a U.S. citizen. She moved to the U.S. when she was 4 and was raised by her mother in a suburb of Washington, D.C. She graduated from Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring, MD in 1998  and Tisch School of the Arts with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Theater. In addition, she trained at Lee Strasberg Theater Institute and in dance forms ballet, jazz and tap. She received some special forces-style training by Navy Seals and New Zealand Special Air Service personnel during the filming of *Spartacus: War of the Damned*.

## Career

After participating in several various Off-Broadway plays, she got her first role on television in 2002 in an episode of *The Education of Max Bickford*. In following years, she made small appearances on television shows like *Law & Order: Trial by Jury*, *Law & Order: Criminal Intent*, *CSI: Miami*, *Numb3rs* and *Justice*. In 2006, she was originally cast to play Melanie Barnett in the American sitcom *The Game*, but was replaced by Tia Mowry for unspecified reasons prior to the show's production. In 2009, she got her first recurring role on the ABC drama, *FlashForward* playing the character Debbie, a nurse. The same year she appeared in Tina Mabry's independent film *Mississippi Damned* as Milena.

In 2011, she made her big screen debut as the mother of Zoe Saldana's character (played by Amandla Stenberg) in *Colombiana*.

Her biggest role came from 2012 to 2013 when she was cast as Naevia in the third season *Spartacus: Vengeance* and the fourth season *Spartacus: War of the Damned* after Lesley-Ann Brandt decided to leave the series.

In early 2013, she played Aja, a powerful witch who came to help Bonnie on *The Vampire Diaries* for two episodes. She made a brief appearance as an on looker in the crowd in the film *Star Trek Into Darkness*. She played Leslie in *Jodi Arias: Dirty Little Secret*, a television movie about the murder of Travis Alexander. In September 2013, she was cast as the recurring character Amanda Waller in the hit The CW show *Arrow*.

In March 2014, she was cast as Emily D. West in the History Channel 2015 miniseries *Texas Rising*. Her performance was nominated for a Women's Image Network Award for Best Actress in a Drama Series.

In January 2015, she was cast in Gavin O'Connor's *The Accountant*, alongside Ben Affleck and J. K. Simmons, playing a U.S. Treasury Department analyst. The film was released in October 2016.

In March 2016, it was announced that she would be taking over Emily Rios' role from the television series *Shooter* as the female lead.

## References

1. ↑ Kecskes, Alex. "Interview with Spartacus' Cynthia Addai-Robinson".
2. ↑ "A Magnet Actress: Cynthia Addai-Robinson's journey to Hollywood", Montgomery Blair High School Magnet Foundation.
3. ↑ Cynthia Addai Robinson Official Website.
4. ↑ Development Update: February 14. The Futon Critic (February 14, 2006). Retrieved on August 4, 2017.
5. ↑ Development Update: February 27. The Futon Critic (February 27, 2006).
6. ↑ Pearson, Anthony. "Zoe Saldana plays hot action chick in new 'Colombiana' trailer". Retrieved on 5 May 2011.
7. ↑ Wightman, Catriona. "Cynthia Addai-Robinson joins 'Spartacus'". Retrieved on 3 May 2011.
8. ↑ Jodi Arias: Dirty Little Secret Movie.
9. ↑ Ausiello, Michael. "Arrow Targets Spartacus Alumna as Infamous DC Comics Villain Amanda Waller".
10. ↑ Cynthia Addai-Robinson Lands Lead In History's Texas Rangers Miniseries. Retrieved on March 18, 2014.
11. ↑ The Women's Image Network Awards.
12. ↑ 'Arrow' Actress Cynthia Addai-Robinson Joins 'The Accountant'.
13. ↑ Ben Affleck's 'Live by Night,' 'Accountant' Release Dates Pushed Back. Retrieved on August 7, 2015.
14. ↑ 'Shooter': Cynthia Addai-Robinson Lands Female Lead Of USA Series In Recasting. Retrieved on March 29, 2016.

## External links

* Cynthia Addai-Robinson at Babepedia
* Cynthia Addai-Robinson links at FreeOnes