Yolonda Ross

Raised in Omaha, Nebraska, Yolonda Ross moved to New York City to pursue a career in fashion. She took a job as an extra on "Saturday Night Live" (NBC, 1975-) that eventually led to her being cast in supporting guest role on "New York Undercover" (Fox, 1994-98), and Ross was bit by the acting bug. Her next onscreen part didn't come until four years later, but the part, the lead role in the film "Stranger Inside" (2001) earned her and Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Debut Performance.

Ross continued to play supporting roles, providing a key performance in the Denzel Washington directed film "Antwone Fisher" (2002), as well as parts on shows like "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" (NBC, 2001-2011) and "The Unit" (CBS, 2006-09). She played a recurring role on the critically acclaimed show "Treme" (HBO, 2010-13), then played Whitney Houston's friend and manager in the TV movie "Whitney" (Lifetime, 2015). She had another musical role in the high profile musical series "The Get Down" (HBO, 2016), as well as an arc on the hit drama "How to Get Away With Murder" (ABC, 2014-).