Aesha Hash Waks is an American actress of Israeli descent, born and raised in the

Far Rockaway, Queens Far Rockaway is a neighborhood on the eastern part of the Rockaway peninsula in the New York City borough of Queens. It is the easternmost section of the Rockaways. The neighborhood extends from Beach 32nd Street east to the Nassau County line ...

section of New York City.

Early life and education

Waks was born to Israel and Mindy Waks. She is of Israeli, German, Russian, and Polish descent. Waks's father works in fashion and interior installation. Her mother, Mindy, was a full-time artist. Her parents named her after

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, Pop musi ...

's song "Aisha". Her brother, Geffen Waks, is a hip-hop artist. Waks guest starred in

WWOR-TV WWOR-TV (channel 9) is a television station licensed to Secaucus, New Jersey, United States, serving the New York City area as the Flagship (broadcasting), flagship of MyNetworkTV. It is owned-and-operated station, owned and operated by Fox Te ...

’s ''

Romper Room ''Romper Room'' is an American children's television series that was franchised and syndicated from 1953 to 1994. The program targeted preschoolers (children five years of age or younger), and was created and produced by Bert Claster and his ...

'' at age five and sang the national anthem at Shea Stadium for the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

at age seven. Waks got her SAG card by skating in a Honey Combs commercial and went on to do many more commercials including Levis, Buffalino Boots and

Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology corporation producing computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at the Microsoft Redmond campus located in Redmond, Washing ...

. Waks then performed in a number of television guest spots including ''

New York Undercover ''New York Undercover'' is an American Police procedural, police drama that aired on the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox television network from September 8, 1994, to February 11, 1999. The series starred Malik Yoba as Detective J.C. Williams and ...

'', ''City Kids'', ''

Third Watch ''Third Watch'' is an American crime drama television series created by John Wells and Edward Allen Bernero that aired on NBC from September 26, 1999, to May 6, 2005, with a total of 132 episodes spanning over six seasons. It was produced by ...

'', and ''

Late Night with Conan O'Brien ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Conan O'Brien. NBC aired 2,725 episodes from September 13, 1993, to February 20, 2009. The show featured varied comedic material, celebrity interviews, and music ...

''. Waks studied drama at

Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, often referred to simply as LaGuardia, is a public High school (North America), high school specializing in teaching visual arts and performing arts, located near Lincoln Ce ...

. As a high school student, Waks was also a professional choreographer and world tour dancer for

Reel 2 Real Reel 2 Real was an American hip house musical project that had seven top 10 hits on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart in the 1990s. Biography The project's core member was producer and DJ Erick Morillo from New York City, who spent a porti ...

and made appearances in music videos for

Wu-Tang Clan Wu-Tang Clan is an American hip hop group formed in Staten Island, New York City, in 1992. Its original members include RZA, GZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, and Masta Killa. Close affili ...

("Oh God"),

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...

Believe Believe may refer to: *Belief, a psychological state in which an individual holds a proposition or premise to be true, with or without proof for such proposition *Faith, a belief in something which has not been proven Arts, entertainment, and me ...

"), and

Tag Team Tag team wrestling is a type of professional wrestling in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. Tag teams may be made up of wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of establish ...

(" Whoomp There It Is"). During that time, Waks was paying for her Broadway dance school lessons by performing as a cage dancer for the

Palladium Palladium is a chemical element with the symbol Pd and atomic number 46. It is a rare and lustrous silvery-white metal discovered in 1803 by the English chemist William Hyde Wollaston. He named it after the asteroid Pallas, which was itself na ...

and

The Limelight The Limelight was the name of a chain of nightclubs owned and operated by Peter Gatien. It had locations in New York City, Chicago, Atlanta, London and Hallandale. Context During the 1980s, club culture had died down because of the AIDS ...

. Waks attended

Kingsborough Community College Kingsborough Community College (KBCC) is a public community college in Brooklyn, New York. It is part of the City University of New York (CUNY) system and the only community college in Brooklyn.Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development The New York University Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development (commonly referred to as Steinhardt) is the secondary liberal arts and education school of New York University. It is one of the only schools in the world of i ...

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

Career

Waks went on to appear in other films including ''

A Brother's Kiss ''A Brother's Kiss'' is a 1997 American independent drama film written and directed by Seth Zvi Rosenfeld and starring Nick Chinlund and Michael Raynor. It is based on the 1988 play by Rosenfeld. It is also Rosenfeld's directorial debut. ''A Br ...

'' (1997), '' Went to Coney Island on a Mission from God... Be Back by Five'' (1998), ''A Packing Suburbia'' (1999), ''Remedy'' (2005), ''Priceless'' (2008), '' Night Stream'' (2013) with Andre Joseph, and ''The Bad Apple,'' which featured Waks on a billboard campaign for Lydia Leung between Canal and Lafayette St. in New York City. Waks cameoed in the internet comedy series, ''

POYKPAC POYKPAC was a comedy troupe based in Brooklyn, New York City that consisted of Jenn Lyon, Taige Jensen, Ryan Hunter, Ryan Hall, and Maggie Ross. Its YouTube channel has over 71,000 subscribers and more than 88 million views. They are most wel ...

'', for Ryan Hunter. She also helped produce in a music video for

Riff Raff Riff Raff, Riffraff, or Riff-Raff, a term for the common people but with negative connotations, may refer to: In music * Riff Raff (rapper), from Texas * Riff Raff (band), a UK progressive rock band * Riff Raff, a band formed by Billy Bragg * ...

and also had cameo roles in the music videos for "Midnight Sprite" and "Bo Jackson Freestyle". Waks, also a singer and songwriter, performed her self-entitled song "Fun Dip" on

Fuse TV Fuse is an American pay television channel launched in 1994 which was originally dedicated to music. After merging with the Hispanic and Latino Americans, Latino-oriented NuvoTV in 2015, Fuse shifted its focus to general entertainment and lifestyl ...

and appeared in her music video "Neck Bop" which was produced by Al McDowell and featured a cameo by Miri Ben-Ari. Aesha recently co-starred in the fourth episode of Gotham for Warner Bros. Television on the Fox Network. Waks is the host of the Women in Fashion and Film Festival. She has also worked closely hosting with Chance TV. Waks is known for her cover and centerfold on ''

High Times ''High Times'' is an American monthly magazine (and cannabis brand) that advocates the Legalization of non-medical cannabis in the United States, legalization of cannabis as well as other counterculture ideas. The magazine was founded in 1974 by ...

'' magazine which was also featured in ''

Playboy ''Playboy'' is an American men's lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. K ...

'' magazine. She has also been in ''

Maxim Maxim or Maksim may refer to: Entertainment * ''Maxim'' (magazine), an international men's magazine ** ''Maxim'' (Australia), the Australian edition ** ''Maxim'' (India), the Indian edition *Maxim Radio, ''Maxim'' magazine's radio channel on Sir ...

'' and the cover of ''Lifestyles Magazine''. She appeared in runway shows such as Lincoln Center Fashion Week for Popluxe by Richie Rich as well as Skrapper, Chong Cha, Allen & Suzi, Patricia Fields, and various others. In 2013, Waks made a guest appearance on

XOX Betsey Johnson ''XOX Betsey Johnson'' is an American reality television series on the Style Network and debuted on May 12, 2013. The series follows Betsey Johnson and her daughter, Lulu, as they struggle to evolve their mother-daughter relationship, move on from ...

on the

Style Network Esquire Network was an American pay television network that was a 50/50 joint venture between NBCUniversal and the Hearst Corporation. The network carried programs aimed at a metrosexual audience centering on travel, cooking, sports and fashio ...

. Waks has also worked behind the scenes for

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

as a crowd hyper and casting director and as a production assistant for

The Andy Milonakis Show ''The Andy Milonakis Show'' is an American sketch comedy television show starring Andy Milonakis, which aired on MTV2, the first season having aired on MTV. The program premiered on June 26, 2005 and ended with its three-season run when it wa ...

(2005), an associate producer on Good Humor (2002), and When the Devil Comes (2013). Waks has been appearing on page six of the ''

New York Post The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates NYPost.com, the celebrity gossip site PageSix.com, and the entertainment site Decider.com. It was established ...

'' since the release of her movie "A Packing Suburbia" in 1999. Most recently with her former fiancé, Liam McMullan, son of photographer

Patrick McMullan Patrick McMullan is an American photographer, columnist, television personality and socialite. His photo work focuses on people, particularly A-list celebrities, superstar fashion designers, models, actors, politicians, cultural icons and the ...

.Guest of a Guest (USA) 4 June 2009, pg. 2, by: Racheal Hruska, "Meet Liam Mcmullans Fiance Aesha Waks" The couple had a band called Danger who recorded the song "Bad Press" produced by

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

's protege, Eddy Cascio.

Awards

Waks studied at the

Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute (originally the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute) is an acting school founded in 1969 by actor, director, and acting teacher Lee Strasberg. The Institute is located in Union Square on East 15th Street, a ...

, Bill Esper Studios,

Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre (shorter UCB Theatre) is an American improvisational theatre company and training center founded by the Upright Citizens Brigade troupe members Matt Besser, Amy Poehler, Ian Roberts and Matt Walsh. Prior to ...

, and Centerstage. Waks has starred and co-starred in over 40 films and won two best actress awards at the Olympia Film Festival including best actress for the title role of Gena in ''

Arresting Gena ''Arresting Gena'' is a 1997 American crime drama film written and directed by Hannah Weyer and starring Aesha Waks, Summer Phoenix, J. Smith-Cameron, and Sam Rockwell. It premiered in competition at the 1997 Sundance Film Festival. Premise Duri ...

'' (1997), co-starring

Adrian Grenier Adrian Sean Grenier (born July 10, 1976) is an American actor, producer, director and musician. He is best known for his portrayal of Vincent Chase in the television series ''Entourage (American TV series), Entourage'' (2004–2011). He has appe ...

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Summer Phoenix Summer Joy Phoenix (née Bottom) is an American actress. She is the youngest sibling of actors River Phoenix, Rain Phoenix, Joaquin Phoenix, and Liberty Phoenix. Early life Phoenix was born in Winter Park, Florida. Her mother, Arlyn Sharo ...

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Rini Bell Honorine Bell is an American actress. Career Bell has been in movies such as '' Ghost World'', ''The Terminal'', ''Bring It On'', '' Road Trip'', Baja Beach Bums, and '' Jarhead''. She had a recurring role on ''Gilmore Girls'' playing Lulu, a lo ...

Heather Matarazzo Heather Christina Marie Matarazzo (born November 10, 1982) is an American actress. Her breakthrough role was Dawn Wiener in the film ''Welcome to the Dollhouse'' (1995). She played Lilly in ''The Princess Diaries'' (2001) and '' The Princess Dia ...

; produced by Goodmachine directed by

Hannah Weyer Hannah Weyer is an American filmmaker and writer living in New York, who has written, directed and produced narrative and documentary films. Her films have screened at the Human Rights Watch, Sundance and the New York Film Festivals and won reco ...

) and two French Avignon Film festival best actress for lead role Rayna in the film Money Shot (1996) costarring

Stephen Lang Stephen Lang (born July 11, 1952) is an American actor. He is known for roles in films including '' Manhunter'' (1986), '' Gettysburg'', '' Tombstone'' (both 1993), '' Gods and Generals'' (2003), '' Public Enemies'' (2009), ''Conan the Barbaria ...

and

Tamara Tunie Tamara Tunie (born March 14, 1959) is an American film, stage, and television actress, director, and producer. She is best known for her roles as attorney Jessica Griffin on the CBS soap opera ''As the World Turns'' (1987–1995, 2000–2007, 2009 ...

Filmography

Film

Television

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Waks, Aesha Actresses from New York City Female models from New York (state) American film actresses Living people Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development alumni People from Far Rockaway, Queens Year of birth missing (living people) Models from New York City 21st-century American women