Annette Ngozi Ilonzeh (born August 23, 1983) is a Nigerian-American actress. From 2010 to 2011, she played Maya Ward on the

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

daytime soap opera ''

General Hospital ''General Hospital'' (often abbreviated as ''GH'') is an American daytime television soap opera. It is listed in ''Guinness World Records'' as the list of longest-running television shows by category, longest-running American soap opera in pro ...

'', and later starred as Kate Prince in the short-lived ABC reboot of ''

Charlie's Angels ''Charlie's Angels'' is an American crime drama television series that aired on ABC from September 22, 1976, to June 24, 1981, producing five seasons and 115 episodes. The series was created by Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts and was produced by Aa ...

''. She later had recurring roles on shows such as ''

Arrow An arrow is a fin-stabilized projectile launched by a bow. A typical arrow usually consists of a long, stiff, straight shaft with a weighty (and usually sharp and pointed) arrowhead attached to the front end, multiple fin-like stabilizers c ...

'', ''

Drop Dead Diva ''Drop Dead Diva'' is an American legal comedy-drama/fantasy television series that aired on Lifetime from July 12, 2009, to June 22, 2014. The series was created by Josh Berman and produced by Sony Pictures Television. It stars Brooke Elliott ...

'' and ''

Empire An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...

''. In 2017, Ilonzeh played

Kidada Jones Kidada Ann Jones ( ; born March 22, 1974) is an American actress, model, and fashion designer. Jones works as a designer for The Walt Disney Company, where she has a line known as Kidada for Disney Couture. Jones is the daughter of record produc ...

in the biographical drama film ''

All Eyez on Me ''All Eyez on Me'' is the fourth studio album by American rapper 2Pac and the last to be released during his lifetime. Released on February 13, 1996, by Death Row and Interscope Records, the album features guest appearances from Dr. Dre, Sno ...

'', and starred in the thriller '' 'Til Death Do Us Part''. In 2018, she started co-starring as Emily Foster in the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

drama '' Chicago Fire''.

Life and career

Ilonzeh was born in

Grapevine, Texas Grapevine is a city and suburb of Dallas and Fort Worth located in northeast Tarrant County, Texas, United States, with minor portions extending into Dallas County and Denton County. The city is located in the Mid-Cities suburban region between Da ...

, and went to

Colleyville Heritage High School Colleyville Heritage High School (CHHS) is a public secondary school in Colleyville, Texas in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The school is a part of the Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District and serves freshmen through senior students i ...

. Her father is a Nigerian of

Igbo Igbo may refer to: * Igbo people, an ethnic group of Nigeria * Igbo language, their language * anything related to Igboland, a cultural region in Nigeria See also * Ibo (disambiguation) * Igbo mythology * Igbo music * Igbo art * * Igbo-Ukwu, a ...

descent, and her mother is white. In 2007, she made her television debut in an episode of the

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

sitcom ''

How I Met Your Mother ''How I Met Your Mother'' (often abbreviated as ''HIMYM'') is an American sitcom, created by Craig Thomas and Carter Bays for CBS. The series, which aired from September 19, 2005 to March 31, 2014, follows the main character, Ted Mosby, and his ...

''. She had bit roles in the movies '' He's Just Not That Into You'', '' Miss March'' and '' Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief''. Ilonzeh had a recurring role in the CW prime time soap opera ''

Melrose Place ''Melrose Place'' is an American prime time television soap opera that aired on Fox from July 8, 1992, to May 24, 1999, for seven seasons. The show follows the lives of a group of young adults living in an apartment complex on Melrose Place, in ...

'' from 2009 to 2010, and in 2010 guest starred in three episodes of ''

Entourage An entourage () is an informal group or band of people who are closely associated with a (usually) famous, notorious, or otherwise notable individual. The word can also refer to: Arts and entertainment * L'entourage, French hip hop / rap collecti ...

''. From 2010 to 2011, she played the role

Maya Ward ''General Hospital'' is the longest running American television serial drama, airing on American Broadcasting Company, ABC since April 1, 1963. Created by Frank and Doris Hursley, who originally set it in a District General Hospital, general hosp ...

on the

daytime soap opera ''

''. In January 2011, Ilonzeh was announced as one of the "Angels" on the reboot of the 1970s television series ''

''. The series, which premiered in September 2011, received mostly negative reviews, and was cancelled the day after the fourth episode. In March 2012, it was announced that Ilonzeh would be recurring on

The CW ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

series ''

''. Later that year, she began appearing in a recurring role in the ABC Family drama series '' Switched at Birth''. In 2013, she played a leading role in the Lifetime television film ''Killer Reality''. Ilonzeh also guest starred in the second season of CW's '' Beauty & the Beast'', and had a recurring role on Lifetime comedy-drama ''

'' in 2013. Later, she had a recurring roles on ''

Person of Interest "Person of interest" is a term used by law enforcement in the United States, Canada, and other countries when identifying someone possibly involved in a criminal investigation who has not been arrested or formally accused of a crime. It has no leg ...

'' and ''

''. In 2017, Ilonzeh had her first major film role, playing

in the biographical drama ''

'', about hip-hop artist

Tupac Shakur Tupac Amaru Shakur ( ; born Lesane Parish Crooks, June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known as 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper. He is widely considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. Shakur is among the Li ...

. Later that year, appeared in the psychological thriller '' 'Til Death Do Us Part''. In 2018, Ilonzeh appeared in the action thriller ''

Peppermint Peppermint (''Mentha'' × ''piperita'') is a hybrid species of mint, a cross between watermint and spearmint. Indigenous to Europe and the Middle East, the plant is now widely spread and cultivated in many regions of the world.Euro+Med Plantbas ...

'', and was cast in a lead role on the ABC drama pilot ''Staties'', which has yet to air as of October 2018. In 2018, Ilonzeh began portraying Emily Foster in Dick Wolf's '' Chicago franchise'', first starring in '' Chicago Fire''. On April 16, 2020, it was reported that NBC/Wolf Entertainment officials informed Ilonzeh that she would not be renewing her contract which led to her leaving the series shortly after two seasons.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ilonzeh, Annie 1983 births Living people 21st-century American actresses Actresses from Texas African-American actresses American film actresses American people of Nigerian descent American soap opera actresses American television actresses Colleyville Heritage High School alumni People from Grapevine, Texas University of Texas at Arlington alumni 21st-century African-American women 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American people 20th-century African-American women Igbo female models