Debra Wilson, also known as Debra Wilson Skelton or Debra Skelton, is an American actress and comedian. She is known for being the longest-serving original cast member on the sketch comedy series ''

Mad TV ''Mad TV'' (stylized as ''MADtv'') is an American sketch comedy television series originally inspired by '' Mad'' magazine. In its initial run, it aired on Fox from 1995 to 2009. After a one-off reunion show in 2015 to celebrate the twentiet ...

'', having appeared on the show's first eight seasons from 1995 to 2003. As a voice actress, she has voiced various characters on television, including Ramaraffe on '' Mao Mao: Heroes of Pure Heart'' (2019–present), Grandma Shark on ''

Baby Shark's Big Show! ''Baby Shark's Big Show!'' () is an animated children's television series based on the "Baby Shark" brand from the South Korean company Pinkfong. SmartStudy, Pinkfong's parent company, co-produces the show with Nickelodeon Animation Studio from t ...

'' (2020–present), and Kira on ''

Dogs in Space During the 1950s and 1960s the Soviet space program used dogs for sub-orbital and orbital space flights to determine whether human spaceflight was feasible. In this period, the Soviet Union launched missions with passenger slots for at le ...

'' (2021–present). She has voiced multiple characters on series such as ''

Black Dynamite ''Black Dynamite'' is a 2009 American blaxploitation action comedy film starring Michael Jai White, Tommy Davidson, and Salli Richardson. The film was directed by Scott Sanders and co-written by White, Sanders, and Byron Minns, who also co-star ...

'' (2012–2015), ''

All Hail King Julien ''All Hail King Julien'' is an American computer-animated 3D streaming television series. It stars King Julien, Maurice, and Mort from the DreamWorks Animation animated film '' Madagascar'' franchise and takes place in Madagascar before the eve ...

'' (2014–2016), and ''

Spitting Image ''Spitting Image'' is a British satirical television puppet show, created by Peter Fluck, Roger Law and Martin Lambie-Nairn. First broadcast in 1984, the series was produced by 'Spitting Image Productions' for Central Independent Television ov ...

'' (2020–2022). She also starred in the films '' The Summerland Project'' (2016) and ''

Bodied ''Bodied'' is a 2017 American battle rap comedy-drama film directed by Joseph Kahn. It was written by Alex Larsen and produced by Eminem, his manager Paul Rosenberg, and Adi Shankar. The film first premiered at the 2017 Toronto International ...

'' (2017). Wilson has had lead voice roles in video games such as Rebecca Thane in ''

Mirror's Edge Catalyst ''Mirror's Edge Catalyst'' is a first-person action-adventure platform game developed by DICE and published by Electronic Arts. The game was released for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One in June 2016. It is a reboot of the 2008 game tha ...

'' (2016),

Amanda Waller Amanda Blake Waller (née White), also known as "the Wall", is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in ''Legends'' #1 in 1986 and was created by John Ostrander, Len Wein, and ...

in '' Batman: The Enemy Within'' (2017–2018) and '' Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League'' (2023), Grace Walker in the '' Wolfenstein'' series (2017–2019), General Lyons in '' Call of Duty: Modern Warfare'' (2019), Sophia Akande in ''

The Outer Worlds ''The Outer Worlds'' is a 2019 action role-playing game developed by Obsidian Entertainment and published by Private Division. The game was released for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows in October 2019, with a Nintendo Switch ...

'' (2019), Cere Junda in '' Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order'' (2019), Kit in '' Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart'' (2021), Savathûn in ''

Destiny 2 ''Destiny 2'' is a free-to-play Online game, online-only multiplayer first-person shooter video game developed by Bungie. It was originally released as a pay to play game in 2017 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows. It became free-to-play, ...

'' (2021–2022), Harbinger in ''

Halo Infinite ''Halo Infinite'' is a 2021 first-person shooter game developed by 343 Industries and published by Xbox Game Studios. It is the sixth mainline entry in the ''Halo'' series, following '' Halo 5: Guardians'' (2015). The campaign follows the h ...

'' (2021), Renata Glasc in ''

League of Legends ''League of Legends'' (''LoL''), commonly referred to as ''League'', is a 2009 multiplayer online battle arena video game developed and published by Riot Games. Inspired by ''Defense of the Ancients'', a Mod (video games), custom map for War ...

'' (2022–present). In 2022, Wilson became the sixth official voice of

Daisy Duck Daisy Duck is a cartoon character created by The Walt Disney Company. As the girlfriend of Donald Duck, she is an anthropomorphic white duck that has large eyelashes and ruffled tail feathers around her lowest region to suggest a skirt. She is ...

, making her the first African-American performer of the character.

Early life

Wilson was born and raised in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, in the neighborhood of

Ozone Park, Queens Ozone Park is a neighborhood in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Queens, New York, United States. It is next to the Aqueduct Racetrack in South Ozone Park, a popular spot for Thoroughbred racing and home to the Resorts Wor ...

, and attended the New York City High School of the Performing Arts. After graduation, she studied television and radio broadcasting at

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...

. She worked as a preschool teacher during the 1980s for the All Saints Church, in Sunnyside, Queens. Wilson made her television acting debut on ''

The Apollo Comedy Hour ''The Apollo Comedy Hour'' is a sketch-comedy that aired in first-run syndication from 1992-1995. The series was filmed the legendary Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York. It was produced by the same people who produced ''It's Showtime at the Ap ...

'' and ''The Uptown Comedy Club'', where she became a series regular. She also co-hosted ''Can We Shop?'' with

Joan Rivers Joan Alexandra Molinsky (June 8, 1933 – September 4, 2014), known professionally as Joan Rivers, was an American comedian, actress, producer, writer and television host. She was noted for her blunt, often controversial comedic persona—heavi ...

. She continued her work in television working as a spokesperson for

Burger King Burger King (BK) is an American-based multinational chain store, chain of hamburger fast food restaurants. Headquartered in Miami-Dade County, Florida, the company was founded in 1953 as Insta-Burger King, a Jacksonville, Florida–based res ...

, and guest starring in ''

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 ...

''.

Career

''Mad TV''

Wilson was one of the original eight cast members of ''Mad TV'' when the series aired in 1995. Wilson came to the show with a background in sketch comedy, improv and television. Wilson was credited for creating some of the most popular recurring characters on the show. Among her characters were Latina

bimbo Bimbo is slang for a conventionally attractive, sexualized, naive, and unintelligent woman. The term was originally used in the United States as early as 1919 for an unintelligent or brutish man. As of the early 21st century, the "stereotypic ...

Melina (''Lida and Melina''), ''Reality Checks Tovah McQueen, ''Stick Chick'' Autumn, Kappa Kappa Kappa sorority sister Hayden Brooks, Alexis Dubane (''Prehistoric Glamazon Huntresses''),

blaxploitation Blaxploitation is an ethnic subgenre of the exploitation film that emerged in the United States during the early 1970s. The term, a portmanteau of the words "black" and "exploitation", was coined in August 1972 by Junius Griffin, the president o ...

actress Cocoa Latette (''Son of Dolemite''), Lowered Expectations Host and Ms. Not Nice ('' Jenny Jones''). Perhaps her best known character was the fast talking "

Black American Princess ''Black American princess'' (''BAP'') is a (sometimes) pejorative term for African-American women of upper- and upper-middle-class background, who possess (or are perceived to possess) a spoiled or materialistic demeanor. While carrying "valley ...

" Bunifa Latifah Halifah Sharifa Jackson. Her most recognized impressions on the show were of

Oprah Winfrey Oprah Gail Winfrey (; born Orpah Gail Winfrey; January 29, 1954), or simply Oprah, is an American talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and philanthropist. She is best known for her talk show, ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', br ...

and

Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer and actress. Nicknamed "The Voice", she is one of the bestselling music artists of all time, with sales of over 200 million records worldwide. Houston in ...

. Her Oprah impersonation is so well regarded that in fact she has played Oprah or Oprah-like characters in other media, most notably ''

Scary Movie 4 ''Scary Movie 4'' is a 2006 American science fiction parody film. It is the sequel to ''Scary Movie 3'' and the fourth installment in the ''Scary Movie'' film series, as well as the first film in the franchise to be released under The Weinstein ...

'' and ''

The Proud Family ''The Proud Family'' is an American animated television series created by Bruce W. Smith that originally ran on Disney Channel from September 15, 2001, to August 19, 2005. A revival, known as '' The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder'', was announ ...

''. She also regularly portrayed

Beyoncé Knowles Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...

Mariah Carey Mariah Carey (; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. Referred to as the " Songbird Supreme", she is noted for her five-octave vocal range, melismatic singing style and signature use of the whi ...

Lil' Kim Kimberly Denise Jones (born July 11, 1974), Those giving 1974 include: * * * * * better known by her stage name Lil' Kim, is an American rapper and reality television personality. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York City, she lived much of he ...

, and

Chris Tucker Christopher Tucker (born August 31, 1971) is an American actor and comedian. Tucker made his debut in 1992 as a stand-up performer on the HBO comedy series ''Def Comedy Jam'', where he frequently appeared on the show during the 1990s. He app ...

Television projects

Since her debut on ''MADtv'', Wilson has done voice acting on episodes on numerous television shows, landing some recurring roles on such shows as ''

Clone High ''Clone High'' (occasionally referred to in the United States as ''Clone High USA'') is an adult animated science fiction sitcom created by Phil Lord, Christopher Miller and Bill Lawrence. The show centers on a high school populated by the clo ...

'', ''

Family Guy ''Family Guy'' is an American animated sitcom originally conceived and created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The show centers around the Griffin family, Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter Griff ...

'', and did puppeteer work on ''The Mr. Potato Head Show''. She voiced Captain Lisa Cusak in the '' Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' episode " The Sound of Her Voice". Wilson has made numerous

independent films An independent film, independent movie, indie film, or indie movie is a feature film or short film that is produced outside the major film studio system, in addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies (or, in ...

, including ''

Naked Angel ''Naked Angel'' is a 2011 independent film written and directed by Christina Morales Hemenway. Starring James Duval and introducing Cameron Watkins, the film revolves around Andreas, played by Duval who wants to let go of life and falls in love wit ...

'', ''Jane White Is Sick and Twisted'', ''Skin Deep'', and ''Soulmates''. She was also in an episode of ''

Without a Trace ''Without a Trace'' is an American police procedural drama television series created by Hank Steinberg that aired on CBS from September 26, 2002 to May 19, 2009 with the total of seven seasons and 160 episodes. The series focuses the cases of ...

'' as a doctor, and appeared three times as a

working girl ''Working Girl'' is a 1988 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Mike Nichols, written by Kevin Wade, and starring Harrison Ford, Sigourney Weaver, and Melanie Griffith. Its plot follows an ambitious secretary from Staten Island who t ...

, Divine, in episodes of ''

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'', also referred to as ''CSI'' and ''CSI: Las Vegas'', is an American procedural forensics crime drama television series that ran on CBS from October 6, 2000, to September 27, 2015, spanning 15 seasons. This wa ...

''. She and Sullivan have done commercials for

Pepsi Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by PepsiCo. Originally created and developed in 1893 by Caleb Bradham and introduced as Brad's Drink, it was renamed as Pepsi-Cola in 1898, and then shortened to Pepsi in 1961. History Pepsi was ...

Sierra Mist Sierra Mist is a lemon-lime flavored soft drink line. Originally introduced by PepsiCo in 1999, it was eventually made available in all United States markets by 2003. The drink was rebranded as "Mist Twist" in 2016, although it reverted to Sie ...

. She appeared as herself on the February 15, 1999, episode of ''

WCW Monday Nitro ''WCW Monday Nitro'', also known as ''WCW Nitro'' or simply ''Nitro'', is an American professional wrestling television program that was produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and broadcast weekly every Monday night on TNT in the Unite ...

'' accompanying ''MADtv'' castmate

Will Sasso Will may refer to: Common meanings * Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death * Will (philosophy), or willpower * Will (sociology) * Will, volition (psychology) * Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will ...

in his

professional wrestling Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...

match against

Bret Hart Bret Hart (born July 2, 1957) is a Canadian-American retired professional wrestler, currently signed to WWE under a legend's contract. A member of the Hart wrestling family and a second-generation wrestler, he has an amateur wrestling backgr ...

. She also appeared on the UK ''Whose Line Is It Anyway?'' – Season 10, Episode 9. She was the co-host of

TV Guide Channel The American cable television, cable and satellite television network Pop (American TV channel), Pop was originally launched in 1981 as a barker channel service providing a display of localized electronic program guide, channel and program listings ...

's ''TV Watercooler'' with

John Fugelsang John Joseph Fugelsang (born September 3, 1969) is an American actor, comedian, writer, television host, political commentator and television personality. Early life and education Fugelsang was born on Long Island, New York. Of Danish, German, a ...

, until she was replaced by

Teresa Strasser Teresa Lynn Strasser (born June 8, 1970) is an American writer and television personality known for hosting the first season of the home makeover show ''While You Were Out'' on TLC. She also co-hosted '' The Adam Carolla Show''. Personal life S ...

in October 2006. She was also a co-host on ''

GSN Live ''GSN Live'' is an American live interactive show on Game Show Network that premiered on February 25, 2008, at noon ET and officially ended its 3-year run on July 29, 2011. The last "live" edition aired May 13, 2011. It lasted three hours in be ...

'' until she left in January 2010. Wilson is currently the announcer of the revival of the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

game show ''

Weakest Link ''Weakest Link'' (also known as ''The Weakest Link'') is a television game show which first appeared in the United Kingdom on BBC Two on 14 August 2000 and originally ended on 31 March 2012 when its host Anne Robinson completed her contract. ...

'' hosted by

Jane Lynch Jane Marie Lynch (born July 14, 1960) is an American actress, comedian and author. She is known for starring as Sue Sylvester in the musical comedy series ''Glee'' (2009–2015), which earned her a Primetime Emmy Award. Lynch also gained recogni ...

. In July 2022,

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television television channel, channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its List of assets owned by Param ...

announced that Wilson would voice the character Headless Headmistress Bloodgood in the 2022 animated reboot series ''

Monster High Monster High is an American multimedia-supported fashion doll franchise created by toy designer Garrett Sander and launched by Mattel in 2010. Aimed at children aged 7 to 14, the franchise features characters inspired by monster movies, sci-fi ...

''. As of 2022, Wilson voices

, replacing

Tress MacNeille Teressa Claire MacNeille (née Payne; born June 20, 1951) is an American voice actress, whose credits include voicing Dot Warner on the animated television series ''Animaniacs'', Babs Bunny on ''Tiny Toon Adventures'', Chip and Gadget Hackwrench ...

Theater projects

Wilson performed

off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

with the

improvisational comedy Improvisational theatre, often called improvisation or improv, is the form of theatre, often comedy, in which most or all of what is performed is unplanned or unscripted: created spontaneously by the performers. In its purest form, the dialogue, a ...

troupe Noo Yawk Tawk directed by Richmond Shepard at The Village Gate Theater (1988–1991).

Video games

Wilson has voiced many video game characters, such as her role as Grace Walker in '' Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus'' and her role as Cere Junda in '' Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order''. She also appeared in '' Call of Duty: Modern Warfare'' as General Lyons. Her other video game voice work includes ''

'', ''

Gears 5 ''Gears 5'' is a 2019 third-person shooter video game developed by The Coalition and published by Xbox Game Studios for Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X, Xbox Series X/S. It is the fifth main installment of the ''Gears of War'' series and t ...

'', '' Wolfenstein: Youngblood'', ''

Rage 2 ''Rage 2'' is a 2019 first-person shooter video game developed by Avalanche Studios in conjunction with id Software and published by Bethesda Softworks. The game is the sequel to the 2011 game ''Rage (video game), Rage''. The game was released f ...

'', ''

Days Gone ''Days Gone'' is a 2019 action-adventure video game developed by Bend Studio and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment for the PlayStation 4. A Windows port was released in May 2021. The game is set in post-apocalyptic Oregon two years ...

'' and ''

Far Cry New Dawn ''Far Cry New Dawn'' is a 2019 first-person shooter game developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft. It is a spin-off and sequel to ''Far Cry 5'', and the twelfth overall installment in the ''Far Cry'' series. Set seventeen years aft ...

''. She is the voice of Draka in '' World of Warcraft: Shadowlands''. She is the voice of Savathûn in ''

'' and the Harbinger in ''

''.

Personal life

Wilson married writer and director Cliff Skelton in April 2006. They separated in 2010 citing irreconcilable differences.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre

Video games

Web series

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Debra Living people 20th-century American actresses 20th-century American comedians 21st-century American actresses 21st-century American comedians Actresses from New York City African-American actresses African-American female comedians African-American television personalities American film actresses American puppeteers American sketch comedians American stage actresses American television actresses Television personalities from New York City American women comedians American women television personalities American voice actresses Comedians from New York City Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School alumni Game show announcers People from Ozone Park, Queens Syracuse University alumni 20th-century African-American women 21st-century African-American women 21st-century African-American people 1962 births