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'', 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'' (2021–present). She has voiced multiple characters on series such as ''
Black Dynamite'' (2012–2015), ''
All Hail King Julien'' (2014–2016), and ''
Spitting Image
''Spitting Image'' is a television in the United Kingdom, British satire, 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 Productio ...
'' (2020–2022). She also starred in the films ''
The Summerland Project'' (2016) and ''
Bodied'' (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 that ...
'' (2016),
Amanda Waller 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'' (2019), Cere Junda in ''
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order'' (2019), Kit in ''
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart'' (2021), Savathûn in ''
Destiny 2'' (2021–2022), Harbinger in ''
Halo Infinite'' (2021), Renata Glasc in ''
League of Legends'' (2022–present).
In 2022, Wilson became the sixth official voice of
Daisy Duck, 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 ...
, and attended the
New York City High School of the Performing Arts. After graduation, she studied television and radio broadcasting at
Syracuse University.
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'' 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,
and guest starring in ''
New York Undercover''.
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 Melina (''Lida and Melina''),
''Reality Checks Tovah McQueen, ''Stick Chick'' Autumn, Kappa Kappa Kappa sorority sister Hayden Brooks,
Alexis Dubane (''Prehistoric Glamazon Huntresses''),
blaxploitation 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" Bunifa Latifah Halifah Sharifa Jackson.
Her most recognized impressions on the show were of
Oprah Winfrey and
Whitney Houston.
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''. She also regularly portrayed
Beyoncé Knowles,
Mariah Carey,
Lil' Kim, 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 appe ...
.
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'', ''
Family Guy'', and did puppeteer work on ''The Mr. Potato Head Show''.
She voiced Captain Lisa Cusak in the ''
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
''Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' (abbreviated as ''DS9'') is an American science fiction television series created by Rick Berman and Michael Piller. The fourth series in the ''Star Trek'' media franchise, it originally aired in syndication from ...
'' episode "
The Sound of Her Voice
"The Sound of Her Voice" is the 149th episode of the syndicated American science fiction television series ''Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'', the 25th episode of the sixth season. It was first broadcast the week of June 8, 1998.
Set in the 24th c ...
".
Wilson has made numerous
independent films, including ''
Naked Angel'', ''Jane White Is Sick and Twisted'', ''Skin Deep'', and ''Soulmates''. She was also in an episode of ''
Without a Trace'' as a doctor, and appeared three times as a
working girl, 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's
Sierra Mist. She appeared as herself on the February 15, 1999, episode of ''
WCW Monday Nitro'' accompanying ''MADtv'' castmate
Will Sasso 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 or ...
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 back ...
. She also appeared on the UK
''Whose Line Is It Anyway?'' – Season 10, Episode 9.
She was the co-host of
TV Guide Channel's ''TV Watercooler'' with
John Fugelsang, until she was replaced by
Teresa Strasser in October 2006. She was also a co-host on ''
GSN Live'' until she left in January 2010.
Wilson is currently the announcer of the revival of the
NBC 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.
In July 2022,
Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Group. It ...
announced that Wilson would voice the character Headless Headmistress Bloodgood in the 2022 animated reboot series ''
Monster High''.
As of 2022, Wilson voices
Daisy Duck, replacing
Tress MacNeille.
Theater projects
Wilson performed
off-Broadway with the
improvisational comedy 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 ''
The Outer Worlds'', ''
Gears 5'', ''
Wolfenstein: Youngblood'', ''
Rage 2'', ''
Days Gone'' and ''
Far Cry New Dawn''. She is the voice of Draka in ''
World of Warcraft: Shadowlands''.
She is the voice of Savathûn in ''
Destiny 2'' and the Harbinger in ''
Halo Infinite''.
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