Jaclyn Michelle Betham is a Samoan American actress and
ballet dancer. She is best known for her role as Amanda Cryer on the television series ''
The Haves and the Have Nots''.
Early life
Betham was born in
Long Beach, California and is of Samoan descent. As a child, Betham was a
gymnast before she began ballet dancing at age 12. She trained with
Ballet San Jose
Ballet San Jose was a ballet company based in San Jose, California, US, operating from 1985 to 2016.
History
The company was founded in 1985 as the "San Jose Cleveland Ballet," a co-venture with the ten-year-old Cleveland Ballet which offered to ...
before receiving a full scholarship into the
Houston Ballet at age 15.
Betham went on to perform with
Ballet San Jose
Ballet San Jose was a ballet company based in San Jose, California, US, operating from 1985 to 2016.
History
The company was founded in 1985 as the "San Jose Cleveland Ballet," a co-venture with the ten-year-old Cleveland Ballet which offered to ...
,
Anaheim Ballet,
Opera San Jose, and the
San Francisco Opera. She won a gold medal at Grand Prix Italia when she was 18.
Career
After three years performing with
Houston Ballet, Betham worked as an instructor for
Ballet San Jose
Ballet San Jose was a ballet company based in San Jose, California, US, operating from 1985 to 2016.
History
The company was founded in 1985 as the "San Jose Cleveland Ballet," a co-venture with the ten-year-old Cleveland Ballet which offered to ...
before moving to
Los Angeles to pursue acting.
Her first acting role was playing a kidnapped girl on ''
America's Most Wanted
''America's Most Wanted'' (often abbreviated as ''AMW'') is an American television program whose first run was produced by 20th Television, and second run is under the Fox Alternative Entertainment division of Fox Corporation. At the time of i ...
''. She starred in the popular 2012 short ''Quiet'', a film based on the true story of a lesbian couple caught in a medical nightmare. In 2013, Betham's first major acting role came when she was cast as Amanda Cryer in the
Tyler Perry television series ''
The Haves and the Have Nots''.
In 2020, she made her debut as a writer and producer on the film ''Getaway''.
Personal life
Betham teaches ballet and is the founder of a nonprofit organization called Betham Ballet Theatre.
Filmography
Film
Television
References
External links
Living people
American television actresses
American film actresses
American ballerinas
American people of Samoan descent
Actresses of Samoan descent
21st-century American actresses
Year of birth missing (living people)
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