Jessie Ward, sometimes credited as Jessica Ward, is a classically trained ballerina, and an American film and television actress.

Early life

She was born on February 18, 1982 in

Manasquan, New Jersey Manasquan (, ) is a borough in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, on the Jersey Shore. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 5,938, an increase of 41 (+.7%) from the 2010 census count of 5,897, which ...

. Ward began studying ballet seriously at the age of nine. She lived and studied at the

School of American Ballet The School of American Ballet (SAB) is the most renowned ballet school in the United States. School of American Ballet is the associate school of the New York City Ballet, a ballet company based at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New ...

as a teenager and attended high school at the

Professional Children's School Professional Children's School (PCS) is a not-for-profit, college preparatory school geared toward working and aspiring child actors and dancers in grades six through twelve. The school was founded in New York City in 1914 to provide an academic ed ...

in New York. She was chosen as the highest scoring dancer in the United States by Britain’s

Royal Academy of Dance "Health and happiness" , predecessor = , successor = , formation = 1920 , extinction = , type = NGO , status = Registered charity , purpose = Examination board – dance education and training , headquarters = 36 Battersea SquareSW11 3 ...

, which earned her a ballet scholarship to study in England. She has performed numerous solo and principal roles with various professional ballet companies across the United States.

Career

Ward left New York and moved to Los Angeles to pursue her acting career. She has appeared in numerous national television commercials as well as performing in a music video with Jennifer Lopez. In March 2006, she appeared in a guest role as Brianna on FX Network’s ''

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia ''It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia'' is an American sitcom created by Rob McElhenney and developed by McElhenney and Glenn Howerton that premiered on August 4, 2005 on FX (TV channel), FX and later FXX beginning with It's Always Sunny in Philad ...

'' alongside

Eddie Mekka Edward Rudolph Mekjian (June 14, 1952 – November 27, 2021), known professionally as Eddie Mekka, was an American actor, best known for his role as Carmine Ragusa on the hit television sitcom '' Laverne & Shirley''. Early life Mekka was born in ...

and

Danny DeVito Daniel Michael DeVito Jr. (born November 17, 1944) is an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He gained prominence for his portrayal of the taxi dispatcher Louie De Palma in the television series ''Taxi'' (1978–1983), which won him a Gold ...

. Ward played the female lead opposite

Tatum O’Neal Tatum Beatrice O'Neal (born November 5, 1963) is an American actress. She is the List of oldest and youngest Academy Award winners and nominees, youngest person ever to win an Academy Awards, Academy Award, winning at age 10 for her performance ...

in ''Wicked Wicked Games'' in 2006-2007, which was her second appearance on

MyNetworkTV MyNetworkTV (unofficially abbreviated MyTV, MyNet, MNT or MNTV, and sometimes referred to as My Network) is an American commercial broadcast television syndication service and former television network owned by Fox Corporation, operated by its ...

, her first being cast as Penelope in ''

Desire Desires are states of mind that are expressed by terms like "wanting", "wishing", "longing" or "craving". A great variety of features is commonly associated with desires. They are seen as propositional attitudes towards conceivable states of aff ...

'' in 2006. Since then she has appeared as a guest star on '' CSI:Crime Scene Investigation'' in 2007, and was cast as the female lead in a thriller called '' Rest Stop: Don’t Look Back'' in 2008. She has also appeared in other film and TV programs such as: ''Godspeed'', ''

One Tree Hill One Tree Hill may refer to: * "One Tree Hill" (song), a 1987 song by U2 referencing One Tree Hill, New Zealand volcanic peak * ''One Tree Hill'' (TV series), a 2003–2012 American drama series named for the U2 song ** ''One Tree Hill'' (soundtr ...

'', ''

Reed Between the Lines ''Reed Between the Lines'' is an American television family sitcom that premiered on October 11, 2011, on BET. The series was renewed for a second season on April 12, 2012. It was later announced in August 2012 that Tracee Ellis Ross would not r ...

'', '' What to Expect When You’re Expecting'' and '' The Game''.

Filmography

References

External links

Jessie Ward's Official Website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ward, Jessie 1982 births American television actresses Living people People from Manasquan, New Jersey American film actresses Actresses from New Jersey 21st-century American actresses