Samantha Marie Ware (born September 3, 1991), also known by her singer stage name Sameya, is an American actress and singer. She is best known for portraying Jane Hayward in the sixth season of ''

Glee Glee means delight, a form of happiness. Glee may also refer to: * Glee (music), a type of English choral music * ''Glee'' (TV series), an American musical comedy-drama TV series, and related media created by Ryan Murphy * ''Glee'' (Bran Van 30 ...

'' (2015), as well as Angela Archer in the Netflix series ''

What/If ''What/If'' (stylized as ''WHAT/ IF'') is an American thriller miniseries, created by Mike Kelley, that premiered on May 24, 2019, on Netflix. The series stars Jane Levy, Blake Jenner, Daniella Pineda, Keith Powers, Samantha Marie Ware, Dave ...

'' (2019). Ware also played Lily in the

Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine given ...

web series A web series (also known as a web show) is a series of scripted or non-scripted online videos, generally in episodic form, released on the Internet, which first emerged in the late 1990s and became more prominent in the early 2000s. A single i ...

''Margot vs. Lily'' (2016).

Early life and career

Hailing from

Lincoln, Nebraska Lincoln is the capital city of the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Lancaster County. The city covers with a population of 292,657 in 2021. It is the second-most populous city in Nebraska and the 73rd-largest in the United Sta ...

, Ware started her acting career while attending

Doane University Doane University is a private university in Crete, Nebraska. It has additional campuses in Lincoln and Omaha, as well as online programs. History Doane College was founded on July 11, 1872, by Thomas Doane, chief civil engineer for the Burlingt ...

at the age of 19. She started acting in theater productions, being cast in a Las Vegas production of ''

The Lion King ''The Lion King'' is a 1994 American animated musical drama film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 32nd Disney animated feature film and the fifth produced during the Disney Renaissance, it ...

'' as Nala and later in 2012 national tour for ''The Book of Mormon'', for which she won the Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Supporting Performer. She was subsequently cast in major roles on the TV series ''Glee'' and ''

.'' She also played

Peggy Schuyler Margarita "Peggy" Schuyler Van Rensselaer (September 19, 1758 – March 14, 1801) was the third daughter of Continental Army General Philip Schuyler. She was the wife of Stephen Van Rensselaer, Stephen Van Rensselaer III, sister of Angelica Schu ...

and

Maria Reynolds Maria Reynolds (née Lewis; March 30, 1768 – March 25, 1828) was the wife of James Reynolds, and was Alexander Hamilton's mistress between 1791 and 1792. She became the object of much scrutiny after the release of the Reynolds Pamphlet and cen ...

in the Chicago production of ''

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

.''

Personal life

In June 2020, Ware accused ''Glee'' series main cast member

Lea Michele Lea Michele Sarfati (; born August 29, 1986) is an American actress, singer, songwriter, and author. She began her career as a child actress on Broadway (theatre), Broadway, appearing in productions of ''Les Misérables (musical), Les Misérab ...

, with whom she worked in late 2014 during Ware's recurring role in the sixth season of the series, of being very rude to her on set, behaving with "traumatic microaggressions". Ware made her comments in direct response to Michele having posted a message on social media saying "George Floyd did not deserve this. This was not an isolated incident and it must end. #BlackLives Matter", though she did not specifically state that Michele's rude behavior towards new actors with minor roles was akin to the racism involved in the

murder of George Floyd On , George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, was murdered in the U.S. city of Minneapolis by Derek Chauvin, a 44-year-old white police officer. Floyd had been arrested on suspicion of using a counterfeit $20 bill. Chauvin knelt on Floyd's n ...

. Two other actors who co-starred with Michele in the main cast,

Heather Morris Heather Elizabeth Morris (born February 1, 1987) is an American actress, dancer, singer, and model. She played the role of Brittany Pierce, Brittany S. Pierce in the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox musical comedy-drama series ''Glee (TV series), G ...

and

Amber Riley Amber Patrice Riley (born February 15, 1986), sometimes known mononymously as RILEY, is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her portrayal of Mercedes Jones on the Fox comedy-drama series ''Glee'' (2009–2015). For her perform ...

, made statements confirming that Michele could be frustratingly rude to everyone on set, but neither saw any link between her wide-ranging rudeness and the implication of Michele being racist. Michele responded with an apology, noting that the comments from numerous cast members in response to Ware's accusation had made her aware that her general treatment of all cast members during those years was "insensitive or inappropriate", a sign of "immaturity", understood that she was "unnecessarily difficult" towards others around her, and she would "keep working to better myself and take responsibility for my actions."

Filmography

Film and television

References

External links

* * * 1991 births Living people 21st-century American actresses 21st-century American women singers African-American actresses American musical theatre actresses American stage actresses American film actresses American television actresses 21st-century African-American women singers American women pop singers Actors from Lincoln, Nebraska Musicians from Lincoln, Nebraska Actresses from Nebraska Singers from Nebraska 21st-century American singers {{US-tv-actor-1990s-stub