Sophina Brown Simmons (born September 18, 1976) is an American television actress. She starred as Raina Troy in the CBS legal drama ''

Shark Sharks are a group of elasmobranch fish characterized by a cartilaginous skeleton, five to seven gill slits on the sides of the head, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the clade Selachimo ...

'' from 2006 to 2008, and later joined the cast of another CBS drama, ''

Numbers A number is a mathematical object used to count, measure, and label. The original examples are the natural numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, and so forth. Numbers can be represented in language with number words. More universally, individual numbers can ...

'', playing Nikki Betancourt from 2008 to 2010.

Career

Right after graduating from college, Brown got one of her first professional jobs in The National Tour of the musical '' Fame''. Soon afterward, she made her Broadway debut in ''

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 ...

''. On television, she guest-starred on ''

Law & Order ''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment, launching the '' Law & Order'' franchise. ''Law & Order'' aired its entire run on NBC, premiering on ...

'' and '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'', before was cast as regular in the CBS legal drama series ''

'' opposite

James Woods James Howard Woods (born April 18, 1947) is an American actor. He is known for his work in various film, stage, and television productions. He started his career in minor roles on and off-Broadway. In 1972, he appeared in '' The Trial of the ...

. The series ran from 2006 to 2008. Brown later was cast in the

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...

drama series ''

'', wherein she played Nikki Betancourt, an "

adrenaline junkie Adrenaline, also known as epinephrine, is a hormone and medication which is involved in regulating visceral functions (e.g., respiration). It appears as a white microcrystalline granule. Adrenaline is normally produced by the adrenal glands and ...

" and former "

loose cannon A Loose cannon is a hazard on the decks of a battleship, figuratively a person acting in a wild and unpredictable manner. Loose Cannon or Loose Cannons may also refer to: Films * ''Loose Cannons'' (1990 film), an American comedy film * ''Loose ...

LAPD The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), officially known as the City of Los Angeles Police Department, is the municipal police department of Los Angeles, California. With 9,974 police officers and 3,000 civilian staff, it is the third-large ...

officer An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fro ...

. She joined the series in 2008 and remained to its finale in 2010. In early 2010s, Brown has had number of guest-starring roles on television, include ''

Castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

'', '' Brothers & Sisters'', ''

The Good Wife ''The Good Wife'' is an American legal and political drama television series that aired on CBS from September 22, 2009, to May 8, 2016. It focuses on Alicia Florrick, the wife of the Cook County State's Attorney, who returns to her career in law ...

'', and ''

NCIS NCIS or N.C.I.S. may refer to: Law enforcement * National Criminal Intelligence Service, the predecessor to the Serious Organised Crime Agency of the United Kingdom * Naval Criminal Investigative Service, a United States law enforcement and intelli ...

''. From 2013 to 2014, she co-starred in the short-lived ABC Family series '' Ravenswood''. In 2016, Brown was cast in the NBC drama ''

Cruel Intentions ''Cruel Intentions'' is a 1999 American teen romantic drama film written and directed by Roger Kumble and starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe, Reese Witherspoon, and Selma Blair. The film is a modern retelling of Pierre Choderlos de ...

'', based on the 1999 film of same name. As of 2021, Sophina Brown is starring on the BET series '' Twenties'' by

Lena Waithe Lena Waithe (born May 17, 1984) is an American actress, producer, and screenwriter. She is the creator of the Showtime drama series ''The Chi'' (2018–present) and the BET comedy series ''Boomerang'' (2019–20) and '' Twenties'' (2020–prese ...

Personal life

Brown was born in

Saginaw, Michigan Saginaw () is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Saginaw County. The city of Saginaw and Saginaw County are both in the area known as Mid-Michigan. Saginaw is adjacent to Saginaw Charter Township and considered part of Greater ...

. She has a BFA in Theatre Performance from the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

. Brown married actor and ''Shark'' co-star

Henry Simmons Henry Oswald Simmons (born July 1, 1970) is an American actor. He is best known for portraying Alphonso "Mack" Mackenzie in the ABC superhero drama series ''Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'' (2014–2020) and Baldwin Jones in the ABC police drama ser ...

in May 2010.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Sophina Actresses from Michigan People from Saginaw, Michigan American musical theatre actresses American television actresses 1976 births Living people University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance alumni 21st-century American actresses African-American actresses