Wendy Davis (born June 30, 1966) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Colonel Joan Burton in the Lifetime television drama series ''

Army Wives ''Army Wives'' is an American drama television series that followed the lives of four army wives, one army husband, and their families. The series premiered on Lifetime on June 3, 2007, and ran for seven seasons, ending on June 9, 2013. The sh ...

'' (2007–2013), for which she received three

NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series This article lists the winners and nominees for the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series. Not to be confused with the Award for Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special. Currently, Della R ...

nominations.

Early life

Davis grew up in

Joppatowne, Maryland Joppatowne is a census-designated place in southwestern Harford County, Maryland, United States. Serving as a bedroom community for nearby Baltimore, it was established in 1961 as a planned unit development (PUD). The population was 12,616 at ...

. She attended Joppatowne High School and graduated with a degree in Theater from

Howard University Howard University (Howard) is a private, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity" and accredited by the Middle States Commissi ...

. Davis is a member of

Delta Sigma Theta Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. () is a historically African American sorority. The organization was founded by college-educated women dedicated to public service with an emphasis on programs that assist the African American community. Delta ...

sorority.

Career

Davis began her career appearing in television sitcoms. She was semi-regular on the 1991 sitcom ''

The New WKRP in Cincinnati ''The New WKRP in Cincinnati'' is an American sitcom television series that aired in first-run syndication from September 7, 1991, to May 22, 1993, as a sequel to the original CBS sitcom ''WKRP in Cincinnati'' (1978–82). As with the original ' ...

'' as receptionist Ronnie Lee, and guest starred on ''

Martin Martin may refer to: Places * Martin City (disambiguation) * Martin County (disambiguation) * Martin Township (disambiguation) Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Austral ...

'', ''

The Sinbad Show ''The Sinbad Show'' is an American television sitcom starring comedian Sinbad (comedian), David "Sinbad" Adkins that premiered on September 16, 1993, on Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox. The show's main plot is about a bachelor taking in two orphane ...

'', and ''

Coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

''. From 1996 to 1997, Davis starred as Lynette White in the ABC police drama ''

High Incident ''High Incident'' was a police drama television series produced by DreamWorks Television for the ABC network. The show was created by Steven Spielberg, Michael Pavone, Eric Bogosian, and Dave Alan Johnson. It aired from March 4, 1996, to May 8, ...

'' created by

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Spie ...

. The series ran two seasons. The following years, she spent appearing in the television and independent films, including ''

Return to Two Moon Junction Return may refer to: In business, economics, and finance * Return on investment (ROI), the financial gain after an expense. * Rate of return, the financial term for the profit or loss derived from an investment * Tax return, a blank document or t ...

'' (1995), and well as guest starred on episodes of '' Any Day Now'', ''

Angel In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles include ...

'', ''

Cold Case A cold case is a crime, or a suspected crime, that has not yet been fully resolved and is not the subject of a current criminal investigation, but for which new information could emerge from new witness testimony, re-examined archives, new or re ...

'', and ''

Grey's Anatomy ''Grey's Anatomy'' is an American medical drama television series that premiered on March 27, 2005, on ABC as a mid-season replacement. The series focuses on the lives of surgical interns, residents, and attendings as they develop into se ...

''. In 2007, Davis was cast as Colonel Joan Burton in the

Lifetime television Lifetime is an American basic cable channel that is part of Lifetime Entertainment Services, a subsidiary of A&E Networks, which is jointly owned by Hearst Communications and The Walt Disney Company. It features programming that is geared toward ...

drama series ''

'' opposite

Kim Delaney Kim Delaney (born November 29, 1961) is an American actress known for her starring role as Detective Diane Russell on the ABC drama television series ''NYPD Blue'', for which she won an Emmy Award. Early in her career, she played the role of Je ...

, Catherine Bell,

Sally Pressman Sally Pressman Bernstein is an American actress and dancer. She is perhaps best known for her role as Roxy LeBlanc on the Lifetime television series ''Army Wives'' (2007–2013). Early life Pressman was born Sally Pressman Bernstein in New Yor ...

and

Brigid Brannagh Brigid Brannagh (born August 3, 1972) is an American actress. She has been credited as Brigid Brannagh, Brigid Brannah, Brigid Brannaugh, Brigid Walsh, and Brigid Conley Walsh. Early life and education Born in San Francisco, California, Brann ...

. Davis has also received three

NAACP Image Award The NAACP Image Awards is an annual awards ceremony presented by the U.S.-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to honor outstanding performances in film, television, theatre, music, and literature. Similar to ...

nominations for her role under the category of "Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series" in 2008, 2009, and 2011. She starred in show from 2007 to 2013, leaving after the season 7 finale. Lifetime later canceled the series after seven seasons. From 2012 to 2013, Davis had a recurring role as Kimberly Mitchell in the second season of ABC drama series ''

Scandal A scandal can be broadly defined as the strong social reactions of outrage, anger, or surprise, when accusations or rumours circulate or appear for some reason, regarding a person or persons who are perceived to have transgressed in some way. Th ...

'' created by

Shonda Rhimes Shonda Lynn Rhimes (born January 13, 1970) is an American television screenwriter, producer, and author. She is best known as the showrunner—creator, head writer, and executive producer—of the television medical drama ''Grey's Anatomy'', it ...

. She later guest starred on ''

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 ...

'', ''

Criminal Minds ''Criminal Minds'' is an American police procedural crime drama television series created and produced by Jeff Davis (writer), Jeff Davis. The series premiered on CBS on September 22, 2005, and originally concluded on February 19, 2020; it was r ...

'', '' NCIS'', and '' Major Crimes''. In 2018, she was cast in a series regular role in the

Oprah Winfrey Network Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) is an American multinational basic cable channel jointly owned by Warner Bros. Discovery and Harpo Studios that launched on January 1, 2011, replacing the Discovery Health Channel. The network is led by talk show h ...

comedy-drama series '' Love Is'' created and produced by

Mara Brock Akil Mara Brock Akil (born Mara Dionne Brock; May 27, 1970) is an American screenwriter and television producer. She created the UPN comedy series '' Girlfriends'' (2000–2008) and its spin-off '' The Game'' (2006–2015). She later created the firs ...

and

Salim Akil Salim Akil is an American film and television producer, director, and screenwriter from Oakland, California. He developed the television series ''Black Lightning'' based on a DC comics character of the same name. He is a co-founder of Akil Prod ...

. The series was canceled after one season due to allegations of domestic violence and lifting the idea for the series from an ex-lover against Salim Akil.

Personal life

Davis has a daughter with ex-husband Jacobi Wynne. She and her daughter live in Los Angeles CA. In a series of 9 short videos available through the "Understood" website and through YouTube, she discusses growing up with

ADHD Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by excessive amounts of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity that are pervasive, impairing in multiple contexts, and otherwise age-inapp ...

, how it helped her as an actress, and how she responded to her daughter getting the same diagnosis. The videos are to help parents of children with ADHD, adults with ADHD, and the rest of the population.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

Drama-Logue Award The Drama-Logue Award was an American theater award established in 1977, given by the publishers of Drama-Logue newspaper, a weekly west-coast theater trade publication. Winners were selected by the publication's theater critics, and would recei ...

– ''Talking With'' *2008, Image Awards – Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series ''Army Wives'' (Nominated) *2009, Image Awards – Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series ''Army Wives'' (Nominated) *2011, Image Awards – Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series ''Army Wives'' (Nominated) *2008, Prism Awards – Performance in a Drama Series Multi-Episode Storyline ''Army Wives'' (Nominated)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Wendy Living people African-American actresses American film actresses American television actresses Howard University alumni People from Joppatowne, Maryland 1966 births Actresses from Maryland 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Delta Sigma Theta members