Tyra Ferrell | |
Birth Date: | 29 March 1962 |
Birth Place: | Houston, Texas, U.S. |
Occupation: | Actress |
Years Active: | 1980–present |
Tyra Ferrell (born March 29, 1962) is an American actress. She is known for her roles in films Boyz n the Hood (1991), Jungle Fever (1991), White Men Can't Jump (1992), and Poetic Justice (1993).
On television, she had starring roles in short-lived series The Bronx Zoo (1987−88) and City (1990), and recurred on Thirtysomething (1989−90), ER (1994) and Empire (2015). Ferrell has been nominated for two NAACP Image Awards.
Ferrell was born in Houston, Texas.[1] She moved from Houston to New York after high school and began her career on stage including roles on (1981), as part of the Cotton Club chorus,[2] and Ain't Misbehavin on Broadway.[3]
She made her screen debut in a small role in the 1981 comedy film So Fine, and later appeared in Lady Beware,[4] School Daze, The Mighty Quinn,[5] and The Exorcist III.[6] On television, she guest-starred in Hill Street Blues,[7] The Twilight Zone,[8] and Quantum Leap.[9] Ferrell's first major role on television was Roberta in drama The Bronx Zoo (1987−88).[10] She had recurring roles on Square One Television and Thirtysomething. In 1990, Ferrell was a regular cast member on the short-lived CBS sitcom City starring Valerie Harper, portraying secretary Wanda Jenkins.[11]
In 1991, Ferrell played supporting roles in two films.[1] She appeared as matriarch Brenda Baker[12] in Boyz n the Hood.[13] A critic believed Ferrell gave a "fine edge" to the character of Mrs. Baker.[14] Ferrell earned an NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture for her role in Boyz n the Hood.[15] She portrayed Orin Goode, the love interest of John Torturro's character, in Jungle Fever.[16] In the same year, she was listed as one of twelve "Promising New Actors of 1991" in John A. Willis' Screen World.[17] The following year, she starred alongside Wesley Snipes as his wife Rhonda in the comedy film White Men Can't Jump.[18] She later had supporting roles as Sonya, a janitor, in Equinox (1992)[19] and a beauty salon owner named Jessie[20] in Poetic Justice (1993).[21]
Ferrell also played the leading role of prosecutor Cutter Dubuque alongside Mare Winningham in the 1993 Lifetime Television movie Better Off Dead.[22] Ferrell received positive reviews for her performance in this film. One reviewer claimed she "breathed life" into her character.[23] Another critic found Ferrell's portrayal "smooth,"[24] and a third opined Ferrell was "impressive."[25] In 1994, she had the recurring role as Dr. Sarah Langworthy during the first season of the NBC medical drama ER,[26] and from 1996 to 1997 she co-starred alongside Corbin Bernsen on the syndicated science fiction series The Cape as Tamara St. James.[27]
In 2000, Ferrell co-starred alongside Khandi Alexander in the HBO miniseries The Corner.[28] She later guest-starred on Soul Food, The Shield and . In 2005, she was nominated for her second NAACP Image Award, in the category of Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Miniseries or Dramatic Special for her role in the ABC television film NTSB: The Crash of Flight 323.[29] After 2004, Ferrell took a break from acting.
She returned to acting ten years later with the leading role in Tasha Smith's directorial debut, Boxed In.[30] In 2015, Ferrell was cast in a recurring role on the second season of Fox's prime-time soap opera Empire as Roxanne Ford, an attorney.[31] [32]
Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1981 | So Fine | Receptionist | ||
1984 | Gimme an 'F' | Rocket Rafferty | ||
1987 | Lady Beware | Nan | ||
Nuts | Cell Woman #2 | |||
1988 | Tapeheads | Flygirl | ||
School Daze | Tasha | |||
Side by Side | Rita Gold | TV movie | ||
1989 | The Mighty Quinn | Isola | ||
The Neon Empire | Samantha | TV movie | ||
1990 | The Exorcist III | Nurse Blaine | ||
1991 | Jungle Fever | Orin Goode | ||
Boyz n the Hood | Brenda Baker | |||
1992 | White Men Can't Jump | Rhonda Deane | ||
Equinox | Sonya Kirk | |||
Ulterior Motives | Receptionist | |||
You Must Remember This | Ricki Sewell | TV movie | ||
1993 | Better Off Dead | Cutter Dubuque | TV movie | |
Poetic Justice | Jessie | |||
2004 | The Perfect Score | Mrs. Rhodes | ||
NTSB: The Crash of Flight 323 | Jessamyn | TV movie | ||
Coochie | Olivia Potter | Short | ||
2015 | Boxed in | Gayle | Short | |
2019 | The Bobby DeBarge Story | Etterlene DeBarge | TV movie | |
2020 | A New York Christmas Wedding | Alison Wilks |
Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1985 | Hill Street Blues | Jonelle Robinson | Episode: "Somewhere Over the Rambo" | |
Moonlighting | Hooker | Episode: "Knowing Her" | ||
The Twilight Zone | Maid | Episode: "Dead Woman's Shoes" | ||
1986 | ABC Afterschool Special | Tracy | Episode: "Are You My Mother?" | |
Hunter | Marguerite Montero | Episode: "Love, Hate, and Sporty James" | ||
1987 | Mathnet | Ginnie Carlson | Episode: "The Problem of the Missing Baseball" | |
Square One Television | Ginnie Carlson | Recurring cast: season 1 | ||
1987-88 | The Bronx Zoo | Roberta Hughes | Main cast: season 1, recurring cast: season 2 | |
1988 | Mr. Belvedere | Cashier #1 | Episode: "Hooky" | |
1989 | Quantum Leap | Delilah 'Lila' Berry | Episode: "So Help Me God - July 29, 1957" | |
1989-90 | Thirtysomething | Ricky Bianca | Recurring cast: season 3 | |
1990 | Full House | Miss Petrie | Episode: "Bye, Bye Birdie" | |
City | Wanda Jenkins | Main cast | ||
The Trials of Rosie O'Neill | Loni Sanders | Episode: "An Act of Love" | ||
1994 | ER | Dr. Sarah Langworthy | Recurring cast: season 1 | |
1996-97 | The Cape | Mission Specialist Tamara St. James | Main cast | |
1997 | Early Edition | Dr. Marks | Episode: "Faith" | |
2000 | The Corner | Ella Thompson | Main cast | |
Soul Food | Frances Lester | Episode: "Truth Be Told" | ||
2002 | The Shield | Karen Mitchell | Episode: "Two Days of Blood" | |
2003 | Bethany Taylor | Episode: "Futility" | ||
2015 | Empire | Roxanne Ford | Recurring cast: season 2 | |
2017 | Tales | Courier | Episode: "99 Problems" | |
2018 | Chicago PD | Mrs. Burton | Episode: "Breaking Point" |
Year | Awards | Category | Recipient | Outcome | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1992 | NAACP Image Award | NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture | Boyz n the Hood | ||
2005 | NAACP Image Award | NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special | NTSB: The Crash of Flight 323 |