Cassi Davis | |
|---|---|
 Davis in 2018 | |
| Born | Cassandra Davis July 31, 1964 |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1988–present |
| Spouse | Kerry Patton (m. 2017) |
Cassandra Davis-Patton (born July 31, 1964) [1] is an American actress best known for her role as Ella Payne on Tyler Perry's House of Payne and its spin-off series The Paynes . She is also known as Aunt Bam in the Madea franchise since 2010. She has starred in several other productions under the direction of Tyler Perry.
Born in Holly Springs, Mississippi, [2] [3] Davis attended Spelman College in Atlanta and majored in music. She left the college one credit short of graduation, because she was not allowed to perform religious music during her senior recital. Davis returned to Spelman in 2008 to complete her degree, graduating in November of that year. [4] She has credited her devout, born-again Christian faith as the main reason behind her professional success. [5]
Davis' acting career began in 1988 with a supporting role in the Spike Lee comedy film School Daze . Her early television credits include appearances on Living Single , Married... with Children , Kenan & Kel , and The PJ's . She established her acting career by appearing in Tyler Perry productions such as Madea's Family Reunion , Madea Goes to Jail , Daddy's Little Girls , Madea's Big Happy Family , Boo! A Madea Halloween and A Madea Family Funeral .
Davis is best known for her role as Ella Payne in the TBS sitcom Tyler Perry's House of Payne from 2007 to 2012. She received two NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series for her performance. [6] In 2018, she starred in House of Payne spinoff The Paynes that aired on Oprah Winfrey Network. In 2020, a revival series of House of Payne was ordered on BET. [7]
Davis married her longtime boyfriend Kerry Patton on January 11, 2017; prior to their marriage, the two had been dating since 2007. [8] In an interview, Cassi denied having a stroke, but revealed instead that she was diagnosed with Bell's palsy in March 2020. [9]
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | School Daze ! | Paula | |
| 1994 | Silent Bomb | Kate | |
| 2004 | He Say... She Say... But What Does GOD Say? | Sister Tiny | |
| 2005 | Love on Layaway | Willanetta | |
| 2006 | Madea's Family Reunion | Aunt Sarah | |
| 2006 | Madea Goes To Jail | Ella Kincaid | |
| 2007 | Daddy's Little Girls | Aunt Rita | |
| 2010 | Madea's Big Happy Family | Aunt Bam | |
| 2011 | Madea's Big Happy Family | ||
| 2011 | A Madea Christmas | ||
| 2011 | Aunt Bam's Place | ||
| 2014 | Madea's Neighbors from Hell | ||
| 2014 | Act of Faith | Brady's wife | |
| 2015 | Madea on the Run | Aunt Bam | |
| 2015 | Madea's Tough Love | voice | |
| 2016 | Boo! A Madea Halloween | ||
| 2017 | Boo 2! A Madea Halloween | ||
| 2017 | Hamlet & Hutch | Jenice | |
| 2019 | Madea's Farewell Play Tour | Aunt Bam | |
| 2019 | A Madea Family Funeral | ||
| 2022 | A Madea Homecoming |
| Year | Film | Role | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Living Single | Francine | Episode: "In The Black It's Beautiful" |
| 1994 | Chicago Hope | Nurse #1 | Episode: "Food Chains" |
| 1996 | Moesha | ||
| 1996 | Married... with Children | Patty | Episode: "Crimes Against Obesity" |
| 1999 | Kenan & Kel | Kitty | Episode: "He Got Job" |
| 1999–2001 | The PJs | HUD woman (Voice) | Recurring Role; 27 episodes |
| 2000 | The Parkers | Big Woman | |
| 2001 | Boycott | Cook | Television movie |
| 2007–2012, 2020–present | Tyler Perry's House of Payne | Ella Payne | Lead role; 254 episodes NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series (2010, 2013) Nominated — NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series (2009, 2011) |
| 2009 | Meet the Browns | Episode: "Meet the Christmas Spirit" | |
| 2015 | Love Thy Neighbor | Episode: "Ella and Curtis" | |
| 2018 | The Paynes | Lead role, 38 episodes |
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Golden Raspberry Awards [10] | Worst Supporting Actress | A Madea Family Funeral | Nominated |
Keshia Knight Pulliam is an American actress. She began her career as a child actor, and landed her breakthrough role as Rudy Huxtable, on the NBC sitcom The Cosby Show (1984–1992), which earned her a nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in A Comedy Series at the 38th Primetime Emmy Awards. She later starred as Miranda Lucas-Payne on the TBS comedy drama Tyler Perry's House of Payne (2007–present).
Tyler Perry is an American actor, filmmaker, and playwright. He is the creator and performer of Mabel "Madea" Simmons, a tough elderly woman, and also portrays her brother Joe Simmons and her nephew Brian Simmons. Perry's films vary in style from orthodox filmmaking techniques to filmed productions of live stage plays, many of which have been subsequently adapted into feature films. Madea's first appearance was in Perry's play I Can Do Bad All by Myself (1999) staged in Chicago.
Euphemia LatiQue"Tika" Sumpter is an American actress and producer. Sumpter began her career as the host of Best Friend's Date. From 2005 to 2010, she appeared in the daytime soap opera One Life to Live. In 2010, she made her film debut in Stomp the Yard: Homecoming and later featured in supporting roles for What's Your Number? (2011), Sparkle (2012), and A Madea Christmas (2013).
Mabel "Madea" Earlene Simmons is a character created and portrayed by Tyler Perry. She is portrayed as a tough, street-smart elderly African-American woman.
Madea Goes to Jail is an 2005 American stage play that was written, produced, and directed by Tyler Perry in 2005. It stars Tyler Perry as Mabel "Madea" Simmons and Cassi Davis as Ella Kincaid. The live performance released on DVD on June 27, 2006 was recorded live in Atlanta at the Fabulous Fox Theatre in October 2005. The DVD was released alongside Why Did I Get Married? and Madea's Family Reunion.
Tyler Perry's House of Payne, also known as simply House of Payne, is an American sitcom television series created and produced by Tyler Perry that premiered in syndication on June 21, 2006.
Tamela Jean Mann is an American gospel singer and actress. She began her career as a singer with the gospel group Kirk Franklin and the Family. Mann was a primary vocalist on several tracks while with Franklin's group, including "Now Behold the Lamb", and "Lean on Me", the latter of which also included Mary J. Blige, Crystal Lewis, R. Kelly, and Bono. She began her solo career by releasing the albums Gotta Keep Movin (2005), and The Master Plan (2009).
What's Done in the Dark (Will Come to the Light) is an 2007 American stage play written, directed and produced by Tyler Perry. The show first opened in September 2006. The play focuses on two nurses, one of whom is a single mother and the other of whom is having an affair with a doctor, and an eccentric hypochondriac patient, Mr. Brown. It stars Tamela Mann as Cora and David Mann as Mr. Brown. The live performance released on DVD on February 12, 2008 was taped in Charlotte at the Ovens Auditorium in May 2007.
LaVan Davis is an American actor who played the character Curtis Payne on Tyler Perry's TV shows House of Payne and The Paynes, TBS Network (2007–2012), OWN Network (2018) and BET Network (2020–present).
Meet the Browns is an American sitcom created and produced by Tyler Perry. The Initial story of the show revolves around Mr. Brown running a senior citizen's home in Decatur, Georgia, with his daughter Cora Simmons. However, as the show progresses, this idea is gradually phased out and it becomes a typical family sitcom about a multigenerational clan living under one roof. The show premiered on Wednesday, January 7, 2009, and finished its run on November 18, 2011 on TBS.
Roger Marcellus Bobb is the President and CEO of Bobbcat Films, a film and television production company based in Atlanta, Georgia. Prior to creating Bobbcat films, Bobb served as the Executive Vice President of Tyler Perry Studios.
The second season of the Tyler Perry's House of Payne began airing on June 6, 2007, and concluded on August 6, 2008. The season contained 100 episodes.
Demetria Dyan McKinney is an American actress, model, and singer. From 2006 to 2012, during its original run, she starred in the TBS sitcom Tyler Perry's House of Payne, a BET revival of the show was announced in 2020. Her other series regular roles include TV One sitcom The Rickey Smiley Show, Bounce TV prime time soap opera Saints & Sinners and Syfy horror drama Superstition, as well as Motherland: Fort Salem on Freeform.
Tyler Perry's Madea's Tough Love is a 2015 American live action-animated comedy film directed by Frank Marino, written by Matt Fleckenstein and Benjamin Gluck produced by Tyler Perry, Matt Moore, and Ozzie Areu, and starring the voices of Perry, Cassi Davis, Rolonda Watts, Avery Kidd Waddell, Philip Anthony-Rodriguez, Georg Stanford Brown, Kevin Michael Richardson, Mari Williams, Indigo, Caitlyn Taylor Love, Maya Kay, Kate Higgins, and Bootsy Collins. The film tells the story of Madea being sentenced to community service at a youth center as she comes across a devious plot to destroy it. It was released on January 20, 2015. While the film is mainly animated and serves as Tyler Perry Studios' first live action-animated film, the beginning and ending scenes however are live-action like the other Madea films.
Boo 2! A Madea Halloween is a 2017 American comedy horror film written, produced, directed by and starring Tyler Perry and also starring Cassi Davis, Patrice Lovely, Yousef Erakat, Diamond White, Lexy Panterra, Andre Hall, Brock O'Hurn, and Tito Ortiz. It is the tenth film in the Madea cinematic universe, the sequel to Boo! A Madea Halloween (2016), and the third Madea film not adapted from a stage play as it tells the story of Madea going to retrieve a now 18-year-old Tiffany from a lake that is said to be stalked by a serial killer. The film was released on October 20, 2017, by Lionsgate, received negative reviews from critics and grossed $48 million. At the 38th Golden Raspberry Awards the film received three nominations: Worst Actress, Worst Screen Combo and Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-off or Sequel.
The Paynes is an American television sitcom that premiered on January 16, 2018, on the Oprah Winfrey Network. The show was created, written, and directed by Tyler Perry and serves as a sequel to his previous series, Tyler Perry's House of Payne.
A Madea Family Funeral is a 2019 African American comedy film written, directed, and produced by Tyler Perry. It is the eleventh installment of the Madea cinematic universe, and stars Perry in several roles, including as the titular character, as well as Cassi Davis and Patrice Lovely. The plot follows Madea and her friends as they must set up an unexpected funeral during a family get-together in Maxine, Georgia.
Taja V. Simpson is an American actress, known for her role as Priscilla Owen in the BET prime time soap opera, The Oval.
A Madea Homecoming is a 2022 American comedy film produced, written, and directed by Tyler Perry and his second film to be released by Netflix. Besides Perry, the film stars Cassi Davis-Patton, David Mann, Tamela Mann, Gabrielle Dennis, and Brendan O'Carroll. It is the twelfth film in the Madea cinematic universe. The film tells the story of Madea partaking in her great-grandson's college graduation party as hidden secrets emerge and surprise visitors show up. It was released on February 25, 2022. It is adapted from Perry's stage play Madea's Farewell Play, the first Madea film to be adapted from a stage play since A Madea Christmas. The film is also a crossover between the Madea franchise and the Irish sitcom Mrs. Brown's Boys.
Crystal Renee Hayslett is an American actress and costume designer. She is known for her role as Fatima Wilson in the BET comedy-drama series, Sistas and its spin-off, Zatima.
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