Ciera Payton

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Ciera Payton (born January 26, 1986) is an American actress, writer and singer. She has appeared in television series such as The Walking Dead , General Hospital , Graceland , and NCIS. She also had a supporting role as Sylvia in Tyler Perry's A Madea Family Funeral . She currently stars in the BET soap opera The Oval .

Contents

Early life

Ciera Payton graduated from the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts [1] and received her bachelor of fine arts degree in drama from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. [2]

Career

Payton got her start in the feature film Flight of Fury (2007), playing the female lead role of CIA agent Jessica opposite Steven Seagal. She was a junior in college while filming Flight of Fury. In 2009, she made her off-Broadway debut, starring as the lead role of Savannah in Savannah Black and Blue, [3] produced by the Negro Ensemble Company.

In 2010, Payton transitioned from New York to Los Angeles where she booked the role of Janet Tanner in the BBC American reboot of Torchwood . She later appeared on The Closer , playing opposite Keira Sedwick as Keisha Murphy. [1] After gaining a few roles on the small screen, Payton was granted the role of Capri in Spike Lee's film Oldboy , sharing the screen with Josh Brolin. [4]

In 2014, she appeared as the cheerleading coach who takes down a prominent campaign in The Runner starring Nicolas Cage. [5]

In 2016, she received the Los Angeles Pioneer Woman Award for her work providing arts programs to at-risk youth. [6]

In 2019, she starred in the film A Madea Family Funeral . [4]

Payton portrayed talk show host Wendy Williams in the 2021 Lifetime biopic Wendy Williams: The Movie . [7] [8]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
2007 Flight of Fury JessicaVideo
2008Jump Out BoysMaria
2009 Madea Goes to Jail Undercover Detective
Midnight Bayou EffieTV movie
The Way HomeTashaShort
2010Moth to a FlameKaraShort
2012A Woman's Worth Short FilmMelissaShort
2013The Other DoorMelissaTV movie
Paradise Stripper #2
Oldboy Capri
2014Xxv (25)ChrisShort
2015American Bad BoyRaven
The Runner Lucy Hall
What's Bullying?TeacherTV Short
GuiltlessCieraShort
2016Forward-Short
59 SecondsFoster Mom
2017StainBernice
2018Dangerous DazeBenita BangsShort
2019 A Madea Family Funeral Sylvia
AfterthoughtsDet. Paige AldridgeShort
2020SanctionedApril's MomShort
2021 Wendy Williams: The Movie Wendy Williams TV movie
The Manor Liesel
2022Respect the JuxKaren
2023Love & Murder: Atlanta PlayboySophia

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
2008 All My Children ReporterEpisode: "1.9970"
2010Fake It Til You Make ItMILFRecurring cast
2011 The Closer Keisha MurphyEpisode: "Unknown Trouble"
Torchwood JanetEpisode: "Miracle Day: The Middle Men"
2012 Californication HookerEpisode: "The Ride-Along"
Body of Proof Eve JohnsonEpisode: "Going Viral, Part 2"
The Mentalist AngelEpisode: "Something Rotten in Redmund"
Days of Our Lives Martine KentRegular cast
Common Law KellyEpisode: "Joint Custody"
2013 NCIS: Los Angeles EllenEpisode: "History"
2013–14 Graceland CassandraRecurring cast: Season 1, Guest: Season 2
2014FirstNikkiEpisode: "The First Awkward Moment"
Bad Teacher Meg the BartenderRecurring cast
It Could be WorseActressEpisode: "Too Much Candy"
2015Reconcilable DifferencesEveRecurring cast
Real Husbands of Hollywood TracyEpisode: "Cabin Pressure"
2016 NCIS Laurie PerkinsEpisode: "Pay to Play"
2017 General Hospital Grace McMorrisEpisode: "1.13746" & "1.13820"
Indoor BoysAlyssaEpisode: "Mafia"
Ballers LydiaEpisode: "Alley-Oops"
The Walking Dead ZiaEpisode: "The King, the Widow, and Rick"
2019 Being Mary Jane KeiaEpisode: "Becoming Pauletta"
She's Gotta Have It Jameelah HawkinsRecurring cast: Season 2
2019–23 Tyler Perry’s The Oval Lily WinthropMain cast
2023 Princess Power Queen KatiaRecurring cast

References

  1. 1 2 "Catch NOCCA graduate Ciera Payton on the premiere of 'The Closer'". The Times-Picayune. New Orleans, Louisiana. July 9, 2011.
  2. "About". Ciera Payton official website. Retrieved 2019-05-04.
  3. Webster, Andy (2009-11-11). "At Shetler Studios, a Woman's Tough Climb to the Police Beat". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2017-12-22.
  4. 1 2 "Credits". Ciera Payton official website. 2019-05-04. Archived from the original on 2019-05-04. Retrieved 2020-02-08.
  5. "The Runner (2015) - Financial Information". The Numbers. Retrieved 2020-02-08.
  6. "Women's History Month 2016". Los Angeles City Council District 6. April 1, 2016. Retrieved 2019-05-04.
  7. Ciera Payton on playing media mogul Wendy Williams in Lifetime's "Wendy Williams: The Movie"
  8. "See the First Trailer for the Wendy Williams Biopic, Documenting Her Substance Abuse Issues: 'You've Got a Coke Habit'". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved 2020-12-04.