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Shamika Cotton | |
|---|---|
 Shamika Cotton with her friend Bob Ketchum at The Wire wrap party | |
| Born | Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Central State University |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 2003–present |
Shamika Cotton is an American actress from Cincinnati, Ohio. She is perhaps best known to television viewers as Michael Lee's drug-addicted mother Raylene Lee in the acclaimed HBO series The Wire .
Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, [1] Shamika Cotton graduated from Withrow High School, where her activities included studying advanced chemistry and playing softball and volleyball, in 1994 [2] and from Cincinnati's competitive School for Creative and Performing Arts, [1] where she studied choir, flute, and theater. She graduated from Central State University in 1999 [3] with a degree in manufacturing engineering. [2]
In 2006, Cotton appeared on the I Wanna Be A Soap Star reality series [3] to good reviews, and her performances from the show were also highlighted on Entertainment Tonight.
In November, 2007, Cotton launched a weekly videocast on YouTube entitled the “Shamika Chronicles”, [4] a series that follows her life and offers a realistic look at the daily life and work of an aspiring actress.
In 2019, she played small role in the movie The Sun Is Also a Star .
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Till Death Do Us Part | - | Short |
| 2009 | Stream | Young Jodi | Short |
| 2011 | Pariah | Candace | |
| 2013 | Frank the Bastard | Isolda | |
| 2015 | Sidewalk Traffic | Nanny Moon | |
| 2019 | The Sun Is Also a Star | Hannah |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Nickelodeon Magazine's Big 10 Birthday Bash | Herself | TV special |
| 2006 | As the World Turns | ER Doctor | 2 episodes |
| 2006-08 | The Wire | Raylene Lee | Recurring cast: Season 4, guest: Season 5 |
| 2007 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Kira Danforth | Episode: "Self-made" |
| 2010 | Law & Order | Mrs. Dolan | Episode: "Boy on Fire" |
| 2013 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Carol McEwan | Episode: "Beautiful Frame" |
| 2014-15 | Forever | Anita | Recurring cast |
| 2016 | Gotham | Officer Holt | Episode: "Wrath of the Villains: Mr. Freeze" |
| 2019 | The Blacklist | FBI Physician | Episode: "Dr. Hans Koehler (No. 33)" |
| The Good Fight | Wendy | Episode: "The One About the Recent Troubles" | |
| God Friended Me | Jen | Episode: "Return to Sender" | |
| Elementary | Rose | Episode: "Their Last Bow" | |
| Blue Bloods | Detective Kim Andrews | Episode: "Naughty or Nice" | |
| New Amsterdam | Martha Randle | Episode: "The Island" | |
| 2020 | Prodigal Son | Joanne | Episode: "Stranger Beside You" |
| 2021 | The Equalizer | Nicole | Episode: "Reckoning" |
| 2022 | P-Valley | Farrah Haynes | Recurring cast: season 2 |
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