Chandra Wilson

Chandra Danette Wilson (born August 27, 1969) is an American actress and director best known for her role as Dr. Miranda Bailey in Grey's Anatomy (since 2005), for which she won a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series and two NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. She also played the character of Bailey on Private Practice and Station 19. She made her New York stage debut in 1991 and began to land guest spots on a variety of prime-time television shows. She made her first film appearance in the 1993 film Philadelphia.

Early life Wilson was born and raised in Houston, Texas. Her mother, a postal worker, wanted to keep her daughter active, so she enrolled Chandra in numerous after-school activities. "Starting at age four, my mom decided that she was not going to have an idle child in the house," Wilson recalls. "So I started taking dance lessons on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and then I was in acting classes on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and I was also modeling on Saturdays. And that was my childhood." "My first show was The King and I when I was five" she said in an interview with Broadway.com.

In 2005, Wilson landed her breakthrough role as Dr. Miranda Bailey on the hit ABC show Grey's Anatomy.

Career Wilson's first regular network TV role was in the short-lived series Bob Patterson (2001), a post-Seinfeld vehicle for Jason Alexander. In a review for USA Today, Robert Bianco called Wilson "the only person in the show you can imagine wanting to see again". Similarly, the Los Angeles Times said, "The only character here that's amusingly written is Bob's new assistant, Claudia (Chandra Wilson)". She also appeared on Third Watch (2001), Law & Order SVU, Sex and the City (2002), and The Sopranos (2004), and had a small role in Lone Star (1996).

Wilson also had career in theater, where she played Bonna Willis in The Good Times Are Killing Me, and was featured in the Tony-nominated musical Caroline, or Change. Wilson is an accomplished singer and has sung in several productions, including On the Town (1998), Avenue Q (2003) and Caroline, or Change (2004). The show became a success. Wilson was nominated in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 for an Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama. She was nominated and won the Screen Actors Guild Award in 2007 for Outstanding Female Actor in a Drama Series; she also won a SAG Award as part of the Grey's Anatomy cast, which won Best Ensemble in a Drama Series.

Wilson made her television directing debut with the episode "Give Peace a Chance", the 7th episode in season 6 of Grey's Anatomy. She also directed episode 17, "Push", of the same season and the fifth episode of season 7, "Almost Grown", the 21st episode of eight season, "Moment of Truth", "Second Opinion", the 6th episode of ninth season and "Transplant Wasteland", the 17th episode of ninth season. The part of Dr. Bailey, supervisor to the hospital interns, had been written for a petite, blonde-haired white woman, but Wilson, a full-figured African-American woman, gave such an impressive audition that the show's producers decided to give her the part. "Besides," she later joked, "I knew the casting director." Wilson earned rave reviews for her performance as the tough-as-nails Dr. Bailey. Wilson was nominated for four consecutive Emmy Awards (2006–2009) and won four consecutive NAACP Image Awards (2007–2010) for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. She also won the 2008 People's Choice Award for Favorite Scene-Stealing Star. In 2009, while still starring on Grey's Anatomy, Wilson took a brief hiatus from the show to go to Broadway as Mama Morton in a revival of Chicago.

Wilson explained the only difference between her acting career now and her acting career a decade ago is that people actually recognize her on the street. "The only difference in my career now is the visibility I have," she insisted. "People say I made it now, but I feel like I made it doing summer stock." She is also clear-headed about the fragility of her new-found fame and fortune. Upon finally leaving her job at Deutsche Bank to focus solely on her role in Grey's Anatomy, Wilson was careful not to burn any bridges. She said, "They told me I could come back if acting doesn't work out. I told them, 'Keep my seat warm.'"

In 2014, Wilson made a guest starring appearance on the ABC Daytime soap opera General Hospital as patient Tina Estrada. In 2018, she appeared on General Hospital as Dr. Linda Massey. In April 2019, it was announced Wilson would make a third guest star appearance on General Hospital, but this time as Sydney Val Jean in May 2019.

Personal life In Parade May 2007 edition, Wilson described herself as "I'm in a relationship, but I'm not married." She has been with her partner for 31 years as of 2019. Wilson and her partner have 3 children; their daughter Serena was born in 1992, daughter Joylin was born in 1998, and son Michael was born on October 31, 2005.

Activism Wilson is an activist for the cause of cyclic vomiting syndrome and serves as the spokesperson for the Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome Association, as well as, the celebrity ambassador for CureMito! after her teenage daughter, Serena, developed the disease in 2010. For the ninth season of Grey's Anatomy Wilson met with the producers and pitched the idea of featuring cyclic vomiting syndrome in an upcoming episode. The episode, "Second Opinion", aired on November 15, 2012, and was directed by Wilson.

She also is an advocate for people with mental and/or substance use disorders. In 2015, she hosted the 10th Annual Voice Awards event for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Filmography

Film Year Title Role Notes 1990 Peer Pressure, Drugs and... You 1993 Mad Dog and Glory Philadelphia Chandra 1996 Lone Star Athena 2003 Head of State Jaime Uncredited 2005 I Love the 80's 3-D Herself 2008 A Single Woman Coretta Scott King 2010 Frankie and Alice Maxine 2018 Christmas Harmony Karen

Television Year Title Role Notes 1989 The Cosby Show Dina Episode: "The Lost Weekend" 1991 Sesame Street Teenage Student Episode: "Telly Monster follows Gordon to school for a "Wide World of Sesame Street" report" 1992 CBS Schoolbreak Special Gloria Episode: "Sexual Considerations" Law & Order Serena Price Episode: "Cradle to Grave" 2000 Cosby Unknown Episode: "It's a Wonderful Wife" 2001 Third Watch Volunteer Episode: "Man Enough" 100 Centre Street Unknown Episode: "No Good Deed Goes Unpunished" Bob Patterson Claudia Unknown episodes 2002 Sex and the City Police Officer Episode: "Anchors Away" 2002, 2005 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Nurse Jenkins Episode: "Waste" Rachel Sorannis Episode: "911" 2003 Queens Supreme Dolores Episode: "The House Next Door" 2004 The Sopranos Evelyn Greenwood Episode: "Cold Cuts" 2005–present Grey's Anatomy Dr. Miranda Bailey Main cast (season 1–present)410 episodesNAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama SeriesNAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (2007–08)People's Choice Award for Favorite Scene Stealing StarSatellite Award for Best Cast – Television SeriesScreen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama SeriesScreen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama SeriesNominated—BET Award for Best Actress on Television (2007–08)Nominated—Golden Nymph Award for Outstanding Actress – Drama SeriesNominated—NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series (2010–14)Nominated—NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama SeriesNominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (2006–09)Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film (2007–08)Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (2006, 2008) 2008 Sesame Street Herself Episode: "Number 6 Games" Accidental Friendship Yvonne Made-for-TV movie directed by Don McBreartyPrism Award for Performance in a Television Movie or MiniseriesNominated—NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic SpecialNominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie 2009 Private Practice Dr. Miranda Bailey 2 episodes 2014 General Hospital Tina Estrada 1 episode 2018 Dr. Linda Massey 1 episode 2019 Sydney Val Jean 1 episode 2018–2024 Station 19 Dr. Miranda Bailey Recurring; 24 episodes 2021 Celebrity Wheel of Fortune Herself Episode: "Leslie Jones, Chandra Wilson and Tony Hawk"

Director +YearTitleEpisode2009–presentGrey's Anatomy"Give Peace a Chance" (2009) "Push" (2010) "Almost Grown" (2010) "White Wedding" (2011) "Take the Lead" (2011) "Moment of Truth" (2012) "Second Opinion" (2012) "Transplant Wasteland" (2013) "I Want You with Me" (2013) "Do You Know?" (2014) "The Bed's Too Big Without You" (2015) "With or Without You" (2015) "My Next Life" (2016) "I Wear the Face" (2016) "Both Sides Now" (2016) "In the Air Tonight" (2017) "Go Big or Go Home" (2017) "Games People Play" (2018) "Everyday Angel" (2018) "We Didn't Start the Fire" (2019) "Breath Again" (2019) "Hotter Than Hell" (2021) "Stronger Than Hate" (2022) "Cowgirls Don't Cry" (2023) "Blood, Sweat and Tears" (2024) "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" (2025)2015–2017The Fosters"Daughters" (2015) "Highs & Lows" (2016) "Wake Up For Your Reverie" (2022)

Stage

Awards and nominations

Year Association Category Work Result 1991 Theatre World Awards Performance as Bonna Willis The Good Times are Killing Me 2006 Emmy Awards Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Grey's Anatomy Image Awards 2007 BET Awards Best Actress Emmy Awards Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Image Awards Satellite Awards Best Supporting Actress in a Television Vision/Mini-Series Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series Outstanding Cast in a Drama Series 2008 BET Awards Best Actress Emmy Awards Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Image Awards People's Choice Awards Favorite Scene Stealing Star Satellite Awards Best Supporting Actress in a Television Vision/Mini-Series Best Ensemble Cast in a Series Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Cast in a Drama Series 2009 Emmy Awards Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie Accidental Friendship Image Awards Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series Grey's Anatomy Outstanding Actress in a Mini-Series/Television Movie Accidental Friendship 2010 Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series "Give Peace a Chance" (Grey's Anatomy) Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Grey's Anatomy 2011 Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series 2012 2013 2014 2022 Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama Series