“To be around her is to be around Hollywood history, grace and legend. … She commands the room and gives you a show.”

— Quinta Brunson

By R. Thomas Umstead

Sheryl Lee Ralph has already had quite a momentous year. Along with her upcoming induction into the B+C Hall of Fame, this past April she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, celebrating her six decades in show business. In July, she garnered a fourth-straight Emmy nomination for her role as teacher Barbara Howard in ABC’s hit comedy Abbott Elementary.

Not too bad for the Emmy, Peabody, Screen Actors Guild and Critics Choice Award-winning actress, producer, writer and singer who, even as a young child with entertainment aspirations, couldn’t have imagined the success she has enjoyed. “I always go back to that little girl sitting in front of that 10-inch screen dreaming about coming to California and driving by the beach in a Mustang,” she said. “It’s such a clear image for me, but I never had any idea that it would become everything that it is still becoming today.”

Born in Connecticut, Ralph resided in Jamaica before moving to Long Island, New York. After graduating from Rutgers University, she made her film debut in the 1977 movie A Piece of the Action alongside one of her mentors, Sidney Poitier. Ralph’s big-screen appearances include roles alongside Eddie Murphy in The Distinguished Gentleman, Robert DeNiro in Mistress, Denzel Washington in The Mighty Quinn and Whoopi Goldberg in Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit.

“For me and especially for young Black actresses and others of color, it’s important to know that you must not stop believing in yourself and you must keep it moving.”

— Sheryl Lee Ralph

From Broadway to Hollywood
Ralph said her breakthrough came in 1981, when she was cast on Broadway as Deena Jones in the musical Dreamgirls. “Deena Jones was a character that is now a part of Broadway history but a character that went on to be in the body of Beyoncé (in the 2006 film version),” she said. “For many people that was their introduction to theater, and for me to be connected to that has been wonderful.” Ralph’s more memorable roles also include Dee Mitchell, the fictional stepmother of singer/actress Brandy in Moesha (1996-2001). “To this day, I’ll have young people and people young at heart say through that character you taught me how to raise children,” she said. Other television credits include Nick at Nite’s Instant Mom (2013), Showtime’s Ray Donovan (2013) and Freeform’s Motherland: Fort Salem (2020), where she played the president.

Arguably, her most iconic TV role is as Abbott Elementary’s Barbara Howard, a no-nonsense, committed kindergarten teacher. That portrayal made history in 2022, when Ralph won the primetime Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, just the second Black actress to win the award.

“For me and especially for young Black actresses and others of color, it’s important to know that you must not stop believing in yourself and you must keep it moving,” she said of the role, which arrived late in her career. “For women of a certain age, what’s been important is that they are seeing the worth of an actress no matter how old she is.”

Commanding Presence
Quinta Brunson, creator, executive producer and Ralph’s co-star in Abbott Elementary, said at Ralph’s Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony in April: “She is an experience. To be around her is to be around Hollywood history, grace, and legend. She is a master class in what it means to be an eternal and consistent diva. She commands the room and gives you a show.” Ralph, the 2025 B+C Hall of Fame Humanitarian Award Winner, is also very active philanthropically. Her Diva Foundation empowers vulnerable communities to achieve better health outcomes through the transformative power of the arts and its signature event, the DIVAS Simply Singing! concert, marks its 35th anniversary in November.

“Back when we started, they didn’t want to pay attention to AIDS, but we did,” she recalled. “We opened ourselves up to COVID, and there will be something after COVID. Now we concentrate on all life-threatening diseases … which racism and poverty are a part of.” On-screen, Ralph says she still has much more to accomplish, including a desire to take on some specific, dynamic roles. “I really want to go back to being the president, and I really want to play a criminal with a heart of gold,” she said. “I also want to play a superhero — you’re never too old to be a real superhero.”