Persia White
Persia Jessica White (born October 25, 1972)[2] is an American actress, singer and musician. White is perhaps best known for her role as Lynn Searcy on the UPN sitcom Girlfriends which originally aired from 2000 until 2008.[3] White is also a member of the industrial rock band XEO3, and a solo singer who released her debut album Mecca in 2009.
Persia White | |
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Born | [1] Miami, Florida, U.S. | October 25, 1972
Nationality | American |
Occupation |
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Years active | 1994–present |
Known for | Lynn Searcy – Girlfriends |
Spouse(s) | |
Musical career | |
Genres | |
Instruments |
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Labels |
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Associated acts | |
Website | persia-white |
Early life
White was born one of four children to an Irish-American mother and a Bahamian father.[4] Her early years were spent in the Bahamas. White's father was paralyzed in a car accident when she was three, and he later moved to Miami to seek better medical care. White's mother moved with her children to South Florida two years later, but did not reunite with White's father.[5] White later joined the Miami Coconut Grove Children's Theater. As a teen, she studied dance, acting, singing, and painting. After high school, White signed with the Ford Agency and obtained her Screen Actors Guild card. She then moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in acting.[6]
Career
White has appeared in various independent films, including Red Letters (opposite Peter Coyote) and the cult horror Blood Dolls. She starred in the made-for-TV movies Operation Sandman, opposite Ron Perlman, and Suddenly, opposite Kirstie Alley. Her television work includes appearances on Angel, NYPD Blue, The Steve Harvey Show, Brooklyn South, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as well as regular roles on Breaker High with co-star Ryan Gosling, and Girlfriends as Lynn. In 2008, White appeared in The Fall of Night in the role of Dawn. She can also be seen in Chrisette Michele's video for "Be OK."
In addition to acting, White also co-produced the award-winning documentary Earthlings, narrated by Joaquin Phoenix.[7] In July 2011, White won the award for Best Performance by an Actor in the American Black Film Festival for her work in Dysfunctional Friends.[8] She also appeared as Bonnie's mother on The Vampire Diaries in a semi-recurring role.
In 2019, she reunited with her Girlfriends co-stars Tracee Ellis Ross, Jill Marie Jones, and Golden Brooks in an episode of the ABC comedy series Black-ish.
Personal life
White is a vegan, a human and animal rights advocate, and environmentalist. She was honored by PETA as a 2005 Humanitarian of the Year.[9] She is a board member for the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.[10] On February 29, 2008, White became engaged to singer Saul Williams, her boyfriend of five years. They met in 2003 when he made a guest appearance on the TV show Girlfriends.[11][12] On January 17, 2009, White announced via her Myspace blog that she and Williams were no longer together.[13]
After three years of dating, White married fellow Vampire Diaries actor Joseph Morgan in Ocho Rios, Jamaica on July 5, 2014.[14] White has a daughter, Mecca White, born c. 1995.[15]
Filmography
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1994 | Blue Chips | Uncredited | |
1996 | Frankie D. | ||
1999 | Blood Dolls | Black Baby | |
2000 | Stalled | Leanne | |
2000 | Red Letters | Vanessa Cody | |
2005 | Earthlings | Co-narrator | Co-producer |
2007 | The Fall of Night | Dawn | |
2007 | Everyday Joe | Gina | Co-producer |
2009 | Spoken Word | Shea | |
2011 | Kiss the Bride | Trina | Direct-to-video |
2011 | Mafia | Mel | |
2012 | Dysfunctional Friends | Trenyce | |
2012 | The Marriage Chronicles | Marcia Anson | |
2012 | Guardian of Eden | Clarke | |
2012 | Black November | Tracey | |
2012 | No Mo Games | Morgan | |
2014 | Unity | Narrator | Documentary |
2017 | Miss Me This Christmas | Millicent Williams | |
2017 | You Can't Fight Christmas | Millicent Williams | |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1996 | NYPD Blue | Margie | Episode: "These Old Bones" |
1996 | Malibu Shores | Listener | Episode: "Hotline" |
1996 | Saved by the Bell: The New Class | Heather | Episode: "Little Hero" |
1996 | Goode Behavior | Trish | Episode: "Goode Grades" |
1996 | Suddenly | Trina | Television movie |
1997 | Weird Science | Kim | Episode: "Gary Had a Little Cram" |
1997 | The Burning Zone | Jenny | Episode: "Critical Mass" |
1997 | Sister, Sister | Anya | Episode: "Three the Heart Way" |
1997 | The Parent 'Hood | Alexia | Episode: "Tango & Cash" |
1997 | Buffy the Vampire Slayer | Aura | 3 episodes |
1997 | Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction | Molly | Episode: "On the Road" |
1997–1998 | Breaker High | Denise Williams | Main role, 44 episodes |
1998 | Brooklyn South | Cinnamon | Episode: "Cinnamon Buns" |
1998 | Malcolm & Eddie | Sharon | Episode: "Bowl-a-Drama" |
1999 | The Steve Harvey Show | Monique | Episode: "All That Jazz" |
1999 | Clueless | Veronica | Episode: "My Best Friend's Boyfriend" |
1999 | Another World | Kineisha 'K.C.' Burrell | Recurring role |
2000 | Operation Sandman | Private Winslow | Television movie |
2000–2008 | Girlfriends | Lynn Searcy | Main role, 172 episodes |
2001 | Angel | Agnes "Aggie" Belfleur | Episode: "Over the Rainbow" |
2005 | Unscripted | Flirty Girl | Episode #1.8 |
2012–2013, 2017 | The Vampire Diaries | Abby Bennett Wilson | Recurring role, 7 episodes |
2019 | Black-ish | Lila | Episode: "Feminisn't" |
Award nomination
Year | Award | Category | Title of work |
---|---|---|---|
2008 | ALMA Award | Outstanding Female Performance in a Comedy Television Series | Girlfriends |
Music
Mecca | |
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Studio album by Persia White | |
Released | October 31, 2009 |
Recorded | 2005–2009 |
Genre | Alternative, trip hop |
Length | 36:30 |
Label | Hybrid Music |
Singles from Mecca | |
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Mecca is Persia White's debut album. It was released digitally on October 31, 2009, and on CD on December 8, 2009. The title comes from the name of White's daughter. The final three songs on the album were all featured on Girlfriends.
Track listing
- "Wanting" – 3:58
- "Perfect" – 3:15
- "Receive" (featuring Saul Williams) – 4:15
- "Pressed Against Gods Thoughts" – 2:02
- "Haunt" – 3:02
- "2 Sea" – 1:23
- "Danger" (featuring Saul Williams) – 3:25
- "Salvation" – 4:57
- "Tease" (featuring Tricky) – 3:22
- "Choices" (Girlfriends season finale song) – 2:47
- "Past Mistakes" (featuring Tricky) – 4:10
References
- https://www.bigdreamsandsilverscreens.org/wiff-women-in-film
- https://www.bigdreamsandsilverscreens.org/wiff-women-in-film
- Crissy Calhoun (2014). "Love You to Death – Season 3: The Unofficial Companion to the Vampire Diaries". Google Books. Retrieved January 22, 2018.
- Turner, Miki (February 23, 2004). "Persia's Edge". Sun-Sentinel. p. 1. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
- Turner, Miki (February 23, 2004). "Persia's Edge". Sun-Sentinel. p. 2. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
- "Earthlings: Cast and Crew". earthlings.com. Archived from the original on August 18, 2010. Retrieved November 2, 2008.
- "ABFF Announced 2011 Winners". abff.com. Retrieved July 1, 2011.
- "Persia White: Biography". cwtv.com. Archived from the original on April 23, 2008. Retrieved November 2, 2008.
- "SSCS Board of Directors: Persia White". seashepherd.org. Archived from the original on May 19, 2015. Retrieved November 2, 2008.
- "Feeding sheep : photo image" (JPG). I2.tinypic.com. Retrieved March 3, 2016.
- "Persia White attending the 19th Annual Genesis Awards – Arrivals and VIP Reception held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, CA on 3/19/2005 | SGG-059590". Prphotos.com. March 19, 2005. Retrieved March 3, 2016.
- "Love Life and Friendship". blogs.myspace.com. Retrieved January 18, 2009.
- "Joseph Morgan Marries Persia White in Jamaica". Retrieved February 16, 2016.
- Girl, L.A. (July 24, 2014). "Top 10 things about Persia White Vampires Diaries actor Joseph Morgan's Wife". Daily Entertainment News. Archived from the original on September 11, 2014. Retrieved July 23, 2016.
White, who will turn 42 this year, is the mother of an 19-year-old daughter...
External links
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