Rutina Wesley, Acting - KorPlix:Korean Person Archives

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Rutina Wesley
Acting

Rutina Wesley
Known For
Acting
Birthday
1978-12-21,Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Gender
Female
Biography
Rutina Wesley (born February 1, 1979) is an American film, stage, and television actress best known for her role as Tara Thornton on the HBO series True Blood and Nova Bordelon on OWN’s Queen Sugar. Wesley was born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada. Her father, Ivery Wheeler, is a professional tap dancer, and her mother, Cassandra Wesley, was a showgirl. She attended high school at the Las Vegas Academy of International Studies, Performing and Visual Arts. She studied dance at Simba Studios and the West Las Vegas Arts Center. While at the Las Vegas Academy, Wesley missed some auditions for college training programs. She finally decided to attend the University of Evansville in Indiana. After Wesley earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre Performance in 2001, her grandmother suggested that she do a nursing course to have a practical fallback job, but Wesley insisted on pursuing her artistic education. She enrolled at the Juilliard School in 2001 and graduated in May 2005 (Group 34). Her studies included a summer spent at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. In December 2006, Wesley was featured in David Hare's Broadway play The Vertical Hour. In 2007, Wesley also appeared in The Public Theater production of In Darfur by playwright Winter Miller, co-starring Heather Raffo and Aaron Lohr, among others. Wesley had a minor role in the 2005 film Hitch, which was edited out in the final cut. In 2007, she made her on-screen debut as the main character in the film How She Move, from British director Ian Iqbal Rashid. The character Raya Green, who enters a step-dancing competition to secure funds for her education, was inspired by Tony Manero, portrayed by John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever. Prior to the shooting of the film, Wesley underwent a five-week dance rehearsal period. Portraying a woman of Jamaican descent, she also took dialect coaching for the role. Wesley auditioned for the role Tara Thornton in the HBO series True Blood in 2007 and secured the part after creator Alan Ball chose her because "[she] was the first person who showed [Tara's] vulnerable side" In January 2015, it was announced that Wesley had been cast in a recurring role on the NBC drama series Hannibal. She portrayed Reba McClane, "a blind woman who enters into a relationship with Francis Dolarhyde (Richard Armitage), and helps soothe his murderous urges—at least at first." Wesley appeared as Liza Warner in the fourth season of Arrow. In 2016, Wesley was cast as the lead character Nova Bordelon in the Oprah Winfrey Network drama series Queen Sugar, produced by Ava DuVernay and Oprah Winfrey. In 2023, Wesley portrayed Maria in the HBO series The Last of Us.

Filmography

4.7

How She Move
2008-01-15

California Winter

10

California Winter
2015-12-01

0

Last Looks
2017-09-22

6.308

13 Sins
2014-04-11

The Perfect Guy

5.7

The Perfect Guy
2015-09-11

4.3

Last Weekend
2014-08-29

Getting the Old Scent Again: Reimagining Red Dragon

10

Getting the Old Scent Again: Reimagining Red Dragon
2015-12-08

5.233

Stucco
2019-08-08

True Blood. A Farewell to Bon Temps

8.5

True Blood. A Farewell to Bon Temps
2014-06-15

5.8

Outsiders
2022-03-11

0

Red Clay
2025-05-03

The Upside of Unrequited

0

The Upside of Unrequited

7.616

True Blood
2008-09-07

The Cleveland Show

5.908

The Cleveland Show
2009-09-27

6.831

Arrow
2012-10-10

8.252

Hannibal
2013-04-04

7.698

Queen Sugar
2016-09-06

6.4

Halloween Wars
2011-10-02

The Walking Dead

8.1

The Walking Dead
2010-10-31

8.452

The Last of Us
2023-01-15

7.7

Monster High
2022-10-06

7.011

Numb3rs
2005-01-23