Alexandra Grey
Grey at BIFF 2023
BornJanuary 4, 1991 (1991-01-04) (age 33)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
EducationCrete-Monee High School
Alma materCalifornia State University, Northridge
Occupation(s)Actress, singer
Years active2011–present
Known for

Alexandra Jordan Grey (born January 4, 1991) is an American actress, singer, songwriter and producer.[1] She is best known for her roles as Melody Barnes on the Fox music drama series Empire (2015–2020), Elizah Parks on the comedy series Transparent and Parker Phillip's on the CBS action/adventure series MacGyver (2016-2021). She also portrays Denise Lockwood on the NBC TV medical drama Chicago Med, and had guest roles on Code Black, How to Get Away with Murder, Drunk History and the period television drama series The Alienist.[2]

Early life and education

Grey was born in Chicago.[3] She grew up in foster care.[4][3] Grey, a trans woman, stated in an interview, "I knew as early as 4 that I wanted to be a girl," but didn't know how to discuss this with her foster parents, stating "In the African‑American community, this stuff is not even up for discussion."[4]

After graduating from community college, Grey initially came out to her foster parents as gay. They were reluctant to accept her sexuality.[5][4] Once she told them she was transgender, they threw her out of the house.[5][4] She moved from Chicago to Los Angeles, and lived in an LGBT homeless shelter until she saved enough money to get her own place.[5] She attended California State University Northridge and studied theater.[3]

Career

Grey moved to Los Angeles with the hopes of beginning a career in singing or acting.[6] In 2016, she was cast as Elizah Parks in the third season of Transparent. Grey played a troubled foster youth living in South Central Los Angeles, California who calls Maura, played by Jeffrey Tambor, on the LGBT suicide hotline for help. The season went on to win the GLAAD Media Award for Best Comedy Series and later earned seven Primetime Emmy Nominations in 2017.[4]

Grey also guest-starred on Season 2 of the CBS TV medical drama Code Black as Beth Jensen a young queer woman battling abdominal pains.[7] She then guest-starred on Season 4 of the Comedy Central series Drunk History where she portrayed gay rights activist Marsha P. Johnson. Upon its release, the episode trended on Facebook for two days and was nominated for a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Individual TV Episode. The same year the episode was nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards. Grey was considered for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series. On June 3, 2016, it was announced that she was cast alongside Michael K. Williams, Phylicia Rashad, and Whoopi Goldberg to play trans activist and civil rights pioneer Seville Anderson in the ABC mini-series When We Rise. The series was directed by Oscar winner Dustin Lance Black. In the fall of 2016, she was cast in a recurring role on Chicago Med, in which she plays Denise, the older sister of head charge nurse Maggie Lockwood.[8] She appeared as a guest star on the legal drama Doubt in 2017 with co-star Dulé Hill. Grey played Delilah Johnson, a woman on trial for the murder of a famous athlete. The story line was based on the real-life story of CeCe McDonald.[9]

As a singer, she opened for Swedish singer-songwriter Zara Larsson in October 2016, and completed a twelve city summer music tour in 2017. She has also opened for Kesha and Jordin Sparks at various pride music festivals.[6][10]

In 2017, transgender actors and actresses including Grey (with the help of GLAAD and ScreenCrush) were part of a filmed letter to Hollywood written by Jen Richards, asking for more and improved roles for transgender people.[11][12] Later that year she starred as Lucy Jones in Asher Jelinsky's critically acclaimed short film Miller & Son (2019), which won the BAFTA Student Film Award and gold medal for "Best Narrative" (Domestic) at the 2019 Student Academy Awards.[13][14]

It was announced in Fall 2018, that she would star as Gossamer Bryant in the new coming of age drama Gossamer Folds alongside Shane West, Yeardley Smith, and Sprague Grayden. The drama tells the story of afriendship between a black midwestern trans woman and a 10 year old kid played by Jackson Robert Scott in 1980s Kansas City. In April 2022, the film was nominated for Outstanding Film – Limited Release at the GLAAD Media Awards. Grey then landed her first national print campaign in 2019 with Absolut to commemorate Pride and 38 years of acceptance with the brand.

In January 2019, she returned to the series Transparent in her role as Elizah Parks on for its fifth season which premiered later that year on Amazon Prime. The series went on to win the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding TV Movie or Limited Series in 2020.[15][16] In September 2019, it was announced via Deadline Hollywood that Grey had joined the sixth and final season cast of Empire to play Melody Barnes, a pop singer and songwriter who was signed to Empire Records by Lucious Lyon ten years earlier and has now reemerged under a new label headed by Cookie Lyon.[1] Grey has since recorded five singles on the soundtrack which have all been released exclusively by Hollywood Records. In October, she guest-starred on How to Get Away with Murder where she played Brandi Green, a young woman on trial for the murder of her husband, opposite Viola Davis.

In 2020, she portrayed the fictional character of Alice Tolton in the second season of the TNT drama series The Alienist. Later that year, Alexandra along with several other actors, including Audra McDonald, Sterling K. Brown, Renée Elise Goldsberry and Joe Morton, performed for the Public Theater in NYC the Shakespearean monologue "To Be or Not to Be" from Hamlet in honor of Juneteenth.[17]

Currently, Grey is starring as Lucy Hicks Anderson in the HBO Max miniseries Equal from producer Greg Berlanti.[18] In February, Deadline Hollywood announced that Grey had joined the fifth-season cast of the CBS action/adventure series MacGyver. She played the role of Parker Phillips, an ambitious electrical engineer and the newest addition to the MacGyver team, until the show's cancellation in early April 2021.[19] In the summer of 2021, it was announced that Grey would star opposite Mickey Rourke and Jeremy Luke in the romantic thriller Replica. She will play the main character Tonya, a trans woman whom travels from Mississippi to California to pursue her dreams but finds love in all the wrong places.[20] Variety also announced later in the year that she would lead another romantic thriller, Dope Queens starring opposite Pierson Fodé. The film is set to release in 2022.[21]

In March 2022, Grey starred in a City Center Encores! production of the Broadway musical The Life in her New York City stage debut. She played the main character Queen, an charismatic sex worker whom longs for acceptance and family, adapted and directed by Billy Porter. Before rehearsing with the full cast, she trained with a vocal coach in Los Angeles for four weeks. Grey's role marked the first time a transgender performer lead a production in New York City Center ENCORES twenty-eight year history.[22][23]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2012 K-11 Xandra Kayden
2012 I Do College Student
2013 Baggage Claim Kiele
2015 The Fix Alexis
2019 Miller & Son Lucy Student Academy Awards Best Narrative (Domestic) Won

BAFTA Student Film Awards Best Live Action Short Film Won

2020 Gossamer Folds [15][16] Gossamer Bryant Lead

Oxford International Film Festival Lisa Blount Acting Award

Oxford International Film Festival Honorable Mention for Outstanding Performance

Out on Film Jury Award (Best Actress) Won

2020 Disclosure: Trans Lives on Screen Herself Documentary film

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2012 DTLA Eva Episode: "Pilot"
2015 Glee Erica Episode: "Transitioning"
Chasing Life Kenya Martin Episode: "As Long as We Both Shall Live"
2016–2019 Transparent Elizah Parks Recurring Role

Won - GLAAD Media Award for Best Comedy Series (2017)

Nominated - Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series - Comedy or Musical (2017)

Nominated - OFTA for Best Ensemble in a Comedy Series (2017)

Won - Dorian Award for LGBTQ TV Show of the Year (2017)

Won - GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding TV Movie or Limited Series (2020)

2016 Code Black Beth Episode: "Life and Limb"
Drunk History Marsha P. Johnson Episode: "Bar Fights"
Nominated - GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Individual TV Episode (2017)

Nominated - Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Variety Sketch Series. (2017)

2016–Present Chicago Med Denise Lockwood Recurring Role
2017 When We Rise Seville Main Role

Nominated- GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding TV Movie or Limited Series (2017), Nominated- 2018 Satellite Awards for Best Miniseries

Doubt Delilah Johnson Episode: "Faith"
2019 How to Get Away with Murder Brandi Green Episode: Do You Think I'm A Bad Man?
Empire Melody Barnes Recurring Role (7 Episodes)
2020 The Alienist Alice Sequel series based upon the follow-up novel The Angel of Darkness
Equal Lucy Hicks Anderson Main Role
2020-2021 MacGyver Parker Philips Recurring Role (season 5)
2022 The Resident Thea Dwyer Guest Role

Theatre

Year Title Role Venue Notes
2022 The Life Queen New York City Center Encores!

References

  1. 1 2 Ramos, Dino-Ray. "'Transparent' Actress Alexandra Grey To Recur On 'Empire'". Archived from the original on October 1, 2019. Retrieved October 1, 2019. {{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  2. ↑ O'Shaughnessy, David (2016-04-02). "The Glaad Media Awards 2016". Entertainment.ie. Archived from the original on 2016-08-16. Retrieved 2016-04-02.
  3. 1 2 3 "Alexandra Grey: Celebrity Impressions and Seeing More Diverse Women on TV". AfterBuzz TV. January 16, 2017. Archived from the original on January 31, 2017. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Stacey Wilson Hunt (September 28, 2016). "The Trans Talent Behind Transparent". Vulture. Archived from the original on January 9, 2017. Retrieved January 17, 2017.
  5. 1 2 3 Dawn Ennis (November 15, 2016). "Trans Actress Alexandra Grey's Journey From Homelessness To Prime Time: "We're Not Just Doing This To Be Famous"". Logo TV. Archived from the original on January 18, 2017. Retrieved January 17, 2017.
  6. 1 2 Alex Schmider (October 5, 2016). "Alexandra Grey is the trans actress taking over fall TV". GLAAD. Archived from the original on January 19, 2017. Retrieved January 17, 2017.
  7. ↑ Petski, Denise (July 20, 2016). "Code Black: Camryn Manheim, Eric Roberts & Alexandra Grey To Guest Star In Season 2". Deadline.com. Archived from the original on 2016-07-21. Retrieved 2016-07-20.
  8. ↑ Hearon, Sarah (2016-07-20). "TVLine Items: Code Black Guest Stars, The Rock Hits Muscle Beach and More". TVLine.com. Archived from the original on 2016-07-21. Retrieved 2016-07-20.
  9. ↑ Maria Elena Fernandez (September 8, 2016). "Alexandra Grey Cast in Guest Role on CBS's Doubt". Yahoo News. Archived from the original on January 18, 2017. Retrieved January 17, 2017.
  10. ↑ John Walker (September 27, 2016). "Meet Alexandra Grey, the breakout star of 'Transparent' season three". Fusion. Archived from the original on January 18, 2017. Retrieved January 17, 2017.
  11. ↑ "New Video Breaks Down Why Hollywood Needs Transgender Actors | HuffPost". Huffingtonpost.com. 2017. Archived from the original on 2017-06-23. Retrieved 2017-06-21.
  12. ↑ Reynolds, Daniel (20 June 2017). "Trans Actors Ask Hollywood for Roles With Dignity and Depth in Open Letter". Advocate.com. Archived from the original on 2017-06-20. Retrieved 2017-06-21.
  13. ↑ Desk, TV News. "BAFTA Announces Winners Of The 2019 Student Film Awards". BroadwayWorld.com. Archived from the original on 2020-03-25. Retrieved 2020-03-25.
  14. ↑ Wheat, Lorraine (2019-10-20). "Rory Kennedy, Gregory Nava Celebrate Films Creating Social Change at 2019 Student Academy Awards". Variety. Retrieved 2020-03-25.
  15. 1 2 Ramos, Dino-Ray (November 15, 2018). "Yeardley Smith's Paperclip Ltd. Sets Transgender Drama 'Gossamer Folds' Starring 'Transparent's Alexandra Grey". Archived from the original on January 3, 2020. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  16. 1 2 "Yeardley Smith's Paperclip Ltd and Mill House Motion Pictures Announce "Gossamer Folds" Drama, Begin Principal Photography". BroadwayWorld.com. Archived from the original on 2018-11-16. Retrieved 2018-12-04.
  17. ↑ Andrew Gans (2020-06-19). "'Over 30 Black Actors, Including Audra McDonald, André De Shields, and Renée Elise Goldsberry, Give Voice to Hamlet's 'To Be or Not to Be' Monologue'". Playbill.com. Archived from the original on 2020-06-21. Retrieved 2020-06-19.
  18. ↑ Malkin Marc (2020-08-24). "'Equal' First Look: See Anthony Rapp, Samira Wiley as LGBTQ Trailblazers in New HBO Max Docuseries". Variety.com. Archived from the original on 2020-09-01. Retrieved 2020-08-24.
  19. ↑ Dino Ray Ramos (2020-02-19). "Alexandra Grey Joins 'MacGyver' In Recurring Role". Deadline.com. Archived from the original on 2021-02-18. Retrieved 2020-02-19.
  20. ↑ "Alexandra Grey, Jeremy Luke & Mickey Rourke Set For Movie 'Replica'". Deadline.com. 27 August 2021. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
  21. ↑ "Indie 'Dope Queens' Casts Alexandra Grey, Pierson Fodé and Trace Lysette". Variety.com. 17 November 2021. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
  22. ↑ "City Center Encores! Production of The Life". New York City Center. Retrieved February 6, 2022.
  23. ↑ "The Life at New York City Center". Playbill.com. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
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