Curvy, confident Wilson began appearing on stage in her hometown of Houston when she was just 5 years old. After studying acting at New York University, she landed bits on both the big and small screens and made the most of her limited camera time (she was particularly memorable as an aimless Army recruit in the 1996 feature
Lone Star). But theater offered her the meatiest roles and she consistently earned accolades for her work in both musicals and dramas. In 2005, after spending three decades in the ranks of working no-name actors, Wilson snagged the career-making part of stern senior resident Miranda Bailey (nicknamed "the Nazi") on the medical dramedy
Grey's Anatomy, earning an Emmy nod and a 2007 SAG Award for her stellar work.
Chandra Wilson Fast Facts:
- Won a 1991 Theatre World Award for Outstanding Debut Performance for her turn in The Good Times Are Killing Me.
- Named one of Eight to Watch, Onstage and Behind the Scenes by the New York Times in 2004 for her role in Broadway's Caroline, or Change.
- Received the 2005 Rising Star Award from the Ensemble Theatre in Houston.
- Her third pregnancy was incorporated into her story line on Grey's Anatomy.
- Chandra Wilson Relationships:
- Joy - Daughter
- Michael - Son
- Serena - Daughter
- Chandra Wilson Awards:
- 2006 Emmy: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series - Nominee
- 2007 Emmy: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series - Nominee
- 2008 Emmy: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series - Nominee
- 2009 Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie - Nominee
- 2009 Emmy: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series - Nominee
- College:
- New York University, New York, NY (BFA in Drama, 1991)
