Grace Byers (née Gealey) is a Caymanian-American actress. She starred as Anika Calhoun in the Fox music-industry drama series, Empire from 2015 to 2018. In 2021, she began starring as Quinn Joseph in the Amazon Prime Video comedy series, Harlem. In 2022, Byers played a leading role in the comedy horror film, The Blackening.
Grace Byers
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Byers in 2016
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Born | Grace Gealey
Butler, Pennsylvania, U.S.
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Education | University of South Florida (BA) University of California, Irvine (MFA) |
Occupation | Actress |
Years active | 2012–present |
Spouse |
(m. 2016) |
Children | 1 |
Grace was born in Butler, PennsylvaniatoCaymanian parents and raised in the Cayman Islands from about age 2.[1][2] Her parents are deaf, so she communicates with them using sign language.[3] After moving to the United States at age 18,[1] she received her bachelor's degree in Theater Arts at the University of South Florida in Tampa.[2] Grace later attended the University of California, Irvine, where she received her Master’s of Fine Arts in acting.[2]
Byers then moved to New York City, where she performed Off-Broadway, including in Venus Flytrap: A Femme Noir Mystery, and Rent.[4][5] In 2013, she performed in the Chicago productions of The Misanthrope and Tartuffe.[6][7] In 2014, Gealey was cast as Anika Calhoun in the Fox musical prime time drama, Empire opposite Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson.[8][9] The series debuted on January 7, 2015.[10] She left the series after four seasons in 2018.
In 2017, Byers was cast as Kate, a jazz singer and lounge owner, in the indie thriller Bent, making her big screen debut.[11] In 2018, Byers published a children's book titled I Am Enough, based on her experiences being bullied as a child for having deaf parents. She wrote it to empower children to love and accept themselves.[12]
From 2018 to 2019, Byers starred as Reeva Payge in the Fox superhero series The Gifted. In 2021, she began starring as Quinn Joseph in the Amazon comedy series, Harlem.[13] The following year, she starred in the comedy horror film, The Blackening.[14]
Byers became engaged to her Empire costar Trai Byers in 2015.[15] She and Byers married on Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands on April 14, 2016.[16][17] Their son was born in 2023.[18]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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2018 | Bent | Kate | [11] |
2022 | The Blackening | Allison | |
2023 | The Retirement Plan | Hector |
Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
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2015–2018 | Empire | Anika Calhoun | Series regular, 66 episodes | [13] |
2017 - 2018 | The Gifted | Reeva Payge | Series regular; 16 episodes | [13] |
2019 | Tales | Edie | Episode:"My Life" | |
2021–present | Harlem | Quinn Joseph | Series regular | [13] |
2023 | Phoenix | Katherine 'Boz' Bosworth | Series regular |
I was born in Butler, PA to an American father and Afro-Caribbean mother. Our family moved to the Cayman Islands (my mother's native home) when I was about 2 years old.