Sheryl Lee Ralph OJ (born December 30, 1956) is an American actress and singer. Known for her performances on stage and screen she earned acclaim for her role as Deena Jones in the Broadway musical Dreamgirls (1981), for which she was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical. Since 2021, she has starred as Barbara Howard on the ABC mockumentary sitcom Abbott Elementary, for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, becoming the first Black woman in 35 years to win the award. ​From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Filmography

• Imperfect Women — Constance
• 2026Lisa Ann Walter: It Was an Accident — Self, Producer
• Regular Show: The Lost Tapes — Joan Kranden (voice)
• 2025Ricky — Joanne
• 2025The Disappearance of Miss Scott — Hazel Scott (voice)
• Weather Hunters — Ms. Joyce (voice)
• 2024The Fabulous Four — Kitty, Executive Producer
• 2023The Young Wife — Angelique
• Young Love — Additional Voices (voice)
• How We Roll — Loretta
• Abbott Elementary — Barbara Howard
• 2021Christmas in My Heart — Ruthie Sampson
• 2020Christmas Comes Twice — Ms. Nelson
• 2020Fashionably Yours — Janet
• Motherland: Fort Salem — President Kelly Wade
• A Black Lady Sketch Show — Asia's Mother
• 2019Christmas Hotel — Marnie
• Fam — Rose
• 2018Forbidden
• 2018No Sleep 'Til Christmas — Mrs. Wright
• 2018Step Sisters — Yvonne Bishop
• Uncensored
• 2017Christmas at Holly Lodge — Nadine
• 2017Just Getting Started — Roberta
• The Quad — Ula Pettiway
• MacGyver — Mama Colton
• One Mississippi — Felicia
• Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn — Ms. Dumont
• Instant Mom — Maggie Turner
• JD Lawrence's Community Service — Carolyn
• Ray Donovan — Claudette
• 2012Christmas in Compton — Abuta
• 2012Ladies of the Church
• Smash — Cynthia Moore
• 2 Broke Girls — Genét
• 2010Blessed and Cursed — Lady Wright
• Young Justice — Amanda Waller (voice)
• The Wendy Williams Show
• Hannah Montana — Clarice Johnson
• Barbershop — Claire
• It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia — Barbara Howard
• Justice League Unlimited — Cheetah (voice)
• 2004News to Me
• Las Vegas — Janet Ellis
• Whoopi — Florence
• Justice League — Cheetah (voice)
• 2001The Jennie Project — Dr. Pamela Prentiss
• The Proud Family — Diana Parker (voice)
• 2000Deterrence — Gayle Redford
• 2000Lost in the Pershing Point Hotel — Nurse
• Static Shock — Trina Jessup (voice)
• The District — Dee Banks
• 1999Hook'd Up — Chantal
• The Parkers — Director
• 1998The Easter Story Keepers — Risa (voice)
• The Wild Thornberrys — Lioness #2 (voice)
• 1997Jamaica Beat — Sylvia Jones
• 7th Heaven — Nurse
• 1996Bogus — Ruth Clark
• 1996Lover's Knot — Charlotte
• Moesha — Dee Mitchell
• Sabrina, the Teenage Witch — Zsa Zsa Goowhiggie
• 1995White Man's Burden — Roberta
• ER — Gloria Gallant
• 1994The Flintstones — Mrs. Pyrite
• 1994Witch Hunt — Hypolita Kropotkin
• George
• 1993Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit — Florence Watson
• 1992Mistress — Beverly Dumont
• 1992The Distinguished Gentleman — Miss Loretta
• 1991The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw — Miss Rosalee
• Max Monroe: Loose Cannon
• New Attitude — Vicki St. James, Theme Song Performance
• 1990To Sleep with Anger — Linda
• 1989Skin Deep — Receptionist
• 1989The Mighty Quinn — Lola Quinn
• 1988Oliver & Company — Rita (voice)
• 1987Sister Margaret and the Saturday Night Ladies — Corelle
• Designing Women — Etienne Toussant Bouvier
• L.A. Law — Renee Quintana
• Amazing Stories — show singer
• 1985Code Name: Foxfire — Maggie Bryan
• Code Name: Foxfire — Maggie 'The Cat' Bryan
• Hunter — Josie Clifford
• V — Glenna
• 1982The Neighborhood — Doris Campbell
• Falcon Crest — Mooshy Tucker
• It's a Living — Ginger St. James
• 1977A Piece of the Action — Barbara Hanley
• The Jeffersons
• Wonder Woman — Bobbie
• Good Times
• Cars: Lightning Racers — Ms. Blinker (voice)
• Octet — Paula

Appearances as themselves (32)

• 2025The Golden Girls: 40 Years of Laughter and Friendship - A Special Edition of 20/20 — Self
• 2024The Real Red Tails — Self - Narrator (voice)
• 2023Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter + Love — Self - Guest
• 2023Commitment to Life — Self (archive footage)
• 2023Disney 100: Remember That — Self - Host
• 2022Savage X Fenty Show Vol. 4 — Self
• Sherri — Self - Guest
• The Jennifer Hudson Show — Self, Self - Guest
• 2021Broadway: Beyond the Golden Age — Self
• Celebrity Wheel of Fortune — Self - Contestant
• Turning the Tables with Robin Roberts — Self
• The Kelly Clarkson Show — Self - Guest
• The Tamron Hall Show — Self - Guest
• Carpool Karaoke: The Series — Self
• The Late Late Show with James Corden — Self - Guest
• The Late Show with Stephen Colbert — Self
• Late Night with Seth Meyers — Self, Self - Guest
• Variety Studio: Actors on Actors — Self
• RuPaul's Drag Race — Self - Guest Judge
• Jimmy Kimmel Live! — Self - Guest
• Hollywood Squares — Self - Panelist
• The Daily Show — Self
• The Rosie O'Donnell Show — Self
• Vicki! — Self
• 1991Voices That Care — Self - Choir Member
• LIVE with Kelly and Mark — Self - Guest
• 1987Happy 100th Birthday, Hollywood — Self
• Wordplay — Self - Celebrity Panelist
• Jeopardy! — Self - Clue Presenter
• American Music Awards — Self - Presenter
• The Emmy Awards — Self
• Golden Globe Awards — Self - Nominee