Tracee Ellis Ross is an award-winning actress, producer, host, and former model from the United States. Ellis Ross, the daughter of iconic singer Diana Ross, has carved out a name for herself in the glittering world of show business. She has built a name for herself throughout the course of her 20-year career, performing a variety of roles and receiving numerous accolades and awards. She has established herself in the fashion world in addition to participating in films, TV series, and music videos. She’s also a Good Samaritan who volunteers on a regular basis. Despite the fact that her work is well-known around the world, she has never sought recognition. Due to her diverse skills and tenacity, though, fame comes knocking at her door. She went on to win the ‘Golden Globe’ for ‘Best Actress in a Television Comedy’ for the first time in almost 30 years, making her the first African-American to do so. On numerous social media platforms, she has a sizable fan base. With her skills as a motivational speaker, she inspires and guides a large number of people. Her dependable performance and abilities have earned her a well-known star.
Childhood and Adolescence
Tracee Ellis Ross was born Tracee Joy Silberstein on October 29, 1972, in Los Angeles, California, to Diana Ross, a well-known Motown singer, and Robert Ellis Silberstein, a music manager. Rhonda Ross Kendrick and Chudney Lane Silberstein are her two sisters, while Ross Arne and Evan Olav are her half-brothers. Katinka, Christoffer, and Leona Naess are her three step-siblings from her mother’s marriage.
She went to the Bronx’s ‘Riverdale Country School’ as a child. She then went to Switzerland’s ‘Institut Le Rosey.’ She later attended ‘Brown University,’ where she earned a theatre degree.
Career of Tracee Ellis Ross
Tracee Ellis Ross began modeling in her adolescence. She worked in the fashion industry as a model and editor of ‘Mirabella’ and ‘New York’ magazine after graduating from ‘Brown University.’
She made her big screen debut in the independent film ‘Far Harbor’ in 1996. She began anchoring the Lifetime TV magazine series ‘The Dish,’ a show about popular culture, in 1997.
She starred as an abused high school track star in NBC’s made-for-TV film ‘Race Against Fear: A Moment of Truth’ in 1998. She scored a huge role in Diane Keaton’s ‘Hanging Up’ in the year 2000, and then moved into comedy as a regular on MTV’s ‘The Lyricist Lounge.’
Ross rose to notoriety with her major role as ‘Joan Clayton’ in the 2000 television series ‘Girlfriends.’ The show ran for eight years, boosting her television career. She was also cast in a number of films.
She co-starred in the HBO film ‘Life Support’ with Queen Latifah and her brother Evan Ross in 2007. During this time, she appeared in Tyler Perry’s theatrical film ‘Daddy’s Little Girls’ (2007) and Lindsay Lohan’s film ‘Labor Pains’ (2009).
She acted in a number of shows after ‘Girlfriends’ concluded in 2008, including ‘CSI: Crime Scene Investigation’ and BET’s ‘Reed Between the Lines,’ in which she co-starred with Malcolm-Jamal Warner in 2011.
Tracee Ellis Ross experimented with a variety of jobs in the future. She starred in the short anthology film ‘Five’ (2011), which raises awareness about breast cancer. She later appeared in ‘Love, Loss, and What I Wore’ theatrical shows. In 2013, she co-hosted the BET award program ‘Black Girls Rock.’
In 2014, she scored another prominent part in ABC’s primetime sitcom ‘Black-ish,’ in which she played a successful physician titled ‘Dr. Rainbow Johnson,’ for which she received numerous plaudits and awards. The plot revolves around a middle-class African-American family with four children.
She’s also branched out into motivational speaking, leading programs dubbed ‘Tapping into Your Creative Well.’ She’s also a part of the ‘Aviva Family and Children Service’ in Los Angeles, as well as the ‘Big Brother Big Sister’ nationwide program. In 2015 and 2016, Ross hosted the ‘BET Awards.’ In 2017, 2018, and 2019, she hosted the ‘American Music Awards.’ She also hosted ‘The Fashion Awards’ in 2019.
Ross created ‘Mixed-ish,’ a prequel spin-off of ‘Black-ish,’ with Kenya Barris in 2019. She also voiced ‘Homegirl’ in Tina Gordon’s fantasy comedy film ‘Little’ that same year. She starred as ‘Grace Davis’ in Nisha Ganatra’s comedy-drama film ‘The High Note’ the following year.
Major Projects of Tracee Ellis Ross
Tracee Ellis Ross is best known for her part in the successful TV show ‘Girlfriends.’ Her popularity grew as a result of the series, which lasted almost a decade and featured over 170 episodes. She also garnered a lot of praise for her performance.
Her portrayal as ‘Dr. Rainbow Johnson’ in ABC’s successful series ‘Black-ish,’ opposite Anthony Anderson, who played her husband ‘Dre,’ earned her numerous awards.
Achievements & Awards
For her portrayal as ‘Joan Clayton’ in the hit series ‘Girlfriends,’ she got the ‘BET Award’ for ‘Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series’ (2005).
For her role in ‘Girlfriends,’ Tracee Ellis Ross earned the ‘NAACP Award’ twice. She won the award for ‘Outstanding Actress in Comedy Series’ in 2007 and 2009.
For her portrayal as ‘Dr. Carla Reed’ in the series ‘Reed Between the Lines,’ she earned the ‘NAACP Award’ in the category of ‘Outstanding Actress in Comedy Series’ in 2012.
For her work in ‘Black-ish,’ she won the ‘NAACP Award’ in the ‘Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series’ category in 2015 and 2016.
For her role as ‘Dr. Rainbow Johnson’ in the television sitcom ‘Black-ish,’ she won the ‘Golden Globe Award’ for ‘Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy’ in 2017. In 2018, she won the ‘NAACP Image Award’ for ‘Black-ish’ in the category of ‘Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series.’
Personal History and Legacy
Tracee Ellis Ross is currently single and has never been married. Evan Ross, Tracee’s half-brother, is married to Ashlee Simpson, making Tracee her sister-in-law. She is very close to her mother, Diana Ross, and claims that her celebrity does not make her feel overshadowed.
Estimated Net Worth
Trivia
Ross has been photographed by well-known fashion photographers such as Herb Ritts, Peter Lindberg, Francesco Scavullo, and Mario Testino during his modeling career.
After a successful audition for ‘Malcolm X,’ she changed her major to theatre at ‘Brown University’ (1992). Even though she didn’t get the part, Spike Lee’s casting director, Robi Reed, encouraged her to pursue her dream.