Jasmine Guy

Dancing is what fueled Jasmine Guy's passion growing up in Massachusetts in the 1960s. It eventually took her to New York City where she studied dance and eventually found her way onto television. She first appeared as a dancer on the TV adaptation of "Fame" (NBC 1982-87), but she didn't make a name for herself until she starred as Whitley Gilbert on the "The Cosby Show" spinoff "A Different World" (NBC 1987-1993), essentially becoming the main character of the show after Lisa Bonet left after the first season. During the run of the show, she also appeared elsewhere, most notably in her film debut, Spike Lee's "School Daze" (1988), and on an episode of "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" (NBC 1990-96). She also released a self-titled album in 1990.

After "A Different World" ended, Guy worked consistently, appearing occasionally in one-off and guest roles on a variety of shows, including the miniseries "Alex Haley's Queen" (CBS 1993) and "Touched by an Angel" (CBS 1994-2003). Her next main role was as Roxy Harvey in the Bryan Fuller dramedy "Dead Like Me" (Showtime 2003-2004), eventually followed up by the direct-to-video wrap-up movie "Dead Like Me: Life After Death" (2009). It was a minor resurgence for her notoriety, opening the doors to more roles, such as the recurring role of Sheila Bennett on "The Vampire Diaries" (The CW 2009-2017), "K.C. Undercover" (Disney Channel 2015-18), and "Grey's Anatomy" (ABC 2005- ).