N'Bushe Wright

The strikingly beautiful, doe-eyed Wright began her career in dance, training at the prestigious studios of Alvin Ailey and Martha Graham. After studying acting for only a year at Stella Adler's studio in New York, Wright auditioned for writer-director Anthony Drazan's debut film "Zebrahead" (1992). Wright won the female lead of Nikki, a student who becomes caught up in an interracial triangle at an inner-city high school. Wright made her TV acting debut in "I'll Fly Away" (NBC, 1992-93), the groundbreaking dramatic series set against the backdrop of the American civil rights movement. Wright appeared in the recurring role of Claudia, a young activist who risks jail in her fight for an equal education. In her second feature film, Boaz Yakin's "Fresh" (1994), she portrayed the strung out junkie sister of the title character, a supporting role for which she received favorable notices. She then appeared in the Hughes Brothers' "Dead Presidents" (1995) as Delilah, a young woman filled with revolutionary ideas who participates in an armored car heist. In 1996 the actress found a recurring television role on the cop drama "New York Undercover" and had a small role in the indie feature "Johns." Director Neema Barnette cast Wright in the 1997 TV movie thriller "Close to Danger," in which she played a police detective, and she made a major impression as Dr. Karen Jenson opposite undead vampire hunter Wesley Snipes in the comic book supernatural thriller "Blade" (1998). She had a leading role in the comedy "Three Strikes" (2000) as two-strike offender Brian Hooks' love interest, and in 2001 landed a recurring part on the TV crime drama "UC: Undercover" (UPN, 2001-2002). In 2003 Wright found another recurring part on UPN's hip-hop music industry drama "Platinum" (2003) and reteamed with Neema Barnette for the hard-hitting women-in-prison drama "Civil Brand."