LisaGay Hamilton (born March 25, 1964) is an American actress who has portrayed roles in films, television, and on stage. She is best known for her role as secretary/lawyer Rebecca Washington on the legal drama The Practice (1997–2003). She also portrayed Melissa Thoreau on the TNT comedy-drama Men of a Certain Age (2009–2011), Celia Jones on the Netflix series House of Cards (2016), Suzanne Simms on the Hulu series Chance (2016), and Kayla Price in The First (2018), also by Hulu.
Hamilton's film credits include roles in 12 Monkeys (1995), Jackie Brown (1997), Beloved (1998), True Crime (1999), The Sum of All Fears (2002), The Soloist (2009), Beastly (2011), Beautiful Boy (2018), and Vice (2018). Her theater credits include Measure for Measure (Isabella), Henry IV Parts I & II (Lady Hotspur), Athol Fugard's, Valley Song and The Ohio State Murders. Hamilton was also an original cast member in the Broadway productions of August Wilson's The Piano Lesson and Gem of the Ocean. In 2005 she won a Peabody Award for creating and directing the 2003 documentary film Beah: A Black Woman Speaks.
Early life Hamilton was born March 25, 1964 in Los Angeles, California but spent most of her childhood in Stony Brook, New York on the north shore of Long Island. Her father, Ira Winslow Hamilton, Jr., hailed from Bessemer, Alabama, and her mother, the former Eleanor Albertine "Tina" Blackwell (sister of Robert B. Blackwell, former mayor of Highland Park, Michigan), was from Meridian, Mississippi. Both parents graduated from historically black colleges—Tina attended Talladega while Ira went to Morehouse—and they both became successful professionals. Ira worked for a while as an engineer and then went into business as a general contractor. Tina eventually earned a master's degree in social work and worked for the Girl Scouts for many years.LisaGaye Hamilton, 'Growing Up Female is a Journey,' in Becoming Myself: Reflections on Growing Up Female, ed. By Willa Shalit, (New York: Hyperion Books, 2006)
Hamilton fell in love with theater at an early age. During the 1970s, she saw several off-Broadway productions by the Negro Ensemble Company, including A Soldier's Story and The First Breeze of Summer.Robin D. G. Kelley, 'Freedom is Living': LisaGaye Hamilton’s Radical Imagination,' Transforming Anthropology 14, no. 1 (April 2006), 2-9. She enrolled in Carnegie Mellon University to study theater, but after a year was accepted into New York University's Tisch Drama School where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theater in 1985. She then pursued graduate studies at The Juilliard School where she earned a M.A. in drama in 1989.
Career Early on, Hamilton set her sights on classical theater. In one of her first notable roles, she played opposite Kevin Kline in Measure for Measure in the New York Shakespeare Festival. Hamilton's performances in Much Ado About Nothing, Tartuffe, Reckless, Family of Mann, and Two Gentlemen of Verona, earned her a reputation as a serious dramatic actor. In 1995–96, her portrayal of a young, aspiring South African singer in Athol Fugard's Valley Song garnered an Obie Award, the Clarence Derwent Award, the Ovation nomination for best actress, and a Drama Desk nomination. More recently, Hamilton earned critical acclaim, her second Obie, and a Lucille Lortel Award nomination for her role as Suzanne Alexander in Adrienne Kennedy's The Ohio State Murders.
Hamilton appeared in over two dozen films, including The Truth About Charlie and Beloved for director Jonathan Demme, Clint Eastwood's True Crime, the independent films; Palookaville, Drunks, Showtime's A House Divided, and as Ophelia in director Campbell Scott's film version of Hamlet. She has worked on several projects with director Rodrigo García, notably his films Ten Tiny Love Stories, Nine Lives, and Mother and Child. Honeydripper directed by John Sayles and The Soloist, directed by Joe Wright.
Hamilton won a Peabody Award in 2005 for creating and directing the 2003 documentary film Beah: A Black Woman Speaks. The film tells the story of pioneering black actress Beah Richards, who had broken ground for African-American actresses. The two women had met on the set of Beloved (1998). Over the next two years, Hamilton made a record of more than 70 hours of their conversations. Hamilton's film explored Richards' political activism as well as her poetry. The film won the Grand Jury Prize at the AFI Film Festival. After Richards died in 2000, Hamilton collaborated with illustrator R. Gregory Christie to turn one of her poems into a children's book. Keep Climbing Girls was published by Simon and Schuster in 2006.
Hamilton played the role of Melissa in Men of a Certain Age, an hour-long comedy-drama television series starring Ray Romano, Andre Braugher, and Scott Bakula that ran from 2009 to 2011.
In the fall of 2010, Hamilton took a faculty position at the School of Theater for the California Institute of the Arts, where she teaches in the Acting Program.
Filmography
Film Year Title Role Notes 1985 Krush Groove Aisha 1990 Reversal of Fortune Mary 1993 Naked in New York Marty 1995 Drunks Brenda Palookaville Betty Clarissa Porter Russell TV movie 12 Monkeys Teddy 1997 Nick and Jane Vickie Lifebreath Dr. Quinlan Jackie Brown Sheronda 1998 Jeanne Baptiste TV movie Halloween H20: 20 Years Later Shirley 'Shirl' Jones (voice) Beloved Younger Sethe 1999 True Crime Bonnie Beechum Swing Vote Virginia Mapes TV movie 2000 Julia TV movie Hamlet Ophelia TV movie 2002 Capt. Lorna Shiro Ten Tiny Love Stories Three Lola Jansco 2005 Nine Lives Holly 2007 Honeydripper Delilah 2008 Deception Det. J Russo 2009 Jennifer Ayers Mother and Child Leticia 2011 Take Shelter Kendra Beastly Zola Davies 2012 The Hypnotist Short 2013 Lovelace Marsha Go for Sisters Bernice Life of a King Sheila King Redemption Trail Tess 2014 Line of Sight Ruby Jensen TV movie 2016 Indiscretion Karen Wyatt Emily Bergom TV movie 2018 Beautiful Boy Rose Vice Condoleezza Rice 2019 Ad Astra Adjutant General Amelia Vogel The Last Full Measure Celia O'Neal Ghosting: The Spirit of Christmas Deb TV movie 2022 Another Country Narrator Short 2023 The Boogeyman Dr. Weller 2026 By Any Means Ms. Rebecca Brewer
Television Year Title Role Notes 1993 Homicide: Life on the Street Latoya Kennedy Episode: "A Dog and a Pony Show" 1994 All My Children Celia Wilson Regular Cast New York Undercover Suki Episode: "To Protect and Serve" 1995 Law & Order Denise Johnson Episode: "Purple Heart" 1996 One Life to Live Dr. Laura Reed Regular Cast 1997–2003 Rebecca Washington Main Cast: Season 1-7 1998 Ally McBeal Rebecca Washington Episode: "The Inmates" 2002 Intimate Portrait Herself Episode: "LisaGay Hamilton" Hollywood Squares Herself Recurring Guest Sex and the City Kendall Episode: "Critical Condition" 2004 The L Word Art Show Attendee Episode: "Losing It" 2005 Independent Lens Herself/Narrator Episode: "Red Hook Justice" ER Nadine Hopkins Episode: "All About Christmas Eve" 2006 Without a Trace Sherise Gibbs Episode: "The Calm Before" 2006–2013 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Teresa Randall Guest Cast: Season 7-8 & 14 2007 Numb3rs Sari Kinshasa Episode: "Money for Nothing" 2009–2011 Men of a Certain Age Melissa Thoreau Main Cast 2012 Southland Melanie Episode: "Identity" 2013 Grey's Anatomy Dr. Connie Ryan Episode: "Readiness Is All" & "Perfect Storm" 2014 Grimm Mrs. Pittman Episode: "The Last Fight" Scandal Ambassador Episode: "Where the Sun Don't Shine" 2016 House of Cards Celia Jones Recurring Cast: Season 4 Chance Suzanne Silver Main Cast: Season 1 Code Black Dr. Kim Carrie Episode: "Exodus" 2018 Elementary Lt. Colonel Robin Deakins Episode: "Give Me the Finger" The First Kayla Price Main Cast 2018–2019 Sorry for Your Loss Bobby Greer Guest: Season 1, Recurring Cast: Season 2 2019 The Blacklist Dr. Grey Episode: "The Ethicist (No. 91)" 2021 This Is Us Aunt Mae Episode: "Birth Mother" The Rookie Henry's Doctor Episode: "Brave Heart" 2022 The Dropout Judith Baker Recurring Cast The Lincoln Lawyer Judge Mary Holder Recurring Cast: Season 1 2022–2023 Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty Christine Johnson Recurring Cast 2023 Class of '09 Tayo's Mom Recurring Cast 2023–2025 Will Trent Evelyn Mitchell Recurring Cast: Season 1, Guest: Season 3 2024 Genius Alberta Williams King Recurring Cast: Season 4 Accused Lenore Skilling Episode: "Marcus' Story" 2025 The Gilded Age Frances Ellen Watkins Harper Recurring Cast: Season 3 Ripple Georgia Recurring Cast
Stage Year Title Role Theatre 1990 The Piano Lesson Grace Walter Kerr Theatre 2004 Gem of the Ocean Black Mary 2019 To Kill a Mockingbird Calpurnia Shubert Theatre2023StewMamaPasadena Playhouse
Awards and nominations AssociationYearCategoryNominated workResultsRefAcapulco Black Film Festival2014Best ActressGo for SistersAmerican Film Institute Awards2003Documentary AwardBeah: A Black Woman SpeaksBlack Reel Awards2000Best Supporting Actress — TheatricalTrue Crime2005Outstanding Television or Miniseries Film (as Producer)Beah: A Black Woman Speaks2005Best Director, Network/Cable TelevisionBeah: A Black Woman Speaks2005Best Screenplay, Original or Adapted, Network/CableBeah: A Black Woman Speaks2014Outstanding Actress, Motion PictureGo for SistersClarence Derwent Awards1996Best Supporting Female (USA)Gotham Awards2005Best Ensemble PerformanceNine Lives2011Best Ensemble PerformanceTake ShelterLady Filmmakers Film Festival2014Feature Film (Best Actress)Redemption TrailLocarno International Film Festival2005Best ActressNine LivesMiami Film Festival2004Documentary FeaturesBeah: A Black Woman SpeaksNAACP Image Awards2000Outstanding Actress in a Motion PictureTrue Crime2000Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama SeriesThe PracticeNAMIC Vision Awards2012Best Performance — DramaMen of A Certain AgeNews & Documentary Emmy Awards2005Outstanding Individual Achievement in a Craft: DirectionBeah: A Black Woman SpeaksScreen Actors Guild Awards1999Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama SeriesThe Practice20002001
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