Dawn-Lyen Gardner is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Charley Bordelon West in the Oprah Winfrey Network drama series Queen Sugar.
Early life Gardner was born in Los Angeles, California. She is of mixed heritage, with an African-American father and a Chinese mother.
After graduating from Los Angeles County High School for the Arts in 1999, Gardner later moved to New York City and attended Juilliard School with actress Rutina Wesley, with whom she would later work with in the TV show Queen Sugar.
Career Gardner began acting on television at an early age, appearing in a recurring role on Viper and guest starring on ER. While attending Juilliard, she began acting on stage, appearing in such productions like For Colored Girls, The School of Night, and The Seagull. She also appeared in a number of regional productions. She had a number of guest-starring roles on television shows including Crossing Jordan, Bones, Heroes, and Castle. Gardner also worked as a voice actress, playing Steela Gerrera in the Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
In 2016, Gardner was cast as a lead character alongside Rutina Wesley in the Oprah Winfrey Network drama series Queen Sugar, created and produced by Ava DuVernay and Oprah Winfrey. Gardner left the series after six seasons and made a cameo appearance in the final season in 2022. For her performance, Gardner received four Black Reel Awards nominations and an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series nomination.
Filmography Year Title Role Notes1993The Sinbad ShowDonnaEpisode: "Breaking the Pattern"1994 Viper Ronnie Wilkes Recurring role, 4 episodes1994 ER Sandy Rochon Episode: "Into That Good Night"2004 Invisible Scream AndiShort film2004 Married to the Kellys ShannonEpisode: "The Other Sister"2004 Crossing Jordan LeeverEpisode: "After Dark"2005 Summerland TessEpisode: "Where There's a Will There's a Wave"2006 Art School Confidential Coed2007 Bones Court ReporterEpisode: "The Man in the Mansion"2007 Cane MelissaEpisode: "The Exile"2009–2010 Heroes ElizabethEpisodes: "Chapter Nine 'Brother's Keeper'" and "Chapter Thirteen 'Let It Bleed'"2011 Castle Simone JenkinsEpisode: "Cops & Robbers"2012 Prototype 2 Collette Heller (voice)Video game2012 Star Wars: The Clone Wars Steela Gerrera (voice)4 episodes2015 The Mysteries of Laura Samantha WilliamsEpisode: "The Mystery of the Watery Grave" 2016 Unforgettable Erica CampbellEpisode: "Breathing Space" 2016–2021, 2022 Queen Sugar Charley Bordelon West Series regular, 78 episodesNominated — Black Reel Award for Outstanding Actress, Drama Series (2017–2019, 2021)Nomination — NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series (2022)2016 Luke Cage Megan McLaren Recurring role, 4 episodes2017 The Dunning Man Alice2018 Conan ExilesJamila the Pirate Queen2018God Friended MeKatieEpisodes: "Pilot" and "The Good Samaritan"2025Star Wars: Tales of the UnderworldArin (voice)Episode: "A Good Turn"
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