Sherri Saum (born October 1, 1974) is an American actress. Saum is best known for her co-lead role as Lena Adams Foster in the Freeform drama series The Fosters (2013–2018) as well as a subsequent guest star role in its spinoff Good Trouble (2019–2024). She is also known for her television roles in Beggars and Choosers, Rescue Me, In Treatment and Locke & Key, as well as for her roles in the daytime soap operas Sunset Beach and One Life to Live.
Early life Saum was born in Dayton, Ohio,One Life to Live: Bios Accessed December 12, 2007 to a German mother and an African-American father. She got her start at a Model Search America convention near her home in Kettering, Ohio. She was discovered during high school, modeling mostly during summer breaks until she moved to New York to work full-time with the NY modeling agency Images Management. Saum attended Ohio State University in Columbus, and New York University in New York.
Career
Saum began her acting career in the NBC daytime soap opera, Sunset Beach as Vanessa Hart, during the entire run of the series, from 1997 to 1999. In 1999, she received a Daytime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series for her role in the show. Later in 1999, Saum was cast as a series regular in the Showtime comedy-drama series Beggars and Choosers (1999–2000), and guest-starred on Girlfriends, and Charmed. From August 31, 2001, to September 16, 2003, Saum had her second daytime television role in the ABC soap, One Life to Live, as Keri Reynolds.
From 2006 to 2007, Saum played the role of Natalie in the FX drama series Rescue Me. She appeared in the Hallmark Television film Relative Stranger with Cicely Tyson and Eriq La Salle. She also appeared in the independent film Ten Stories Tall with Ally Sheedy and Josh Hamilton. In 2009, she played the series regular role of Bess in season 2 of the HBO drama series In Treatment. The next few years she had guest-starring roles in CW's Gossip Girl, CBS's Unforgettable, ABC's Body of Proof and Revenge. In 2011, Saum was cast as the lead character of the ABC drama pilot Grace (written by Krista Vernoff), opposite Abigail Spencer and Eric Roberts, but the show was not picked up.
In 2012, Saum was cast along with Teri Polo in the lead roles of the Jennifer Lopez-produced drama series The Fosters for ABC Family. The series premiered on June 3, 2013. The series ended in 2018 after five seasons. She reprised her role in its spinoff, Good Trouble in 2019. While on hiatus from The Fosters, she took various guest starring roles in network dramas. In 2014, she guest starred in the NBC legal drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, where her real-life pregnancy was incorporated into the plot. In 2015, she guested in the ABC series, How to Get Away with Murder and The Mysteries of Laura. In 2016 she guested on Code Black on CBS and in 2018 on the TNT adventure series The Librarians. After The Fosters ended, Sherri played the adult Regina Louise in the biographical feature I Am Somebody's Child: The Regina Louise Story and joined the ABC Marvel sci-fi series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. for three episodes.
In 2019, Saum co-starred opposite Jessica Biel in the Facebook Watch drama series Limetown. Earlier that year, she was cast as Heather Hemmens' character's mother Mimi DeLuca in the CW series, Roswell, New Mexico. In early 2019, Saum was cast in a series recurring role in the Netflix fantasy drama series, Locke & Key playing the role of Ellie Whedon, a teacher at Matheson Academy who has a mysterious history with the Locke family. Filming in Toronto and Lunenburg, Canada, through the spring and summer of 2019, she split her time, flying home to her family in Los Angeles frequently. Later in 2019, she returned to Toronto for two episodes of the Starz thriller Condor as Senator Thrush. Seasons 2 & 3 of Locke & Key filmed consecutively and because of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, Sherri spent several months in 2021 in Canada filming her season 2 (recurring) and season 3 (series regular) episodes. That year she also returned to Good Trouble and guested as Paula Matarazzo in the Starz franchise Power Book II: Ghost. In March 2022 Sherri returned to Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in a different role than she had played almost exactly 8 years earlier. The same week she appeared again as Lena Adams Foster on Good Trouble.
Personal life On May 19, 2007, Saum married longtime boyfriend and former One Life to Live castmate Kamar de los Reyes in New York City. On December 3, 2013, Saum's rep announced that the couple was expecting twins; the children were born in 2014. In addition, Saum is the stepmother of de los Reyes’ son. The couple were married until de los Reyes' death from cancer on December 24, 2023.
Filmography
Film Year Title Role Notes2003Anne B. RealJanet GimenezFinding HomeCandace2005Love and SuicideGeorgina2010Ten Stories TallSusan2018Deadly Scholars a.k.a #SquadGoalsJane Pope
Television Year Title Role Notes1997–1999Sunset BeachVanessa HartSeries regularNominated – Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series (1999)1999–2001Beggars and ChoosersCasey LennoxSeries regular2000GirlfriendsAngela AndersonEpisode: "The Importance of Being Frank"2001CharmedArielEpisode: "Pre-Witched"2001–2003One Life to LiveKeri ReynoldsSeries regularNominated – Daytime Emmy Award for America's Favorite Couple (2002)2005Law & Order: Trial by JuryTiffany JacksonEpisode: "Pattern of Conduct"2006Love MonkeyDariaEpisode: "Nice Package"Law & Order: Criminal IntentLydia WyattEpisode: "The Healer"DriftLunaUnsold TV pilot2006–2007Rescue MeNatalieRecurring role2007Army WivesVanessa KelsingEpisode: "Only the Lonely"2009In TreatmentBessMain role (season 2)CSI: MiamiKaren BallardEpisode: "Point of Impact"Relative StrangerNicole TateTelevision film2009–2010Gossip GirlHolland Kemble4 episodes2010HeroesKate BennetEpisode: "The Wall"Memphis BeatMelinda ConnorEpisode: "One Night of Sin"Lie to MeCandice McCallisterEpisode: "The Royal We"2011GraceShay Grace DavisUnsold TV pilotDr. Christy TurnerEpisode: "Lost in Translation"Body of ProofNina WheelerEpisode: "Letting Go"UnforgettableRosario SanchezEpisode: "Road Block"2012CSI: NYElaine MooreEpisode: "Unwrapped"2013RevengeDonna CarlisleEpisode: "Collusion"2013–2018The FostersLena Adams FosterMain role2014Law & Order: Special Victims UnitSondra VaughnEpisode: "Gambler's Fallacy"2015How to Get Away with MurderTanya RandolphEpisode: "It's Called the Octopus"The Mysteries of LauraCecilia BurkeEpisode: "The Mystery of the Dead Heat"2016Code BlackShawna JacobsonEpisode: "Corporeal Form"2018The LibrariansKarlaEpisode: "And the Hidden Sanctuary"Good TroubleLena Adams FosterRecurring role, 10 episodes; Director: "With a Little Help From My Friends" 2019–2022Roswell, New MexicoMimi DeLucaRecurring role2019Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.Altarah3 episodesLimetownGina PurriRecurring role, 8 episodesI Am Somebody's Child: The Regina Louise StoryAdult Regina LouiseTelevision film2020–2022Locke & KeyEllie WhedonRecurring role (seasons 1–2); main role (season 3)2020–2021 Grey's AnatomyAllison Robin Brown2 episodes2020CondorSenator Thrush2 episodes 2020–2022Power Book II: GhostPaula MatarazzoRecurring role 2022Law & Order: Special Victims UnitCressida "Cress" GordonEpisode: "Sorry If It Got Weird For You"CSI: VegasJodi Wallach3 episodesPerfect HarmonyBarrett WoodwardTelevision film2023Mrs. DavisDanni2 episodes2024Dead Boy DetectivesMaddy2 episodes2025Law & OrderAndrea MorganEpisode: "Greater Good”Forever Aunt DeeDeeEpisode: "The Vineyard”2026Imperfect WomenZoe2 episodes
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