Amber Riley

Amber Riley
Riley in 2019
Born
Amber Patrice Riley

(1986-02-15) February 15, 1986 (age 38)
Other namesRILEY
Occupations
  • Actress
  • singer
Years active2002–present
Musical career
Genres
InstrumentVocals
Labels

Amber Patrice Riley[1] (born February 15, 1986)[2] sometimes known mononymously as RILEY (stylized in all caps), is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her portrayal of Mercedes Jones on the Fox comedy-drama series Glee (2009–2015). For her performance on the series, she was nominated for three NAACP Image Awards, and won a shared Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series. As a member of the cast, Riley charted over 200 entries on the Billboard Hot 100, and was nominated for a Grammy Award.[3][4]

In 2016, Riley originated the lead role of Effie White in the West End debut of Dreamgirls.[5] She won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical and Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Musical Performance in 2017 for her work.[5][6]

Riley won season 17 of Dancing with the Stars in 2013.[7] In 2017, Riley appeared as a judge on BBC One musical theatre talent show Let It Shine and formed a musical theatre supergroup with Beverley Knight and Cassidy Janson, known collectively as Leading Ladies and signed to East West Records/Warner. Her debut album, Songs from the Stage, was released on November 17, 2017. She also participated on the American and British versions of The Masked Singer.

  1. ^ Amber Riley verified Twitter account. Retrieved on June 4, 2020. Archived from the original on June 3, 2020. "Amber Patrice Riley",
  2. ^ "Celebrity Birthdays: See Who else is Celebrating with the Weeknd!". BET.
  3. ^ "Amber Riley | Artist | GRAMMY.com". grammy.com. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  4. ^ McIntyre, Hugh. "'Glee' Is Back On The Billboard Charts". Forbes. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
  5. ^ a b Snetiker, Marc (February 4, 2016). "Amber Riley to play Effie in West End Dreamgirls". Entertainment Weekly.
  6. ^ "'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child' Wins a Record Nine Olivier Awards (Full List)". Variety. April 9, 2017.
  7. ^ "'DWTS' Determines Winner of Season 17!". Entertainment Tonight. November 26, 2013. Archived from the original on December 1, 2022. Retrieved December 1, 2022.