Rutina Wesley

Actress Rutina Wesley attended The Juilliard School and graduated in 2005. Wesley's big break came in 2007, when she won the part of Tara Thornton on the HBO series "True Blood." In 2008, she made her film debut in "How She Move."

Born in Las Vegas, Nevada, Wesley became interested in performance at an early age. It wasn't until she appeared in a production of "Fame" during her freshman year of high school at the Las Vegas Academy of International Studies, Performing and Visual Arts that she decided she wanted to pursue a career in acting. At the school she ended up starring in a number of productions, as well as studying theater and dance.

While success didn't come overnight, Wesley did not have to wait long for it. Not long after she graduated from Juilliard, Oscar-winning film director Sam Mendes spotted her and cast her to play opposite Julianne Moore and Bill Nighy in the 2006 Broadway production of David Hare's "The Vertical Hour."

In 2008, Wesley made her film debut as the lead in "How She Move," which received critical acclaim. She got her big break, however, in 2007 as Tara Thornton in the HBO series "True Blood," her debut television performance. Over the course of its run, the show has earned a number of accolades and garnered Wesley and her co-stars a Screen Actors Guild award nomination for Outstanding Ensemble in a Drama Series.

Wesley has said she would like to continue pursuing a film career in the coming years.