Shari Headley Biography

Shari Headley is an American actress who also used to do modeling. Her best known role was in the 1988 romantic comedy film, Coming to America as Lisa McDowell. Her other notable roles are in films like The Preacher’s Wife (1996) and Johnson Family Vacation (2004).

From 1991 to 1994, Headley starred as Detective Mimi Reed in the television soap opera, All My Children and as a lead actress in the drama series 413 Hope St. from 1997…1998. From 2014 to 2016, she starred in the OWN soap opera, ‘The Haves and the Have Nots’ as a villain called Jennifer Sallison.

Shari Headley Age 

She was born on 15 July 1963 in Queens, New York City, New York, United States.

Shari Headley Family

Shari’s parents are Godfrey Headley and Sarah Headley. They got their youngest (Shari) of four children in Queens, New York. The family has a Trinidadian descent hence Shari is part-Trinidadian.

Shari Headley Husband 

Headley was married to Christopher Martin, an actor and rapper who is best known as “Play” from the hip-hop duo Kid N’ Play. The two had tied the knot in May 1993 and remained a couple till their divorce in June 1995. Their marriage brought forth a son.

Shari Headley Dating

There have not been any reports on Shari’s dating life since her divorce from Christopher Martin.

Shari Headley Children

Headley is a mother of one child: a son named Skyler Martin who was born in April 1994. He is her son with ex-husband Christopher Martin. Shari raised her boy by herself after her divorce. Martin did not support the child financially and in 2001 he was ordered by two Long Island judges to pay the child support even that which he had not been paying.

Shari Headley Height

She stands at 1.73m (5 feet and 8 inches)

Shari Headley Career

In 1985, Shari began her acting career when she appeared in an episode of The Cosby Show. Shortly after that she acted in the films, Quantum Leap, Matlock and Miami Vice.

Headley made her acting debut appearing in an episode of NBC sitcom The Cosby Show in 1985. Headley later has appeared on Miami Vice, Quantum Leap, and Matlock.

In 1989, she had another starring role in the short-lived ABC drama series, Gideon Oliver, alongside Louis Gossett, Jr. She also co-starred in the Kojak TV film series, still in 1989. She became a part of the cast of the soap opera, All My Children as police officer Mimi Reed in 1991 and became a regular to 1994. She made a comeback to the soap opera in 1995 and 2005.

After officially leaving the soap, she had a guest-star role on New York Undercover, Walker, Texas Ranger, and Cosby. In the film The Preacher’s Wife in 1996, Headley had a supporting role while in 1997 she had a leading role FOX drama series, 413 Hope St. with actor Richard Roundtree. It was however cancelled after ten episodes.

She got back to daytime television in the early 2000s with recurring roles in the series Guiding Light from 2001 to 2002 and The Bold and the Beautiful from 2004 to 2005. In the 2004 comedy film, Johnson Family Vacation, she played the role of Jacqueline, Mack Johnson’s (Steve Harvey) wife.

In 2007, she appeared in the comedy-drama film Towelhead. She also had guest starring roles on Veronica Mars, House, Castle, and Switched at Birth. In 2014, she joined the cast of Oprah Winfrey Network primetime soap opera, The Haves and the Have Nots created by Tyler Perry, playing District Attorney Jennifer Sallison. She was promoted to series regular as of season four.

Headley received a NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series nomination at the 25th NAACP Image Awards. She however lost to Victoria Rowell.

Shari Headley Coming To America

Coming To America is a romantic comedy film starring Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall, James Earl Jones, John Amos and Shari Headley. Headley’s role in the 1988 film was that of a leading female. It was a box-office success grossing worldwide total of $288,752,301.

Shari Headley Haves And Have Nots

From 2014 to 2016, Headley began appearing in the American drama series The Haves and the Have Nots as District Attorney Jennifer Sallison.

Shari Headley Ethnicity

Headley is of mixed ethnicity with her father being from Trinidad and her mother being from Brooklyn, New York.

Is Shari Headley Dead?

The Haves and the Have Nots villain is not dead. She is very much alive and still acting.

Shari Headley Movies and TV Shows

Shari Headley Now