TRACEE ELLIS ROSS
as JOAN CLAYTON

Tracee Ellis Ross portrays Joan Clayton,the owner of the J-Spot, a hip restaurant/bar, who stumbles along in her romantic life and learns a hard lessons about friendship, in The CW's hit comedy “Girlfriends.”

Ross earned a BET Comedy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, a PRISM Award for Outstanding Performance in a Comedy Series, five NAACP Image Award nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series and a Women's Image Network (WIN) Award nomination for Best Comedy Series Actress.

Following her television debut as host of Lifetime's “The Dish.” Ross was named a “Face to Watch” by the Los Angeles Times. Her other television credits include the MTV sketch comedy “Lyricist Lounge.” She made history with her cast mates when they co-hosted the "2004 NAACP Image Awards" in 2004, the first year the program was hosted by women. She then went on to co-host the VIBE Awards with Anthony Anderson. Ross's theatrical experience includes a leading role in “The Vagina Monologues.” She made her debut at the Canon Theater in Los Angeles and has also performed with the production in San Francisco and most recently appeared in “Blackout” at the Egyptian Theater in Los Angeles.

Ross's big-screen debut was in a leading role in the feature film “Far Harbor,” co-starring with Marcia Gay Harden and Jennifer Connelly. She also appeared in the feature film comedy “Hanging Up,” in which she played Meg Ryan's distracted assistant, and the independent film “I SeeYou.com," opposite Beau Bridges. She will next been seen in Tyler Perry’s “Daddy’s Little Girl,” with Gabrielle Union, and HBO’s “Life Support,” opposite Queen Latifah.

As a model, Ross worked with some of the most highly regarded photographers in the fashion industry, including Herb Ritts, Peter Lindberg, Francesco Scavullo and Mario Testino. She has graced the pages of top fashion and consumer magazines, including Harper's Bazaar, Essence, Mirabella, Life, US, O and In Style. She has also appeared in advertising campaigns for The Gap, Donna Karan Collection, DKNY and Paul Mitchell.

Named by Essence magazine as an “It” woman of 2000, she is described as a “trend setter with signature style.” She was also named one of America's “Leading Ladies,” along with Susan Sarandon and Michelle Pfeiffer, on the American Elite 1000 List for 2000, which acknowledges women who are gracefully redefining the rules for success. Recently, Ross was honored by the Los Angeles Urban League as "Volunteer of the Year" for 2004. She also appeared in cameos in the Kanye West videos “The New Workout Plan” and “Touch the Sky.”

Ross is a graduate of Brown University and the William Esper Acting Studio. Although a New Yorker at heart, she lives in Los Angeles.