Gloria Reuben Bio - Gloria Reuben Biography

Gloria Reuben: Biography

Gloria was born in Toronto in June of 1964. Her mother, an accomplished singer, encouraged Gloria to purse her creative talents. Gloria started off as most kids do, on the piano, but soon graduated to her interest in music technique and theory. She also studied jazz and ballet at the Canadian Royal Conservatory. As timed passed Gloria got into modeling. She relocated to Los Angeles in 1988. This made a few appearances on such shows as The Flash, Silk Stalkings, and Homicide: Life on the Street. Gloria started to get more exposure by making frequent appearances on such shows as The Waiter (1993) and Time Cop (1994). Gloria's big break came when she joined the cast of ER in 1995. This role earned Gloria several Emmy nominations. Gloria later landed roles in the television series The Agency and MISSING, as well as several cinema releases.

Gloria is on the board of directors for SIECUS (Sexuality Information and Education Council of the US).(edit)
Gloria's mother is an gospel singer and her father is an architect. (edit)
Gloria has five siblings. (edit)
Gloria's nickname is Glo.(edit)
Gloria is a member of Artists for a New South Africa, a group dedicated for creating better lives for the citizens of that country and for HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention. (edit)
Gloria left ER because she felt emotionally burnt out by her role. (edit)
Gloria's favorite band is Coldplay. (edit)
Gloria has said that singing backup for Tina Turner was the best experience of her life. (edit)
Gloria has been nominated for four SAG awards. From 1997-2000 she was nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Ensemble in a Drama Series for her work on ER. She won in 1997, 1998 and 1999.(edit)
Gloria is an HIV/AIDS activist. She has used her fame and recognizability to help foster awareness around the world of the AIDS epidemic. (edit)
Gloria is 5'7�" tall.(edit)
Gloria married Wayne Isaak in 1999.(edit)
While starring in ER, Gloria appeared in 5 public service announcements for NBC's The More You Know. Her topics were designated drivers, breast cancer, immunization, school support, and teacher recruitment.(edit)
Gloria's touring with Tina Turner ignited a spark. She started taking guitar lessons, and decided to demo a few songs.(edit)
Gloria appeared in the 2005 movie The Hard Place as the character Billie.(edit)
Gloria sang the Canadian National Anthem at the 1998 baseball All-Star game.(edit)
Gloria appears in the Tina Turner music video "When the Heartache is Over".(edit)
Gloria was crowned Miss Black Ontario in 1986. The title was lessened when people questioned her racial background and claimed she didn't truly represent the "black" experience. Gloria states that she is Jamaican-Canadian, and not African-American. (edit)
Gloria was in the movie Immediate Family in 1989.(edit)
Gloria played Mindy in the 2005 movie Kettle of Fish.(edit)
Gloria attended the Screen Actors Guild Awards in 1998.(edit)
Gloria starred as Brooke in the TV series MISSING. She also wrote and sang the theme song for the series.(edit)
On June 8, 2004, Gloria released her album called Just For You.(edit)
Gloria won the Q Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Quality Drama Series for her role in the series ER in 1994 and 1998. (edit)
Gloria has been nominated for an Image Award six times: in 2003 as Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special for her role as Natalie Britain in Little John; in 1996, 1998, 1999, and 2000 as Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her role as Jeanie Boulet on ER; and in 1997 as Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her role as Jeanie Boulet on ER.(edit)
In 1998, Gloria was nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV for ER.(edit)
In 1997 and 1994 Gloria was nominated for the Emmy for "Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series" in ER.(edit)
Gloria missed her song performing days so she took a role of back-up singer to Tina Turner�s 2000 Twenty-Four Seven Tour.(edit)

Gloria Reuben:(On the impact of her character on "ER" for HIV/AIDS awareness) The ball has been dropped even though the numbers specifically in the African American and Latino communities are going through the roof. It's a pandemic that really has fallen off the radar for the most part in terms of the general media. So it's wonderful to be able to use the avenue, the role of Jeannie Boulet to keep the message in people's minds and just kind of remind them a little bit that this hasn't gone away and it's actually impacting more people now than it was a few years ago. What an incredible thing to carry along with it this story of Jeannie Boulet from a few years ago, because anybody and everybody who would be involved with HIV/AIDS would know about this storyline. It's kind of that blessing of being able to have a familiar face that is connected to an issue and then being able to talk about that issue and people may want to listen a little bit more.(edit)
Gloria Reuben:(About the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in African-American communities) It's such a huge, complex issue. Societal and cultural influences are such that, it perpetuates the stigma. If we look at, for the most part, the hip-hop culture, when it's all about having sex and women are just there to have sex with -- having sex with as many people as possible, sex all the time, no protection, blah, blah, blah. If we look at economics, if you're not educated and you don't have a job, you're going to end up in jail. It's about the homophobia, it's just unbelievable. The stigma around homophobia in the Black and Latino communities is unbelievable -- you gotta put on a front and have sex on the 'down-low.' The shame and stigma around it perpetuates the shame and stigma around HIV/AIDS. What ends up happening is clearly the double life that goes on. (edit)
Gloria Reuben:(On how she got involved in "Life Support") 'm an executive producer on Padre Nuestro (a critically-acclaimed independent film) which won the grand prize at Sundance Film Festival this year. We were editing the film at PostWorks, which is the best production house in New York City. So we're editing this movie and directly across the hall from us, Nelson George was casting Life Support. He and I saw each other in the hallway quite often. We walked into the building at the same time, rode up on the elevator together and he filled me in on the story, which is based on his sister, and Queen Latifah was playing the role. I was like, 'Look, I gotta be in this movie. Man. It's way too important. It's what I do. It's no accident that we're literally across the hall from each other.' (edit)
Gloria Reuben:(About reprising her role on "ER" for an episode) It just felt incredible. Of course, there was a lot of apprehension and anxiety, like returning home after not having been there for so many years. I didn't know what to expect. But when I got there, it was like no time had gone by at all. It really felt kind of great to step back into the shoes of Jeanie. There's no better thing for an actor to ask for than to have the opportunity to step back in time and yet have new dimensions to play.(edit)
Gloria Reuben: There's always been a desire within me to make a record about the variations and mysteries of love.(edit)
Gloria Reuben:(On how she prepared for the role in "Raising the Bar") I live in New York, and so does David Feige, and the director, Jesse Bochco. A couple of the other cast members came out from L.A. for a research trip. We all actually spent some time up in the Bronx and down at the Centre Street Courthouse in lower Manhattan to observe exactly what happens, not only in the courtroom but during the whole process from someone getting booked, on. My character, Roz, is based on a woman named Robin [Steinberg] who runs the Bronx Public Defender's Office. So, I spent some time with her. Of course, you want to get down the fundamentals of how she works, and what her work entails, but to me, it's all about what's going on emotionally.(edit)
Gloria Reuben:(About her win of Miss Black Ontario) That was so long ago. It's funny that you asked that. Actually, the timing is kind of perfect, because there was this thing about Obama, "Is he black enough?" That's all I need to say about that issue.(edit)
Gloria Reuben:(On how she wants to be remembered) Just as someone who maybe made a difference in at least one person's life?(edit)
Gloria Reuben:(When asked if she is happy) 100% of the time? No. I think I would have to be on some kind of drugs to be happy all the time. But I'm very content and filled with gratitude for the most part. Yes.(edit)
Gloria Reuben:(On how she got into HIV/AIDS activism) Playing Jeanie Boulet [on ER] definitely came first. And by the time I left the show, I thought my work had been done in a way. But when I recently read that AIDS was the #1 killer of black women between the ages of 25 and 34 here in the United States, I asked, "What the hell is going on?" That kind of spring-boarded me to take action again to raise awareness in our communities all around the country.(edit)
Gloria Reuben:(On why she lives in New York instead of Hollywood) Because I lived in Hollywood for 11 years and had my fill. I'm from Toronto, so prefer the East Coast and I missed the change of seasons. I may sound crazy, but I love winter.(edit)
Gloria Reuben:(On what interested her about "Raising the Bar") Three things. First and foremost, [7-time Emmy-winning writer] Stephen Bochko. Secondly, the book that the show was based on, called Indefensible, written by David Feige, who's one of the writers on the show. He had been a public defender in the Bronx. And thirdly, that the story is structured in such a way as to show three different aspects of the judicial system: the viewpoints of the public defenders, of the district attorneys, and of the judges. I like how, more often than not, these three groups have different perspectives and go after things pertaining to the same human being from different angles. And I also appreciate how it sheds light on the inner workings of the criminal justice system and the corruption that sometimes goes on behind closed doors.(edit)
Gloria Reuben: (on her television series The Agency) This may be a television show, but I have a bigger vision of it. In this time when we most need hope, we have a great opportunity not just to entertain and inform, but maybe even to play a small part in elevating a certain faith in the federal government.(edit)
Gloria Reuben: (about why there seems to be so much misinformation about HIV/AIDS, especially in the African-American community) These things are deep and it's not going to be eradicated quickly. We have to start talking about sex, sexual partners, in our schools and our churches. Church is a big deal. People go to church. If we're denying what's happening from the leaders of our community, it's going to perpetuate the problem. Abstinence-only education and the way the Bush administration funds this type of sex education is also part of the problem.(edit)