Chandra Wilson

Some Lesser Known Facts About Chandra Wilson

• Chandra Wilson’s mother being a postal worker wanted to keep her daughter active so she enrolled Chandra in numerous after-school activities. Talking about her mother, Chandra was quoted saying in an interview that
  

  Starting at age four, my mom decided that she was not going to have an idle child in the house. So I started taking dance lessons on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and then I was in acting classes on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and I was also modelling on Saturdays. And that was my childhood.”

• Chandra Wilson used to sing in school plays in high school.

• By the age of five, Chandra Wilson was performing in musical plays with Houston’s Theatre company named ‘Under the Stars Company.’

• While studying at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in New York, Chandra was side by side doing theatre and earning professional theatre credits.

• During her acting struggle period, Chandra Wilson started working as a Teller in the German multinational investment bank named ‘Deutsche Bank’ to make ends meet.

• In 1989, she was cast in the American television sitcom titled ‘The Cosby Show’ in which she played the character of Dina.

• In 1991, Chandra Wilson took part in the theatrical play titled ‘The Good Times are Killing Me’ in which she played the character of Bonna Willis and the play was held at the Second Stage Theatre in New York.

• In 1993, Chandra Wilson was cast in the American Legal drama film titled ‘Philadelphia’ in which she played the character of Chandra.

  

• She used to work as a temporary employee at an investment bank named ‘Alex. Brown & Sons’ where she used to make presentations for the investment banking units.

• In 2003, Chandra Wilson was cast in the American political comedy film titled ‘Head of State.’

• In 2005, Chandra Wilson was cast in the American medical drama television series titled ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ in which she played the character of Dr. Miranda Bailey. The show was an allusion to ‘Gray’s Anatomy,’ a classic human anatomy textbook.

  

• In the same year, she was cast in the American police procedural crime drama television series titled ‘Law & Order: Special Victims Unit’ in which she played the character of Rachel Sorannis.

  

• Chandra Wilson was still working at a bank when she auditioned for the American TV series titled ‘Grey’s Anatomy.’

• Chandra is involved in activism and is an activist for the cause of cyclic vomiting syndrome and serves as the spokesperson for the Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome Association. She became an activist for this cause after her daughter Serena developed the disease in 2010.

• She also serves as the celebrity ambassador for ‘CureMito!’ whose mission is to increase awareness and understanding of Leigh syndrome and mitochondrial disease and its related functional disorders.

• In 2009, Chandra Wilson was cast in the American medical drama television series titled ‘Private Practice’ in which she played the character of Dr. Miranda Bailey.

  

• In the same year, she directed ‘Give Peace a Chance’ which is the seventh episode of the sixth season of the American television medical drama series titled ‘Grey’s Anatomy.’

• In 2009, Chandra Wilson was cast in the American musical play titled ‘Chicago’ which was based on a 1926 play of the same title by the American playwright Maurine Dallas Watkins.

• In 2010, she was cast in the American drama film titled ‘A Single Woman’ which was based on the American theatre artist Jeanmarie Simpson’s 2004 play of the same name.

• In 2012, during the ninth season of ‘Grey’s Anatomy,’ she met with the producers and pitched the idea of featuring cyclic vomiting syndrome in an upcoming episode to which they all agreed. The episode titled ‘Second Opinion’ was based on the syndrome and it was directed by Chandra Wilson herself.

• Chandra Wilson is an advocate for people with mental and/or substance use disorders. In 2015, she hosted the 10th Annual Voice Awards event for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

• From 2015 to 2017, Chandra Wilson directed three episodes of the American family drama television series titled ‘The Fosters.’ The episodes were ‘Daughters’ (2015), ‘Highs & Lows’ (2016), and ‘Chasing Waterfalls’ (2017).

• In 2015, she directed the episode titled ‘Get Out of Jail, Free’ from the American political thriller television series titled ‘Scandal.’

• In 2016, Chandra Wilson was inducted into the Texas Film Hall of Fame at the March 10 Texas Film Awards.

  

• In 2018, Chandra was cast in the American drama film titled ‘Christmas Harmony’ in which she played the character of Karen.

  

• Chandra Wilson has been with her boyfriend for 36 years; as of 2024. They have no plans to get married anytime soon.

• Chandra Wilson has been part of many American films and some of them include ‘Lone Star’ (1996), ‘I Love the 80’s 3-D’ (2005), and ‘Frankie and Alice’ (2010).

  

• From 2019 to 2022, she directed the episodes titled ‘Twenty-Fine’ (2019) and ‘Wake Up For Your Reverie’ (2022) from the American drama TV series titled ‘Good Trouble.’

• In 2021, Chandra Wilson took part in the American television game show titled ‘Wheel of Fortune.’

  

• She has been part of many American TV shows and some of them include ‘CBS Schoolbreak Special’ (1992), ‘100 Centre Street’ (2001), ‘Sesame Street’ (2008), and ‘General Hospital’ (2018).

  

• Chandra Wilson has directed many episodes of ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ and some of them are ‘The Bed’s Too Big Without You’ (2015), ‘I Wear the Face’ (2016), ‘We Didn’t Start the Fire’ (2019), ‘Stronger Than Hate’ (2022), and ‘Blood, Sweat and Tears’ (2024).

• Chandra Wilson has participated in many theatrical plays and some of them are ‘On the Town’ (1998), ‘Avenue Q’ (2003), and ‘Caroline, or Change’ (2004).

  

• Chandra Wilson manages the Sermoonjoy Scholarship Fund which provides college scholarships to Theatre Department graduates at the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts and the Sermoonjoy Fellowship Fund which provides annual fellowships to mid-career actors.