Denyce Lawton

Denyce Lawton was born in Seoul, South Korea, on May 2, 1978. She spent her formative years in the New Jersey communities of Belmar and Neptune before relocating to Washington, D.C. She attended Largo High School in Prince George’s County, Maryland, where she excelled academically and participated in numerous programs including the Biotechnology Program, Future Teachers of America Club, yearbook staff, pom-pom squad, girls’ basketball, and drama club. After graduating at the top of her class, she pursued pre-medical studies at the University of Maryland and an early studies program at Johns Hopkins University. Her early career in entertainment began as a background dancer for Broadway productions and music artists such as Ye, *NSYNC, Mya, Nelly, Jagged Edge, Ja Rule, and Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs.

Lawton transitioned into corporate roles within the music industry, serving as Assistant Vice President of Urban Promotions at Warner Brother Records and later as A&R VP at Priority Records in New York City. She also worked as a personal assistant to record executive Irv Gotti at Murder Inc. Records and as an Assistant Junior Publicist at 20th Century Fox Pictures. Her modeling career included work for brands such as Kemi Oil, FUBU, ADIDAS, Enyce, Karl Kani, and Baby Phat. Concurrently, she gained acting experience through roles in New York City’s “Shakespeare in the Park” series and appeared in music videos for artists including Clay Aiken, 112, Nas, and Jaheim.

Her acting career gained significant momentum with her recurring role as Dana Carter on the NAACP Best Comedy Series Winner ‘House of Payne’ from 2008 to 2009. She further solidified her presence in television with a recurring role as Sheila Willis in ‘The Hot Zone’ (2021) and appeared in ‘Chicago P.D.’ (2019) as Maya Williams, and ‘Castle’ (2014) as Lillian Hernandez. Lawton is also recognized for her work as a producer, with credits including ‘Renee’ (2025), ‘Secrets’ (2017), and ‘The Dempsey Sisters’ (2013), and as a writer for ‘Renee’ (2025). On June 1, 2024, she married Eban Grasti in Washington, D.C.