Terri J. Vaughn

Terri Juanita Vaughn-Riley was born on October 16, 1969, in San Francisco, California, U.S. Her career in the entertainment industry began with appearances in films like “Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit” in 1993 and “Friday” in 1995. She also co-starred in the action films “Black Scorpion” (1995) and its sequel, “Black Scorpion II: Aftershock” (1997). A significant turning point in her acting career occurred in 1997 when she was cast as Lovita Alizay Jenkins-Robinson, the high school secretary, in the second season of The WB sitcom “The Steve Harvey Show.” This role earned her widespread recognition and multiple NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.

Following “The Steve Harvey Show,” which concluded in 2002, Vaughn expanded her television work. She joined the cast of the Showtime drama series “Soul Food” as Eva Holly in 2002, receiving an NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. From 2003 to 2005, she was a regular cast member on the UPN/The CW sitcom “All of Us.” Her career continued to progress with a supporting role in Tyler Perry’s 2007 comedy-drama film “Daddy’s Little Girls” and a regular role in another one of Perry’s productions, the TBS sitcom “Meet the Browns” from 2009 to 2011.

Beyond her acting roles, Terri J. Vaughn is also an accomplished director and producer. She co-owns Nina Holiday Entertainment with her business partner, Cas Sigers, a production company responsible for films such as “Sugar Mommas,” “A Cross to Bear,” and “Girlfriends’ Getaway.” In 2016, she made her directorial debut with the comedy film “#DigitalLivesMatter.” More recently, she has taken on recurring roles in television series like “Greenleaf” (2016) and “Insecure” (2020), and directed various TV movies and series episodes, including “Unthinkably Good Things” (2022) and “So Fly Christmas” (2023).