Lyric Ross is an American actress. She is known for her role as Deja Pearson in the NBC drama series This Is Us.

Lyric Ross
OccupationActress
Known forDeja Pearson in This Is Us

Early life and career

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Ross raised in Homewood, Illinois, is the daughter of Brandi Smith and Stephen Ross and granddaughter of Margaret Smith.[1] She started acting when she was five years old, appearing in commercials and guest-starring in Chicago Fire and Sirens.[1][2] In 2017, she performed in a recurring role as Deja Pearson on season 2 of This Is Us while in the eighth grade at James Hart School in Homewood, Illinois.[1][2] On August 27, 2018, NBC announced that Ross had been promoted to a series regular onwards season 3.[3][4][5] She and the rest of the show's cast won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series in 2018.[6]

She has been cast in the upcoming television series Ironheart.[7]

In 2022 she dubbed in the stop motion film Wendell & Wild as Katherine "Kat" Koniqua Elliot.[8]

Philanthropy

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Ross serves as a celebrity ambassador for Orphan Myth.[9][10]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
2017 Rogers Park Ruby [11]
2018 Canal Street Tameka [12]
2022 The Class Casey [13]
2022 Wendell & Wild Kat Elliot (voice) [14]

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
2015 Sirens Lily 1 episode[11]
2015 Chicago Fire Girl 1 episode[11]
2016 Untitled Lena Waithe Project Andrea TV movie
2017–2022 This Is Us Deja Pearson Recurring (season 2); main character (season 3–6)
2025 Ironheart Natalie Washington Miniseries

Awards and nominations

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Year Award Category Project Result
2018 Teen Choice Awards Choice TV Breakout Star This Is Us Nominated[15]
2019 BET Awards Young Stars Award Nominated[16]
Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series Won[6]
Image Awards (NAACP) Outstanding Performance by a Youth (Series, Special, Television Movie or Limited Series) Nominated[17]
2020 Outstanding Performance by a Youth (Series, Special, Television Movie or Limited Series) Nominated[18]
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Nominated[19]
2021 Outstanding Performance by a Youth (Series, Special, Television Movie or Limited Series) Nominated[20]
2023 Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance, Motion Picture Wendell & Wild Nominated[21]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Homewood eighth grader takes TV role in stride | HF Chronicle". hfchronicle.com. 22 December 2017. Retrieved 2022-02-03.
  2. ^ a b Keveney, Bill. "Everything's Deja new for This Is Us star Lyric Ross". USA Today. Retrieved 2022-02-03.
  3. ^ Snierson, Dan (August 27, 2018). "This Is Us promotes Lyric Ross — a.k.a. Deja — to full-time cast member". EW.com. Retrieved 2022-02-03.
  4. ^ "This Is Us Season 3: Lyric Ross Promoted to Series Regular". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 2022-02-03.
  5. ^ Reslen, Eileen (2018-08-27). "Fans React to Deja Becoming a Major Character on This Is Us". Good Housekeeping. Retrieved 2022-02-03.
  6. ^ a b "The 25th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards | Screen Actors Guild Awards". www.sagawards.org.
  7. ^ Kit, Borys (February 25, 2022). "'This Is Us' Actress Lyric Ross Joins Marvel's 'Ironheart' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on February 25, 2022. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  8. ^ Grobar, Erik Pedersen,Matt; Pedersen, Erik; Grobar, Matt (2022-10-10). "'Wendell & Wild': Henry Selick's Stop-Motion Pic For Netflix Gets New Trailer – Update". Deadline. Retrieved 2023-12-27.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  9. ^ Mizoguchi, Karen (March 25, 2021). "This Is Us' Lyric Ross Advocates for Adoption to Help Kids Like Her Character Find 'Genuinely Loving' Homes". people.com. Retrieved 2022-02-03.
  10. ^ Spivey, Kemberlie. "Lyric Ross Talks Orphan Myth, Her Message to Young Kids in the Foster Care System, and This Is Us". Forbes. Retrieved 2022-02-03.
  11. ^ a b c "'This Is Us' Promotes Lyric Ross to Series Regular for Season 3". The Hollywood Reporter. 2018-08-27. Archived from the original on 2023-07-19.
  12. ^ Bowman, Sabienna (September 26, 2018). "Deja From This Is Us Already Has Another High Profile Project Lined Up". POPSUGAR Entertainment UK.
  13. ^ "Lyric Ross Interview on Playing Casey in 'The Class'". www.sweetyhigh.com.
  14. ^ King, Jack (March 14, 2022). "'Wendell & Wild' Teaser Announces Ving Rhames, David Harewood, and More Joining Voice Cast". Collider. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  15. ^ Cohen, Jess (June 13, 2018). "Teen Choice Awards 2018: Avengers: Infinity War, Black Panther and Riverdale Among Top Nominees". E! News. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
  16. ^ "Here are all the winners from the 2019 BET Awards". The FADER.
  17. ^ Nakamura, Reid (March 31, 2019). "NAACP Image Awards 2019: The Complete Winners List". TheWrap. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
  18. ^ Schaffstall, Katherine; Howard, Annie (February 22, 2020). "NAACP Image Awards: Lizzo Named Entertainer of the Year; 'Just Mercy,' 'Black-ish' Among Top Winners". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
  19. ^ "NAACP Winners 2020: The Complete List". Variety. February 23, 2020.
  20. ^ Bosselman, Haley (March 28, 2021). "NAACP Image Awards 2021: The Complete Televised Winners List". Variety. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
  21. ^ "NAACP Image Awards: 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,' Quinta Brunson, Keke Palmer Among Night Three's Non-Televised Winners". The Hollywood Reporter. 2023-02-23. Archived from the original on 2023-07-19.
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