Rutina Wesley
- Actress
- Producer
Rutina Wesley is known for the character Tara Thorton, on the gritty
Southern vampire drama,
True Blood (2008). She was born in
the city most renowned for glitz and glamour, Las Vegas, Nevada and was
exposed to the arts at a very early age; in fact entertainment runs
through her veins. Her father,
Ivery Wheeler, is a noted tap dancer while
her mother, Cassandra Wesley, performed on the Vegas strip as a
showgirl. Rutina studied dance for years then earned an undergraduate
degree in Theatre Performance from the University of Evansville in
Indiana. She had the good fortune to be accepted by the acclaimed
Julliard School. During Rutina's stint at Julliard, she was fortunate
enough to spend a summer at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Fortune
was with Rutina again when one of her Julliard classmates,
Nelsan Ellis, reconnected with her when he
became her co-star on
True Blood (2008).
After leaving Julliard, Rutina was cast in the Broadway production of a
David Hare play, "The Vertical Hour"
opposite Bill Nighy. Rutina followed "The
Vertical Hour" with an appearance in the Public Theater production, "In
Darfur". Her small role in the hit movie,
Hitch (2005), was cut from the
completed film but that did not deter her from pursuing her dream. She
made another big-screen appearance, this time in the dance melodrama
How She Move (2007). She also guest
starred on the hit television show
Numb3rs (2005); however, her break
came when she signed onto the HBO production,
True Blood (2008).
True Blood (2008) is adapted from
the Sookie Stackhouse Southern Vampire literary series by Charlaine
Harris and conceived for the small screen by
Alan Ball of
American Beauty (1999) and
Six Feet Under (2001).
Rutina's portrayal of Tara Thornton, a character whose caustic tongue
and tough manner conceal her vulnerability, helped make
True Blood (2008) a cult hit. The
success of True Blood (2008)
shocked naysayers when the vampire soap opera became a favorite of both
critics and audiences alike. We'll be seeing more of Rutina in 2010
when True Blood (2008) returns for
its third season.
Southern vampire drama,
True Blood (2008). She was born in
the city most renowned for glitz and glamour, Las Vegas, Nevada and was
exposed to the arts at a very early age; in fact entertainment runs
through her veins. Her father,
Ivery Wheeler, is a noted tap dancer while
her mother, Cassandra Wesley, performed on the Vegas strip as a
showgirl. Rutina studied dance for years then earned an undergraduate
degree in Theatre Performance from the University of Evansville in
Indiana. She had the good fortune to be accepted by the acclaimed
Julliard School. During Rutina's stint at Julliard, she was fortunate
enough to spend a summer at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Fortune
was with Rutina again when one of her Julliard classmates,
Nelsan Ellis, reconnected with her when he
became her co-star on
True Blood (2008).
After leaving Julliard, Rutina was cast in the Broadway production of a
David Hare play, "The Vertical Hour"
opposite Bill Nighy. Rutina followed "The
Vertical Hour" with an appearance in the Public Theater production, "In
Darfur". Her small role in the hit movie,
Hitch (2005), was cut from the
completed film but that did not deter her from pursuing her dream. She
made another big-screen appearance, this time in the dance melodrama
How She Move (2007). She also guest
starred on the hit television show
Numb3rs (2005); however, her break
came when she signed onto the HBO production,
True Blood (2008).
True Blood (2008) is adapted from
the Sookie Stackhouse Southern Vampire literary series by Charlaine
Harris and conceived for the small screen by
Alan Ball of
American Beauty (1999) and
Six Feet Under (2001).
Rutina's portrayal of Tara Thornton, a character whose caustic tongue
and tough manner conceal her vulnerability, helped make
True Blood (2008) a cult hit. The
success of True Blood (2008)
shocked naysayers when the vampire soap opera became a favorite of both
critics and audiences alike. We'll be seeing more of Rutina in 2010
when True Blood (2008) returns for
its third season.