Sela Ward stars in GRAVES as “Margaret Graves,” a former first lady who discovers her own political ambitions while managing her husband’s internal struggle.
Award-winning actress Sela Ward continues to score strong, powerful roles in both film and television. She was last seen on the big screen as the President of the United States in the highly anticipated feature “Independence Day Resurgence.” The project reunited Ward with director Roland Emmerich, with whom she first worked on “The Day After Tomorrow.” Other film credits include “Gone Girl,” “The Guardian,” and “The Fugitive” with Harrison Ford.
On the small screen, Ward won a Best Actress Emmy for her breakthrough performance in “Sisters.” She earned another Best Actress Emmy and a Golden Globe Award for her work on “Once and Again.” She also co-starred with Gary Sinise on “CSI: NY.” Other television credits include a recurring role on “House” and starring in the made for TV movie “Almost Golden: The Jessica Savitch Story,” which earned her Emmy and Screen Actors Guild award nominations.
Ward, a Mississippi native and graduate of the University of Alabama, moved to New York after graduation. She started a career in advertising but soon after was approached by the Wilhelmina Agency and embarked on a successful modeling and television commercial run. A move to Los Angeles catapulted her into the world of acting when she was discovered by Blake Edwards who cast her in his film “A Man Who Loved Women.”
In her native Mississippi, Ward founded Hope Village for Children to provide a safe haven and an alternative to the traditional foster care system. The organization offers a more permanent home that provides a continuum of specialized treatment programs, services, and facilities to meet the individual needs of neglected and abused children.
When not working or tending to her philanthropic projects, Ward is an accomplished painter and NY Times bestselling author. Her first book, Homesick, is part inspirational story, part memoir that tells of Ward’s quest for a balance of the comforts of her small-town childhood and the big city way of life.