Lisa Gay Hamilton

Lisa Gay Hamilton is an American director, and film, television, and theater actress known for her role as attorney Rebecca Washington on the ABC legal drama The Practice, and for her critically acclaimed performance as young Sethe in Jonathan Demmes film adaptation of Toni Morrisons Beloved. Her theater credits include Measure for Measure , Henry IV Parts I amp II , Athol Fugards, Valley Song and The Ohio State Murders. Hamilton was also an original cast member in the Broadway productions of August Wilsons The Piano Lesson and Gem of the Ocean.

Hamilton was born in Los Angeles, California but spent most of her childhood in Stony Brook, New York on Long Island. Her father, Ira Winslow Hamilton, Jr., hailed from Bessemer, Alabama, and her mother, the former Eleanor Albertine Tina Blackwell, was from Meridian, Mississippi. Both parents graduated from historically black collegesTina attended Talladega while Ira went to Morehouseand they both became successful professionals. Ira worked for a while as an engineer and then went into business as a general contractor. Tina eventually earned a masters degree in social work and worked for the Girl Scouts for many years.

Source: Wikipedia