Shamika Cotton is an American actress from Cincinnati, Ohio. She is perhaps best known to television viewers as Michael Lee's drug-addicted mother Raylene Lee in the acclaimed HBO series The Wire.

Shamika Cotton
Shamika Cotton with her friend Bob Ketchum at The Wire wrap party
Born
Other namesShamika Lee Cotton
OccupationActress
Years active2003–present

Career

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Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Shamika Cotton graduated from Cincinnati's competitive School for Creative and Performing Arts.[1] In 2006, Cotton appeared on the I Wanna Be A Soap Star reality series to good reviews, and her performances from the show were also highlighted on Entertainment Tonight.

In November, 2007, Cotton launched a weekly videocast on YouTube entitled the “Shamika Chronicles”,[2] a series that follows her life and offers a realistic look at the daily life and work of an aspiring actress.

In 2019, she played small role in the movie The Sun Is Also a Star.

Filmography

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Film/Movie

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Year Title Role Notes
2004 Till Death Do Us Part - Short
2009 Stream Young Jodi Short
2011 Pariah Candace
2013 Frank the Bastard Isolda
2015 Sidewalk Traffic Nanny Moon
2019 The Sun Is Also a Star Hannah

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
2003 Nickelodeon Magazine's Big 10 Birthday Bash Herself TV special
2006 As the World Turns ER Doctor 2 episodes
2006-08 The Wire Raylene Lee Recurring cast: Season 4, guest: Season 5
2007 Law & Order: Criminal Intent Kira Danforth Episode: "Self-made"
2010 Law & Order Mrs. Dolan Episode: "Boy on Fire"
2013 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Carol McEwan Episode: "Beautiful Frame"
2014-15 Forever Anita Recurring cast
2016 Gotham Officer Holt Episode: "Wrath of the Villains: Mr. Freeze"
2019 The Blacklist FBI Physician Episode: "Dr. Hans Koehler (No. 33)"
The Good Fight Wendy Episode: "The One About the Recent Troubles"
God Friended Me Jen Episode: "Return to Sender"
Elementary Rose Episode: "Their Last Bow"
Blue Bloods Detective Kim Andrews Episode: "Naughty or Nice"
New Amsterdam Martha Randle Episode: "The Island"
2020 Prodigal Son Joanne Episode: "Stranger Beside You"
2021 The Equalizer Nicole Episode: "Reckoning"
2022 P-Valley Farrah Haynes Recurring cast: season 2

References

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  1. ^ "Shamika Cotton official website". Retrieved 2010-01-01.
  2. ^ "Shamika Chronicles". Youtube.com. Retrieved 2010-01-01.
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