TYLER PERRY'S A MADEA FAMILY FUNERAL (2019) About The Cast

CASSI DAVIS (Aunt Bam), PATRICE LOVELY (Hattie), JEN HARPER (Vianne), DEREK MORGAN (Anthony), KJ SMITH (Carol), ROME FLYNN (Jessie), ARYEH-OR (Undertaker), COURTNEY BURRELL (A.J.), QUIN WALTERS (Renee), DAVID OTUNGA (Will), CIERA PAYTON (Sylvia),

CASSI DAVIS (Aunt Bam) has done extensive work with director and writer Tyler Perry, becoming best known for her role as Ella Payne on Perry’s House of Payne. The series aired more episodes (a total of 254) than any other television series (of any genre) with a predominantly African-American cast, surpassing The Jeffersons (253 episodes), Family Matters (215 episodes) and The Cosby Show (202 episodes). She also starred in the title role in Perry’s Aunt Bam’s Place. Davis has also been seen in Madea’s Family Reunion, Madea Goes to Jail, Daddy’s Little Girls and A Madea Christmas.

In 2010 Davis won the Best Supporting Actress Award of the NAACP Theatre Award Committee. The following year she was presented with the City of Holly Springs Proclamation, bestowed by Mayor André DeBerry. More recently, Davis again won the NAACP Theatre Award Committee’s Best Supporting Actress honors, this time for her role on House of Payne.

Born in Holly Springs, Mississippi, Davis attended Spelman College in Atlanta, where she majored in music. She left the college one credit short of graduation to pursue an acting opportunity, returning to Spelman in 2008 to complete her degree. Davis’ acting career began in 1988 with her role in the Spike Lee film School Daze. She was also seen in the films He Say... She Say..., But What Does GOD Say?, Love on Layaway and Silent Bomb. Davis’ small-screen credits include appearances on Living Single, Married with Chi ldren, Kenan & Kel,

The Parkers and The PJs.

PATRICE LOVELY (Hattie) began her career in 1996. She has starred in numerous stage productions including A Good Man is Hard to Find,

When a Woman’s Fed Up, The Blacker the Berry, T he Sweeter the Juice, Where Have all the Good Men Gone?, Lord, Why Do I Keep Choosing the Wrong Man, Stranger in My House, Confessions, Marriage Mate rial, Tyler Perry’s The Haves + The Have Nots, and Madea Gets a Job. Tyler Perry-produced Madea’s Chri stmas, I Don’t Want to Do Wrong and Madea Gets a Job are out on DVD.

She can currently be seen in Tyler’s Love Thy Neighbor on OWN. Lovely is also a highly acclaimed vocalist. Her stunning voice is so powerful, critics declare it an incomparable timeless instrument that baffles the mind. She has shared the stage with world renowned artists including Gerald Levert, Carl Payne, Terri J. Vaughn, Lisa Raye, D.C.Curry, T-Boz, Kirk Franklin, Lenny Williams, TANK, Genuine and many more. She was also a yearly featured performer on the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN). Lovely has recorded two gospel albums: Glory Road and Seven Days.

In 2004 Lovely became the first African-American female ringmaster in the world for the Universal Soul Circus. She dedicated herself to making people laugh all over the world as the hilarious character known as Mabelle which is the first and only character of its kind to hit the stage.

She believes in keeping God first in everything she does. She lives by this famous quote from the Bible: “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.”

Lovely has stood behind thousands of curtains that were opened to showcase her never-ending talents. However, it is yet to be unveiled the impact she will have on the world.

JEN HARPER’s (Vianne) career in the performing arts began at age 4, as a classically trained dancer and persisted through her study at Spelman College where she was a featured Dancer with the Spelman College Dance Theater and Barbara Sullivan's Atlanta Dance Theater and continued as she trained at Morehouse School of Medicine. After completing Medical School and Residency, she continued her study as an actor in The Shakespearean Tradition at The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London. While at RADA, Jen was blessed to be tutored by Ian McKellen, Alan Rickman, Judi Dench and Fiona Shaw as she prepared for what she still feels was the leading role of a lifetime: Titania/Hippolyta in A Midsummer Nights Dream at The Van Brugh Theater in London and remounted here in the states for The Southern Shakespeare Festival in Florida.

Other stage credits include: multiple roles for Jomandi Theater, Horizon, Seven Stages the Alliance Theater, Theater in the Square, The Springer Opera House and Theatrical Outfit over the past 30 years. Her Television and Film work began as a featured extra in Driving Miss Daisy and led to a recurring costar role, Dr. Winona Day on In the Heat of the Night (14 episodes) along with recurring roles in the television series I'll Fly Away and Savannah.

Encouraged by then director and friend, the late Carole Mitchell-Leon, she served as Assistant Director of “The New Jomandi Theater Co.” and taught "On-Camera Acting" in the Jomandi Academy of Dramatic Arts (JADA). Currently, she and her life partner teach "Acting for the Camera" workshops in Atlanta and Fort Valley, GA.

Current TV/Film credits include: The Vampire Diaries, Kill The Messenger, Drop Dead Diva, Survivors Remorse, Bound 2014 and most recently is recurring as: Kelly's Mom, Linda, in Born Again Virgins,

Deacon Connie Sykes in The new HARPO Studios Production, Greenleaf, Loretta's friend, Pat, in Here We Go Again. Mother in Dating in Atlan ta ; Aunt Yvette in Nappily Ever After, Judge Delores Mitchell in Saints and Sinners. etc. Her pet project is The Practice where she and two co-founders present monthly on camera acting workshops to help working actors continue to hone their "On-Camera" audition skills. Yes, she still practices Medicine; Dr. Harper, serves as a Medical Director in Correctional and Occupational Medicine in the Atlanta area.

DEREK MORGAN (Anthony) grew up in New York City on the east side in Spanish Harlem. Derek spent his summers in stock theatre. While attending high school, he was cast in a WBAI radio show Compositions Live. Derek made his professional debut in the Broadway musical Hair in the role of HUD. While performing in Chicago, Derek met an agent and that meeting set him on his way to Los Angeles where Derek began to book regular recurring roles on several television series: For The People on Lifetime, Thief on the FX Network, Joan Of Arcadia on CBS, and so on. Derek can be seen in Gun Hill

opposite Larenz Tate currently running on Netflix, as well as other film and television projects. Derek is signed to co-star in the upcoming basketball feature Asphalt.

KJ SMITH (Carol) is an actress that can currently be seen as Sasha Duncan, the newest member of the Duncan clan, in BET’s The Family Business. Smith was born in Tallahassee, Florida and currently resides in Los Angeles.

Smith has earned popular acclaim for her roles as the antagonist in both Ava Duvernay and Oprah’s Queen Sugar on OWN and on CW’s Dynasty. Her role as Angela on The Fosters, a mother in rehab, was her opportunity to prove she can disappear into a role and mesmerize audiences.

Additional credits include ABC’s The Fix, FOX’s Lethal Weapon, CBS’s NCIS: Los Angeles, Netflix’s Fuller House and ABC’s Black-ish.

Smith is an enthusiastic supporter of the Cerebral Palsy Foundation as a nod to her father, Ernest J. Smith, who was stricken with Cerebral Palsy his entire life. He passed last year. She attended Florida State University and Florida A&M University.

ROME FLYNN (Jessie) is currently making his mark in the industry on both the small and big screen.

In 2018, Flynn guest starred alongside Viola Davis in the hit ABC drama How to Get Away with Murder.

as the mysterious Gabriel Maddox. Making such a strong impression, he joined as a cast regular this season–in the Winter finale we discover he is the illegitimate son of Annalise Keating’s (Davis) late husband Sam.

Other TV credits include: CBS’s NCIS: New Orleans, MacGyver and VH1’s Drumline: A N ew Beat. He made his TV debut as Zende Forrester Dominguez on the CBS daytime drama The Bold and the Beautiful, for which he won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series.

Additionally, he will be seen in North Air Entertainment’s 1/2 Year, a film inspired by ensemble films from the 1980’s. Additional film credits include YouTube’s The Thinning: New World Order, Lifetime’s Ten and Lionsgate’s The Haves and the Have Nots.

He currently splits his time between Los Angeles and Chicago.

ARYEH-OR (Undertaker) is a multidisciplinary artist from Los Angeles, CA. His primary focuses lie in theatrical/cinematic arts, music and poetry. Aryeh received a degree in dramatic arts from AADA and has worked consistently in film and television with industry greats such as Clint Eastwood, Antoine Fuqua, Tyler Perry and Leonardo DiCaprio to name a few. Aryeh has also played music all his life and is currently working on his first studio album with his band Warrior Medicine.

Somewhere between the lyrical elements of his musical career and the theatrical narratives of acting/screenwriting and directing, Aryeh developed a deep passion for poetry, specifically spoken word. In both his personal life and his work in Hollywood, Aryeh finds purpose in being a hands-on agent for change and social justice. From building a school in Malawi to the front lines at Standing Rock and back to the ravaged streets of Skid Row in his own backyard, Aryeh is always looking for outlets to harness his energy and influence to fight for the common good.

COURTNEY BURRELL (A.J.) got his start in the digital realm when he landed a lead role on the series Sexless created by Black and Sexy TV, a progressive digital network with a slate of programing created for and about young black adults. The series quickly gained popularity, which led to a licensing deal with BET and a spinoff series for Burrell called Chef Julia n who played the titular role. Courtney went on to join the cast of Tyler Perry’s Too Close to Home for its sophomore season on TLC, in the recurring role of Nelson.

QUIN WALTERS (Renee) born and raised in Chicago, was blessed with a vivacious and outgoing personality, naturally leading her to an interest in acting and performing at the early age of eight. After being cast in a host of local and regional stage plays, the acting bug cemented itself in Quin’s life, which led to her graduating with a Theater Arts Degree from the University of Illinois.

Not long after graduation, and with the continued love and support of her family, Quin found her way to Los Angeles to pursue her deep passion for film and television. Once there, she quickly landed a lead role in America’s Most Wanted on FOX, followed by a sterling performance alongside Maria Bello on NBC’s Prime Suspect.

Walters’ big break arrived when she landed a wonderful supporting role playing “Renee” in Tyler Perry’s feature film, Tyler Perry’s

A Madea Family Funeral. Her eye-catching performance impressed Perry, one of Hollywood’s most prolific icons, who quickly cast Walters in the recurring role of Gia on OWN Network’s popular drama series, The Haves and The Have Nots.

DAVID OTUNGA (Will) was born and raised in Elgin, IL, David Otunga had huge dreams for an introverted child who was the victim of bullying. He wanted to be a movie star and a professional wrestler, but his mother persuaded him to have a fallback career. David's mother's advice led him to the University of Illinois and Harvard Law School. After graduating from Harvard Law School, David went on to join the General Litigation group at Sidley Austin, LLP in Chicago.

In 2007, David made the biggest decision of his life and resigned from the firm in order to pursue his passion of becoming a film/tv performer. David was the breakout star of VH1's massive hit, I Love New York 2, which broke Nielsen's tv ratings records for reality television at that time. In October of 2008, David signed with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and debuted on the inaugural season of NXT. After finishing in second place on NXT, David went on to win Pro Wrestling Illustrated's Rookie Of The Year in 2010. David is a two-time WWE Tag-Team Champion, a Slammy Award winner, and one of the original members of WWE's most notorious faction, The Nexus. After achieving great success in the ring in WWE, David set his sights on conquering Hollywood and took on a role as an announcer with WWE in order to allow him more free time to pursue acting. David can be seen live on the USA network every Monday night on WWE' Monday Night RAW.

In his first feature film role, David starred alongside Academy Award winner, Halle Berry in The Call. David has appeared in various tv shows including Criminal Minds, General Hospital, and The Haves And The Have Nots. David also serves as Steve Harvey's Personal Fitness Guru on Steve Harvey daytime television show. David has been a frequent guest on Oprah and was recently featured on Oprah Winfrey's Where Are They Now?

The bullying David endured when he was younger led him to discover his passion for fitness. David achieved another childhood dream by gracing the cover of coveted fitness magazine "Muscle & Fitness." In November of 2018 David competed in his first bodybuilding contest and became an NPC Classic Physique Division Champion.

David spends a great deal of time traveling the world giving speeches to students on topics ranging from bullying, goal-setting and motivation.

When David finds rare free-time he enjoys spending time raising his son, David Otunga Jr. David was quoted as saying, "Of all my various jobs and business ventures, my most important job is being the Best Dad in the World to my son."

CIERA PAYTON (Sylvia) is an accomplished actor, writer, social activist and entrepreneur hailing from the city of New Orleans. After Hurricane Katrina, Ciera and her family relocated to North Carolina where she graduated with a B.F.A. from the University of the North Carolina School of the Arts. While still enrolled in school, Ciera landed the female lead role opposite Steven Seagal in Flight of Fury.

Since her breakout role, she has shared screen time with many talented artists including Nicholas Cage, Kevin Hart and Josh Brolin. Past credits include USA Network’s Graceland, Bad Teacher on CBS, and Spike Lee’s Oldboy. As a writer and solo performer, Ciera created and performed her one-woman show, Michael’s Daughter, a piece detailing her compelling journey of growing up in New Orleans to her present success in Los Angeles through a series of letters with her incarcerated father, Michael.

While dedicated to her acting career, Ciera also manages to find time to contribute to her local community. Her dedication to arts education in underserved communities led her to create the non-profit organization The Michael’s Daughter Foundation, which provides an annual theater and media arts summer camp for youth impacted by incarceration. Her contribution was recognized by the City of Los Angeles’ Mayor Garrcetti and Councilwoman Nuy Martinez, as she was rewarded the 2016 Los Angeles Pioneer Woman Award.

A free-spirit, Ciera enjoys boxing, painting, cooking and most importantly, dancing! She continues to have an unwavering commitment to always be her best, challenge the limits of everything she does, while always remaining true to herself. You can see her next in Spike Lee’s She’s Gotta Have It season two on Netflix.