Persia White

American actress

Persia White

White in 2024

Born|

Persia Venessa White

(1972-10-25) October 25, 1972 (age 52)

Miami, Florida, U.S.

Occupation(s)| Actress, singer
Years active| 1988–present
Known for| Lynn Searcy in Girlfriends
Spouses|

* Saul Williams

(m. 2008; div. 2009)​

* Joseph Morgan

(m. 2014)​

Children| 1
Website| persia-white.com
Left to right: Mara Brock Akil with White, Golden Brooks, Tracee Ellis Ross, and Jill Marie Jones in 2013

Persia White (born October 25, 1972) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Lynn Searcy on the UPN/CW sitcom Girlfriends.[1] She is also known for her role as Abby Bennett Wilson in The Vampire Diaries (2012–2017).[2] White is also a singer, and released a solo album, Mecca, in 2009.

## Early life

[edit]

White was born in Miami, Florida and was one of four children to an Irish-American mother and a Bahamian father.[3] Her early years were spent in The Bahamas. White's father was paralyzed in a car accident when she was three, and he later moved to Miami to seek better medical care. White's mother moved with her children to South Florida two years later but did not reunite with White's father.[4] White later joined the Miami Coconut Grove Children's Theater. As a teen, she studied dance, acting, singing, and painting. After high school, White signed with the Ford Agency and obtained her Screen Actors Guild card. She then moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in acting.[5]

## Career

[edit]

White has appeared in various independent films, including Red Letters (opposite Peter Coyote) and the cult horror Blood Dolls. She starred in the made-for-TV movies Operation Sandman, opposite Ron Perlman, and Suddenly, opposite Kirstie Alley. Her television work includes appearances on Angel, NYPD Blue, The Steve Harvey Show, Brooklyn South, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as well as regular roles on Breaker High with co-star Ryan Gosling, Sister Sister as Anya and Girlfriends as Lynn. In 2008, White appeared in The Fall of Night in the role of Dawn. She can also be seen in Chrisette Michele's video for "Be OK".

In addition to acting, White also co-produced the award-winning documentary Earthlings, narrated by Joaquin Phoenix.[6] In July 2011, White won the award for Best Performance by an Actor in the American Black Film Festival for her work in Dysfunctional Friends.[7] She also appeared as Bonnie's mother on The Vampire Diaries in a semi-recurring role.

In 2019, she reunited with her Girlfriends co-stars Tracee Ellis Ross, Jill Marie Jones, and Golden Brooks in an episode of the ABC comedy series Black-ish.[8]

## Personal life

[edit]

White is a vegan, a human and animal rights advocate, and environmentalist. She was honored by PETA as a 2005 Humanitarian of the Year.[9] She is a board member for the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.[10]

White has a daughter, born c. 1995.[citation needed]

On February 29, 2008, White became engaged to singer Saul Williams, her boyfriend of five years, and married in 2008. They met in 2003 when he made a guest appearance on the TV show Girlfriends.[11][12] On January 17, 2009, White announced via her Myspace blog that she and Williams were no longer together.[13]

After three years of dating, White married fellow Vampire Diaries actor Joseph Morgan in Ocho Rios, Jamaica on July 5, 2014, after which, he adopted her daughter and they had her legal name changed to Mecca Morgan White.[14][15]

## Filmography

[edit]

### Film

[edit]

Year  | Title  | Role  | Notes

|
|
|

1993  | Last Action Hero | Herself  |
1994  | Blue Chips | \-  |
1996  | Suddenly | Trina  | TV movie
1999  | Blood Dolls | Black Baby  |
2000  | Operation Sandman | Private Winslow  | TV movie
Red Letters | Vanessa Cody  |
Stalled | Leanne  |
2007  | The Fall of Night | Dawn  |
Everyday Joe | Gina  | Short
2009  | Spoken Word | Shea  |
2010  | Kiss the Bride | Trina  | Video
2012  | Dysfunctional Friends | Trenyce  |
The Marriage Chronicles | Marcia Anson  |
Guardian of Eden | Clarke  |
Black November | Tracey  |
No Mo Games | Morgan  |
Mafia | Mel  |
2013  | Revelation | \-  | Short
2014  | Desiree | Jack  |
2016  | Wichita | Raven  |
2017  | Cargo | Berneice  |
Candid | \-  | Short
Miss Me This Christmas | Millicent Williams  |
You Can't Fight Christmas | Millicent Williams  |
Carousel | Nicole  | Short
2018  | Juice Truck | Pat  | Short

### Television

[edit]

Year  | Title  | Role  | Notes

|
|
|

1995  | The Client | Black Female Student  | Episode: "The Burning of Atlanta"
1996  | NYPD Blue | Margie  | Episode: "These Old Bones"
Malibu Shores | Listener  | Episode: "Hotline"
Saved by the Bell: The New Class | Heather  | Episode: "Little Hero"
Goode Behavior | Trish  | Episode: "Goode Grades"
1997  | Weird Science | Kim  | Episode: "Gary Had a Little Cram"
The Burning Zone | Jenny  | Episode: "Critical Mass"
Sister, Sister | Anya  | Episode: "Three the Heart Way"
The Parent 'Hood | Alexia  | Episode: "Tango & Cash"
Buffy the Vampire Slayer | Aura  | Episode: "Welcome to the Hellmouth"
Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction | Molly  | Episode: "On the Road"
1997–98  | Breaker High | Denise Williams  | Main Cast
1998  | Brooklyn South | Cinnamon  | Episode: "Cinnamon Buns"
Malcolm & Eddie | Sharon  | Episode: "Bowl-a-Drama"
1999  | The Steve Harvey Show | Monique  | Episode: "All That Jazz"
Clueless | Veronica  | Episode: "My Best Friend's Boyfriend"
Another World | Kineisha 'K.C.' Burrell  | Regular Cast
2000–08  | Girlfriends | Lynn Searcy  | Main Cast
2001  | The Test | Herself/Panelist  | Episode: "The Liar Test"
Angel | Agnes "Aggie" Belfleur  | Episode: "Over the Rainbow"
2004  | NAACP Image Awards | Herself/Co-Host  | Main Co-Host
2005  | Infanity | Herself  | Episode: "Girlfriends"
Unscripted | Flirty Girl  | Episode: "Episode #1.8"
2008  | Battleground Earth | Herself  | Episode: "Something's Fishy"
2012–17  | The Vampire Diaries | Abby Bennett Wilson  | Recurring Cast: Season 3, Guest: Season 4 & 8
2019  | Black-ish | Lila  | Episode: "Feminisn't"
2020  | Will & Grace | Katie Palmer-Payne  | Episode: "Of Mouse and Men"

### Documentary

[edit]

Year  | Title  | Role

|
|

2005  | Earthlings | Co-Narrator
2015  | Unity | Narrator

## Awards

[edit]

Year  | Award  | Category  | Title of work  | Win/Nomination

|
|
|
|

2008  | ALMA Award | Outstanding Female Performance in a Comedy Television Series  | Girlfriends | Nomination
2023  | Vienna Independent Film Festival | Best Music Video  | Vampire[16] | Winner

## Music

[edit]

Mecca

Studio album by

Persia White

Released| October 31, 2009
Recorded| 2005–2009
Genre|

* Alternative
* industrial
* trip hop

Length| 36:30
Label| Hybrid Music
Singles from  Mecca

1. "Wanting"
Released: October 7, 2009

Mecca is Persia White's debut album. It was released digitally on October 31, 2009, and on CD on December 8, 2009. The title comes from the name of White's daughter. The final three songs on the album were all featured in several episodes of Girlfriends.

1. "Wanting" – 3:58
2. "Perfect" – 3:15
3. "Receive" (featuring Saul Williams) – 4:15
4. "Pressed Against Gods Thoughts" – 2:02
5. "Haunt" – 3:02
6. "2 Sea" – 1:23
7. "Danger" (featuring Saul Williams) – 3:25
8. "Salvation" – 4:57
9. "Tease" (featuring Tricky) – 3:22
10. "Choices" (Girlfriends season 6 finale song) – 2:47
11. "Past Mistakes" (featuring Tricky) – 4:10

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Crissy Calhoun (2014). Love You to Death – Season 3: The Unofficial Companion to the Vampire Diaries. ECW Press. ISBN 9781770903234. Archived from the original on October 22, 2023. Retrieved January 22, 2018.
2. ^ "Persia White | Actress, Writer, Director". IMDb. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
3. ^ "Persia White". Archived from the original on October 27, 2014. Retrieved October 30, 2014.
4. ^ Turner, Miki (February 23, 2004). "Persia's Edge". Sun-Sentinel. p. 1\. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
5. ^ Turner, Miki (February 23, 2004). "Persia's Edge". Sun-Sentinel. p. 2\. Archived from the original on July 24, 2014. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
6. ^ "Earthlings: Cast and Crew". earthlings.com. Archived from the original on August 18, 2010. Retrieved November 2, 2008.
7. ^ "ABFF Announced 2011 Winners". abff.com. Archived from the original on January 24, 2018. Retrieved July 1, 2011.
8. ^ "The 'Girlfriends' cast reunites on 'black-ish' — and EW has a first look at them back together". EW.com. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
9. ^ "Persia White: Biography". cwtv.com. Archived from the original on April 23, 2008. Retrieved November 2, 2008.
10. ^ "SSCS Board of Directors: Persia White". seashepherd.org. Archived from the original on May 19, 2015. Retrieved November 2, 2008.
11. ^ "Feeding sheep : photo image" (JPG). I2.tinypic.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved March 3, 2016.
12. ^ "Persia White attending the 19th Annual Genesis Awards – Arrivals and VIP Reception held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, CA on 3/19/2005 | SGG-059590". Prphotos.com. March 19, 2005. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved March 3, 2016.
13. ^ "Love Life and Friendship". blogs.myspace.com. Archived from the original on July 10, 2012. Retrieved January 18, 2009.
14. ^ "Joseph Morgan Marries Persia White in Jamaica". Archived from the original on May 20, 2016. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
15. ^ "Who Is Joseph Morgan's Wife? All About Persia White". Peoplemag. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
16. ^ "VIFF". September 6, 2023. Archived from the original on September 6, 2023. Retrieved September 6, 2023.

## External links

[edit]

Wikiquote has quotations related to Persia White.

* Persia White at IMDb
* Official website
* Persia White Interview on The Gregory Mantell Show

* v
* t
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The Vampire Diaries Universe

The Vampire Diaries|

| Episodes|

| Season 1|

* "Pilot"
* "The Night of the Comet"
* "Friday Night Bites"
* "Family Ties"
* "You're Undead to Me"
* "Lost Girls"
* "Haunted"
* "162 Candles"
* "History Repeating"
* "The Turning Point"
* "Bloodlines"
* "Unpleasantville"
* "Children of the Damned"
* "Fool Me Once"
* "A Few Good Men"
* "There Goes the Neighborhood"
* "Let the Right One In"
* "Under Control"
* "Miss Mystic Falls"
* "Blood Brothers"
* "Isobel"
* "Founder's Day"

|

Season 2|

* "The Return"
* "Brave New World"
* "Bad Moon Rising"
* "Memory Lane"
* "Kill or Be Killed"
* "Plan B"
* "Masquerade"
* "Rose"
* "Katerina"
* "The Sacrifice"
* "By the Light of the Moon"
* "The Descent"
* "Daddy Issues"
* "Crying Wolf"
* "The Dinner Party"
* "The House Guest"
* "Know Thy Enemy"
* "The Last Dance"
* "Klaus"
* "The Last Day"
* "The Sun Also Rises"
* "As I Lay Dying"

Season 3|

* "The Birthday"
* "The Hybrid"
* "The End of the Affair"
* "Disturbing Behavior"
* "The Reckoning"
* "Smells Like Teen Spirit"
* "Ghost World"
* "Ordinary People"
* "Homecoming"
* "The New Deal"
* "Our Town"
* "The Ties That Bind"
* "Bringing Out the Dead"
* "Dangerous Liaisons"
* "All My Children"
* "The Departed"

Season 4|

* "Growing Pains"
* "Memorial"
* "The Rager"
* "The Five"
* "The Killer"
* "We All Go a Little Mad Sometimes"
* "My Brother's Keeper"
* "We'll Always Have Bourbon Street"
* "O Come, All Ye Faithful"
* "After School Special"
* "Catch Me If You Can"
* "A View to a Kill"
* "The Originals"

Season 5|

* "I Know What You Did Last Summer"
* "True Lies"
* "Original Sin"
* "For Whom the Bell Tolls"
* "Monster's Ball"
* "Handle with Care"
* "Death and the Maiden"
* "Dead Man on Campus"
* "The Cell"
* "Fifty Shades of Grayson"
* "500 Years of Solitude"
* "The Devil Inside"
* "Total Eclipse of the Heart"
* "No Exit"
* "Gone Girl"
* "While You Were Sleeping"
* "Rescue Me"
* "Resident Evil"
* "Man on Fire"
* "What Lies Beneath"
* "Promised Land"
* "Home"

Season 6|

* "I'll Remember"
* "Yellow Ledbetter"
* "Welcome to Paradise"
* "Black Hole Sun"
* "The World Has Turned and Left Me Here"
* "The More You Ignore Me, the Closer I Get"
* "Do You Remember the First Time?"
* "Fade into You"
* "I Alone"

Season 7|

* "Gods and Monsters"

Season 8|

* "I Was Feeling Epic"

Related|

* Awards and nominations
* Novel series
* L. J. Smith
* Soundtrack

The Originals|

* Episodes
* season 1
* 2
* 3
* 4
* 5

Legacies|

* Episodes

Characters|

* The Vampire Diaries
* Elena Gilbert
* Stefan Salvatore
* Damon Salvatore
* The Originals

Authority control databases

International|

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National|

* Germany
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Artists|

* MusicBrainz

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*[div.]: divorced
*[c.]: circa
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