Television/Film Actress
Film and television star Victoria Rowell works diligently to raise awareness about the issues surrounding foster care. In her poignant memoir, The Women Who Raised Me (HarperCollins), she shares her own incredible journey from foster care to fame taking time to honor the people who helped shape her life along the way. The NAACP recently recognized the bestselling book as the 2008 Outstanding Literary Work by a Debut Author.
Victoria is a versatile actress of theatre, television and feature films. Her television credits include The Cosby Show, Diagnosis Murder and her iconic role of Drucilla Winters on the CBS daytime drama The Young and the Restless. She successfully introduced a foster care storyline into the drama, for which CBS has received several awards and national recognition. Victoria's credits on the silver screen include The Distinguished Gentleman, Dumb and Dumber, Eve's Bayou and the recent war drama Home of the Brave. Currently, Victoria is penning her next book, Secrets of a Soap Opera Diva and has been busy on the campaign trail supporting presidential candidate Senator Hillary Clinton.
Victoria entered the Maine foster care system as an infant, and lived in a number of homes with nurturing foster parents who helped identify her talents and shape her future career. At the age of sixteen, after eight years of formal training, Victoria received scholarships to the School of American Ballet and American Ballet Theater in New York City. After a series of tours with Ballet Hispanico, the Julliard School of Music and Twyla Tharp Workshops, Victoria began her modeling and acting career.
Success has given Victoria a voice for foster children. She is the recipient of 12 NAACP Image Awards and an inspirational role model to thousands of young people in foster care. In 1990, she formed the Rowell Foster Children's Positive Plan a non-profit organization that provides both job placement opportunities and enrichment programs for children in foster care. In 1998, she became a national spokesperson for Casey Family Services, speaking before legislators, child welfare workers and business leaders across the country.
Victoria takes special interest in helping young people successfully transition from foster care to independence. In 2000, she worked with Sony and CBS Television to establish an internship program for foster youth, giving them opportunities to work behind the scenes of some of Hollywood's most successful television programs. Victoria says:
"Young people develop a stronger self-image, build confidence and gain a sense of achievement as they participate in the fine arts, athletics, summer camp and job programs. Just as it was for me, these types of experiences offer essential frameworks for being successful in life."