Birthdate: Jun 9, 1964
Birthplace: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Gloria Reuben (birthname: Gloria Reuben) is best known for her long-running role as HIV-positive physician assistant Jeanie Boulet on the hit show, ER (1994-2009), but she has been a regular presence as a supporting actor in several films over the past thirty years. In the 1990s, these included Peter Hyams’ splashy sci-fi thriller, Timecop (1994) with Jean-Claude Van Damme, John Badham’s Nick of Time (1995) with Johnny Depp, as Lady Macbeth in the indie film, Macbeth in Manhattan (1999) and the thriller Pilgrim (2000) in which Reuben co-starred with Ray Liotta.
One of her several interesting projects was Michael Almereyda’s striking Happy Here and Now (2002) with David Arquette, and Clark Johnson’s political thriller, The Sentinel (2006) with Michael Douglas, Kiefer Sutherland, Eva Longoria, and Kim Basinger.
Gloria Reuben spent the next six years away from features but then came back strong in 2012 as part of the ensemble of Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln, for which she received multiple nominations from critics’ organizations and the NAACP Image Awards. She appeared in a lighter vein alongside Tiny Fey and Paul Rudd in Paul Weitz’s comedy, Admission (2013).
Gloria Reuben has recently opted for roles in indie, auteur-driven films, such as Tim Blake Nelson’s Anesthesia (2015) with Kristen Stewart, Glenn Close, and Sam Waterston; Stella Meghie’s Jean of the Joneses (2016) with Taylour Paige; Matthew Newton’s Who We Are Now (2017) with Julianne Nicholson, Jess Weixler and Zachary Quinto; and John Turturro’s combined remake of Bertrand Blier’s Going Places (1974) and The Big Lebowski (1998) spinoff, The Jesus Rolls (2019) with Turturro, Bobby Cannavale, Audrey Tautou, Christopher Walken, Jon Hamm, Pete Davidson, and Susan Sarandon. Reuben marked her return to studio productions as a co-star in Universal/Blumhouse’s remake of Stephen King’s Firestarter (2022) with Zac Efron.
Gloria Reuben was born in Toronto to parents Pearl and Cyril Reuben. She had five siblings, including her late half-brother, actor Denis Simpson, and her late younger brother, David. Her family roots are Jamaican. Reuben studied piano as a child and took music and ballet training at Canada’s Royal Conservatory of Music.
Gloria Reuben is president of the environmental organization, Waterkeeper Alliance, a special adviser on climate change for The Climate Reality Project, a former board member of the National Wildlife Federation, as well as a member of the Leadership Council for the RFK Center for Justice and Human Rights. Reuben married Wayne Isaak in 1999 and divorced him in 2003. Her height is 5’ 7 ¾”.
Two-time nominee, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, Emmy Awards (1997-1998); Nominee, Best Supporting Actress in Series/Miniseries/TV Motion Picture, Golden Globes (1998); Four-time Winner, Outstanding Ensemble Performance in a Drama Series, Screen Actors Guild (1996-1999).
Actor
Screen Actors Guild Awards
Primetime Emmy
Primetime Emmy Awards
Actor
Screen Actors Guild Awards
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Backup: Gloria Reuben was a backup singer for Tina Turner during tours.
Anthemic: Reuben has sung the Canadian national anthem at the 1998 MLB All-Star Game and the 2003 NBA All-Star Game, as well as games with the Toronto Raptors, the New York Giants, New York Rangers, and New York Knicks.
Roots: Gloria Reuben guested on the TV show, “Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr.” and was able to trace her father’s Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jewish roots as well as her mother’s family back to Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, and Mali.
Beauty Queen: Reuben has crowned “Miss Black Ontario” in 1986.
Author: Gloria Reuben wrote and published a memoir in 2019, My Brothers’ Keeper: Two Brothers Loved and Lost, in part about losing her older and younger brothers.
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