DAHMER - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story is Netflix's newest limited series from co-creators Ryan Murphy (American Horror Story, Glee) and Ian Brennan (Scream Queens, The Politician) about the real-life American serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer (Evan Peters) told through Dahmer's point of view. Also starring Niecy Nash and Molly Ringwald, the 10-episode series will focus on at least 10 different times when Dahmer was almost captured by authorities before ultimately being allowed to walk free and continue his reign of terror. This limited series seeks to tell the story of this case as much as it portrays the white privilege and police incompetence that led this monster to get away with killing so many for so long. White plays the role of 'Shirley Hughes,' the mother of one of Dahmer's victims, Anthony Hughes, a 31-year old deaf man. Known for her religious devotion and kindly demeanor, she helped lead the victim's families to seek damages and she herself was awarded $10 million in a civil lawsuit against the serial killer. White has studied ASL (American Sign Language) for several years in school and was able to utilize her sign language skills for this role.
Born and raised in Philadelphia, White studied at the Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts and continued her studies at Howard University, where she graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree. During her senior year, White won the title of "Miss Howard University" and landed her first role as an actress. In 1989, White starred in LEAN ON ME alongside actor Morgan Freeman and was nominated for the 1990 Young Artist Award for Best Young Actress Supporting Role in a Motion Picture for her performance in the film. During the 1990s, White made many guest appearances in various television shows. White portrayed Charmaine Brown during Seasons 7 and 8 of "The Cosby Show" and Season 6 of "A Different World." White also guest starred as Jewel, Jazz's wife in two episodes of "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" and has appeared in "Hangin' with Mr. Cooper," "Me and the Boys," "My So-Called Life," and "Malcolm & Eddie," to name a few. From 2001 to 2005, she performed the voice of 'Dijonay Jones' on the original animated Disney Channel series "The Proud Family."
In her free time, White enjoys cooking her famous Chilean sea bass and lobster tails and enjoys watching food competition/cooking shows. She is an advocate of human rights and aims to fight for social justice. She has also practiced Buddhism for over 18 years which she credits for keeping her grounded and to successfully navigate her career in the TV/film industry.
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