Sheree J. Wilson

{{short description|American actress}}

{{Infobox person

| image = ShereeWilson2008.jpg

| caption = Wilson on the 2008 Trail of Tears Memorial Ride

| name = Sheree J. Wilson

| birth_name =

| birth_date =

| birth_place = Rochester, Minnesota, U.S.

| occupation = Actress

| yearsactive = 1984–present

| education = Fairview High School

| alma_mater = University of Colorado Boulder

| spouse = {{ubl|

{{marriage|Paul DeRobbio|1991|2004|end=div}} |

{{marriage|Vince Morella|2018}} }}

| children = 2

| website = {{official URL}}

}}

Sheree J. Wilson is an American actress, producer, businesswoman, and model. She is best known for her roles as April Stevens Ewing on the American primetime television series Dallas (1986–1991) and as Alex Cahill-Walker on the television series Walker, Texas Ranger (1993–2001).{{cite web|url=http://www.shereejwilson.com/biography.htm |title=biography |publisher=Shereejwilson.com |access-date=2013-09-26}}

Early life

Wilson was born in Rochester, Minnesota. The daughter of two IBM executives, Wilson moved to Colorado at the age of nine and graduated from Fairview High School. In 1981, she received a degree in fashion merchandising and business from the University of Colorado Boulder.

Career

While working in Denver on a fashion shoot, one of the photographers mistook Wilson for a model and then introduced her to a New York modeling agent who signed her on the spot. Wilson then moved to Manhattan, and within 18 months, she had appeared in over 30 commercial campaigns for Clairol, Sea Breeze, Keri-Lotion, and Maybelline. Her print work ran in such popular magazines as Mademoiselle, Glamour, and Redbook.

After three years of modeling, Wilson moved to Los Angeles for a career in acting. Her first roles included the black comedy film Crimewave (1985) directed by Sam Raimi, Velvet (1984), an ABC/Aaron Spelling television movie opposite Leah Ayres, Shari Belafonte, and Mary Margaret Humes, and a guest role on the espionage series Cover Up (1984). She had a lead role with Tim Robbins in the comedy motion picture Fraternity Vacation (1985) and also appeared in a CBS television miniseries Kane & Abel (1985) with Peter Strauss. This immediately led to Our Family Honor (1985–1986), an ABC drama about Irish cops versus the Mafia, in which she co-starred with Ray Liotta, Michael Madsen, and Eli Wallach. Her career continued to flourish with a role in the television movie News at Eleven (1986) alongside Martin Sheen.

Wilson gained the role as April Stevens Ewing on the CBS soap opera Dallas (1986–1991). Her character was gunned down in the final season during her honeymoon (with new husband Bobby Ewing) in Paris. She continued to make some appearances in Bobby's dream sequences later that season. In reality, Wilson was killed off and left the series due to maternity.{{cite web|url=https://movies.yahoo.com/person/sheree-j-wilson/biography.html |title=Sheree J Wilson |publisher=Movies.yahoo.com |access-date=2013-09-26}} Her performance earned her the Soap Opera Digest Award for Best Death Scene in 1991, as well as four other nominations. In 2006, she attended the TV Land Award ceremony for Dallas and in November 2008, the Dallas 30th anniversary reunion party at Southfork Ranch in Parker, Texas, with cast members Larry Hagman, Patrick Duffy, Linda Gray, Ken Kercheval, Steve Kanaly, and Charlene Tilton.

In 1993, following guest roles in the television series Matlock (opposite Clarence Gilyard's former acting mentor, Andy Griffith), Burke's Law, and Renegade (opposite Lorenzo Lamas), Wilson played the lead female role in Hellbound opposite Chuck Norris, which led to her best-known role as Alexandra "Alex" Cahill-Walker also opposite Norris in Walker, Texas Ranger (1993–2001).{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-07-31-tv-21794-story.html |title=WITH AN EYE ON . . . : Sheree J. Wilson feels very much at home on the 'Walker, Texas' range — Los Angeles Times |publisher=Articles.latimes.com |date=1994-07-31 |access-date=2013-09-26}} In 2005, she reprised her role in the television movie Walker, Texas Ranger: Trial by Fire which ended with her character being the victim of a courthouse shooting. This left many viewers to believe that there would be a follow-up movie which was severely impaired when CBS said that they would no longer be producing "Sunday Night Movie of the Week" projects. She also co-starred in the Showtime movie Past Tense (1994).

In 2006, Wilson appeared in Fragile, the first short film by documentary filmmaker Fredric Lean.{{citation needed|date=February 2018}} She played the lead role in television movies Mystery Woman: Game Time (2005) and Anna's Storm (2007).[http://www.mylifetime.com/movies/annas-storm-an-lmn-original-movie Anna's Storm a tLifetime] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120522210150/http://www.mylifetime.com/movies/annas-storm-an-lmn-original-movie |date=2012-05-22 }} She produced and starred in independent films Killing Down (2006), The Gundown (2011), Easy Rider: The Ride Back (2012), and Dug Up (2013). She co-starred in the television series Pink (2007–2008) and had a guest role in the television series DeVanity (2014). She played a major role in the television movie Christmas Belle (2013), A Mermaid for Christmas (2019), and The Silent Natural (2019).{{cite web|url=http://www.shereejwilson.com/filmoverview.html |title=Film Overview |website=shereejwilson.com |access-date=2019-01-19}}

Wilson performed in the role of Miss Daisy Werthan in the Neil Simon Film Festival's Driving Miss Daisy (2016–2022) opposite her former Walker, Texas Ranger co-star, Clarence Gilyard.{{cite web|url=http://popejoypresents.com/2015-2016/driving-miss-daisy|title=The Neil Simon Festival's Driving Miss Daisy|access-date=8 February 2016}}{{cite web|url=http://www.abqjournal.com/703573/news/drivers-seat.html|title=Popejoy Hall features Pulitzer Prize-winning 'Driving Miss Daisy'|author=Adrian Gomez — Journal Arts & Entertainment Editor|access-date=8 February 2016}}

Personal life

Wilson married Vince Morella in 2018 and currently resides in Dallas, Texas.{{cite web|url=http://bestlifeonline.com/sheree-j-wilson-april-dallas-now-news/?fbclid=IwAR15wSVmIGPjlUjjo4gVgMpLjfTpxFM7ifqmmvLdzlGwDEageojmWn4IcdE|title=Sheree J. Wilson|access-date=6 January 2022}} She has two sons from a previous marriage (1991-2004) to Paul DeRobbio.

Wilson has been active in the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Trail of Tears Remembrance Motorcycle Ride, Wings for Life aimed at healing spinal cord injuries, and White Bridle Humane Society, a horse rescue equine therapy nonprofit organization for children with developmental disabilities located in Texas.{{cite web|url=http://www.shereejwilson.com/activism.html|title=Sheree J. Wilson Official Website|access-date=8 February 2016}} Wilson also created a line of beauty therapy skin care products.{{cite web|url=http://www.womantowoman.tv/k2-fashion-beauty/beauty/item/166-interview-with-sheree-j-wilson|title=Interview with Sheree J Wilson|access-date=8 February 2016}}

Filmography

=Film=

class="wikitable sortable"
Year

! Title

! Role

! class="unsortable" | Notes

1984

| Velvet

| Ellen Stockwell

| Television film

1985

| Crimewave

| Nancy

|

1985

| Fraternity Vacation

| Ashley Taylor

|

1986

| News at Eleven

| Christine Arnold

| Television film

1994

|Past Tense

| Emily Talbert

| Television film

1994

| Walker Texas Ranger 3: Deadly Reunion

| Alex Cahill

|

1994

| Hellbound

| Leslie

|

2003

| Midnight Expression

| Mary Drake

| Short film

2004

| Birdie and Bogey

| Shelia

|

2005

| Mystery Woman: Game Time

| Jody Fiske

| Television film

2005

| Walker, Texas Ranger: Trial by Fire

| Alex Cahill-Walker

| Television film

2006

| Killing Down

| Rachel

|

2006

| Fragile

| Sophie

| Short film

2007

| Anna's Storm

| Mayor Anna Davenport-Baxter

| Television film

2011

| The Gundown

| Sarah Morgan

| Also producer

2012

| Dug Up

| Mona Walker

| Also producer

2013

| A Country Christmas

| Bonnie Branson

|

2013

| Easy Rider: The Ride Back

| Shane Williams

| Also producer

2013

| Christmas Belle

| Angie

2014

| Jail Wagon

| Martha

| Also producer

2019

| The Silent Natural

| Rebecca Hoy

2019

|A Mermaid for Christmas

|Theodora

| Television film

2020

|Flip Turn

|Grandma

|

=Television=

class="wikitable sortable"
Year

! Title

! Role

! class="unsortable" | Notes

1984

| Cover Up

| Rachel

| Episode: "Death in Vogue"

1985–1986

| Our Family Honor

| Rita Danzig

| Series regular, 13 episodes

1985

| Kane & Abel

| Melanie LeRoy

| Mini-Series

1986–1991

| Dallas

| April Stevens Ewing

| Series regular, 112 episodes
TV Land Pop Culture Award (2006)
Soap Opera Digest Award for Best Death Scene (1991)
Nominated — Soap Opera Digest Award for Outstanding Villainess: Prime Time (1988)
Nominated — Soap Opera Digest Award for Outstanding Actress in a Supporting Role: Prime Time (1989)
Nominated — Soap Opera Digest Award for Outstanding Lead Actress: Prime Time (1990)
Nominated — Soap Opera Digest Award for Outstanding Heroine: Prime Time (1991)

1991

| Matlock

| Claire Mayfield

| Episode: "The Dame"

1992

| Renegade

| Lisa Stone

| Episode: "Final Judgement"

1993–2001

| Walker, Texas Ranger

| Alex Cahill

| Series regular, 196 episodes

1995

| Burke's Law

| Jensen Farnsworth

| Episode: "Who Killed the King of the Country Club?"

1999

| Sons of Thunder

| Alex Cahill

| 2 episodes

2005

| Walker, Texas Ranger: Trial by Fire

| Alex Cahill

| TV movie

2014

| DeVanity{{cite web|last=Newcomb |first=Roger |url=http://www.welovesoaps.net/2013/08/sheree-j-wilson-joins-devanity.html |title=DALLAS Star Sheree J. Wilson Joins DEVANITY |work=We Love Soaps |date=2013-08-21 |access-date=2013-09-26}}

| Claudia Muller

| Episode: "Death Becomes Him Part I"

=Stage=

class="wikitable sortable"
Year

! Title

! Role

! class="unsortable" | Notes

2016-2022

| Driving Miss Daisy

| Miss Daisy Werthan

|

=Attraction=

class="wikitable sortable"
Year

! Title

! Role

! class="unsortable" | Notes

1986–2008

| King Kong Encounter

| Kelly King

|

References

{{Reflist|30em}}