Rochelle Aytes (born May 17, 1976) is an American actress and model. She is best known for her role as April Malloy on ABC drama series Mistresses (2013–16) and as the voice of Rochelle in the critically acclaimed video game Left 4 Dead 2 (2009). Aytes also starred in the auto-biography story film of TLC titled CrazySexyCool: The TLC Story as Perri "Pebbles" Reid, short-lived series Drive and The Forgotten (2009–10), as well as Criminal Minds and Work It. In film, Aytes has appeared in White Chicks, Madea's Family Reunion and Trick 'r Treat. Aytes also had a recurring role as Agent Greer, an ex-CIA officer, on the CBS television series Hawaii Five-0.[2] Since 2019, Aytes has played Nichelle Carmichael in the CBS action series S.W.A.T..
Rochelle Aytes | |
|---|---|
 Aytes interviewed by Real TV Films (2009) | |
| Born | May 17, 1976 [1] New York City, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | State University of New York, Purchase (BFA) |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, model |
| Years active | 1999–present |
| Spouse |
CJ Lindsey (m. 2016) |
Early life and education
editAytes was born in Harlem, New York City,[3] and attended Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Fine Arts from State University of New York at Purchase college.[4][5] She began her career as a model and has appeared in commercials for McDonald's, L'Oreal, Coca-Cola and Mercedes-Benz.[5]
Career
editAytes made her film debut in the 2004 comedy White Chicks, as Denise Porter.[6] She is also known for playing Lisa Breaux in Tyler Perry's Madea's Family Reunion, where Aytes plays a woman who is caught in a relationship in which her fiancé (Blair Underwood) beats and threatens her.[7] In 2006, she played Nicole Jamieson in the test pilot episodes of Tyler Perry's House of Payne. She also provides the voice for Rochelle in Left 4 Dead 2. In 2007, Aytes guest starred in the Fox series Bones as Felicia Saroyan, the sister of Lab Supervisor, Cam. She starred in the independent film Trick 'r Treat. She played role Leigh Barnthouse in the 2007 Fox series Drive. She also played Tara Kole in the TV show NCIS from CBS. Aytes also appeared in the TNT drama series Dark Blue in 2010.
Aytes was a regular cast member in the ABC drama series The Forgotten from 2009 to 2010, playing Detective Grace Russell who teams up with a volunteer group, including former Chicago police detective, Christian Slater, to solve cases of missing or unidentified homicide victims.[8] From 2010 to 2011, she had a recurring role in the ABC series Detroit 1-8-7 as prosecutor Alice Williams, until her character was murdered in the episode "Key to the City", which aired on January 11, 2011.[9] In 2011, Aytes guest starred in three episodes as Amber James, the former girlfriend of Keith Watson, in the seventh season of ABC comedy-drama Desperate Housewives.[9] She also starred in the short-lived ABC sitcom Work It in 2012.[10]
In 2012, Aytes was cast as one of the four leads, along with Alyssa Milano, Yunjin Kim and Jes Macallan, in the ABC drama series Mistresses about the lives of four female friends and their involvement in an array of illicit and complex relationships.[11][12] The series premiered on June 3, 2013. Aytes played the role of Perri "Pebbles" Reid in the 2013 biographical film CrazySexyCool: The TLC Story about the R&B and hip hop musical trio TLC.[13][14] In 2013, she also began appearing as Dr. Savannah Hayes, the girlfriend of Special Agent Derek Morgan (Shemar Moore) on the CBS crime thriller series Criminal Minds. When Moore moved to S.W.A.T., her character was written out. However, Aytes was then cast as his character Hondo's girlfriend Nichelle on S.W.A.T. as well, starting in season 3.[15] She was promoted to the main cast in season 6.
In 2024, Aytes was cast as a lead in the CBS medical-mystery series Watson, playing Mary Morstan (Dr. Watson's ex-wife) from the Sherlock Holmes stories. As a result of her casting, she is expected to depart as a regular on S.W.A.T., although she may remain as a guest star.[16]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | A Hot Dog Program | Customer | |
| 2004 | White Chicks | Denise Porter | |
| 2006 | Madea's Family Reunion | Lisa | |
| 13 Graves | Karen | TV movie | |
| 2007 | Trick 'r Treat | Maria | |
| 2011 | The Inheritance | Lily | |
| 2013 | CrazySexyCool: The TLC Story | Perri "Pebbles" Reid | TV movie |
| Stupid Hype | Tina | TV movie | |
| 2015 | My Favorite Five | Hailey Colburn | |
| 2017 | Doomsday | Elle | TV movie |
| 2020 | Magic Camp | Zoe Moses | |
| A Christmas Tree Grows in Colorado | Erin | TV movie | |
| 2021 | Redemption in Cherry Springs | Melanie Abrams | TV movie |
| The Men in My Life | Tish Helms |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Sex and the City | Hostess | Episode: "Great Sexpectations" |
| 2005 | Jonny Zero | Keisha | Episode: "I Did It All for the Nooky" |
| My Wife and Kids | Nurse | Episode: "The 'V' Story" | |
| 2006 | ER | Tamara | Episode: "Split Decisions" |
| CSI: NY | Sienna | Episode: "Stuck on You" | |
| Half & Half | Yolanda | Episode: "The Big Who You Gonna Call Episode" | |
| 2007 | Day Break | Woman on Plane | Episode: "What If He's Free?" |
| Las Vegas | Carley | Episode: "When Life Gives You Lemon Bars" | |
| Bones | Felicia Saroyan | Episode: "Intern in the Incinerator" | |
| Drive | Leigh Bartnhouse | Main Cast | |
| 2008 | Dirt | Jasmine Ford | Recurring Cast: Season 2 |
| Shark | Karla Ballantine | Episode: "Leaving Las Vegas" | |
| 2009 | NCIS | Tara Kole | Episode: "Knockout" |
| 2009–10 | The Forgotten | Grace Russell | Main Cast |
| 2010 | Dark Blue | Eva | Recurring Cast: Season 2 |
| 2010–11 | Detroit 1-8-7 | Alice Williams | Recurring Cast |
| 2011 | Desperate Housewives | Amber James | Recurring Cast: Season 7 |
| White Collar | Isabelle Wilson | Episode: "As You Were" | |
| 2012 | Work It | Vanessa Warner | Main Cast |
| 2013–16 | Criminal Minds | Savannah Morgan | Recurring Cast: Season 9-11 |
| Mistresses | April Malloy | Main Cast | |
| 2017–18 | Designated Survivor | Senator Cowling | Recurring Cast: Season 2 |
| 2018–19 | Hawaii Five-0 | Agent Greer | Recurring Cast: Season 9 |
| 2019 | Dolly Parton's Heartstrings | Scarlett | Episode: "Cracker Jack" [17] |
| The Purge | Michelle Moore | Recurring Cast: Season 2 | |
| 2019–24 | S.W.A.T. | Nichelle Carmichael | Recurring Cast: Season 3-5, Main Cast: Season 6-7 |
| 2022 | Monarch | Mackenzie | Recurring Cast |
| TBD[a] | Watson † | Dr. Mary Morstan | Main Cast |
| † | Denotes series/miniseries that have not yet been released |
Video games
edit| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Left 4 Dead 2 | Rochelle |
| 2013 | Resident Evil 6 | Rochelle |
Notes
edit- ^ announced as a 2024–25 mid-season replacement
References
edit- ^ https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/rochelle_aytes
- ^ "Rochelle Aytes will recur in 'Hawaii Five-0' Season 9 as McGarrett's ex-girlfriend". Newsweek. 23 August 2018.
- ^ Twitter-Rochelle Aytes
- ^ "Rochelle Aytes Biography". Star Pulse. Retrieved January 22, 2011.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b "Rochelle Aytes Biography". TV Guide. Archived from the original on 2020-12-01. Retrieved 2014-06-25.
- ^ Meyer, George (June 23, 2004). "Lame comedy, bad makeup make this a real stinker flick". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Retrieved January 22, 2011 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Saucedo, Robert (January 14, 2011). "Madea's Family Reunion – Blu-ray Review". Inside Puls. Retrieved January 22, 2011.
- ^ Hale, Mike (September 22, 2009). "Amateur Detectives Meet Unidentified Victims". Television. The New York Times. p. C4. Archived from the original on 2017-09-29. Retrieved 2024-09-19.
- ^ a b "'Desperate Housewives' 7.13 Preview: Meet Keith's Ex". Ace's Showbiz. January 10, 2011. Archived from the original on January 13, 2011. Retrieved January 22, 2011.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ Kimball, Trevor (14 January 2012). "Work It: Sitcom Cancelled, Cougar Town Return Impending". tvseriesfinale.com. Retrieved 2024-09-19.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (March 7, 2012). "ABC Series 'Mistresses' Casts 2 Leads". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 2024-09-19.
- ^ Hibberd, James (April 16, 2013). "Alyssa Milano's new soap 'Mistresses' gets a poster". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
- ^ "Carl Payne Cast As 'L.A.' Reid & Rochelle Aytes Will Play Pebbles In VH1's TLC Biopic". Blavity. 2023-09-19 [2013-04-03]. Retrieved 2024-09-19.
- ^ Williams, Brennan (2013-06-17) [2013-06-10]. "Rochelle Aytes Talks 'Mistresses,' & TLC Biopic, ' Crazy, Sexy, Cool'". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2021-11-20.
- ^ Aytes, Rochelle (2019-11-21). "Rochelle Aytes On Reuniting With Shemar Moore On 'S.W.A.T.': "I Was Just So Excited To Be Working With Him Again"". KCAL News (Interview). Interviewed by Matt Weiss. Los Angeles. Retrieved 2024-09-19.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (June 4, 2024). "Rochelle Aytes Joins CBS' 'Watson', Departing 'S.W.A.T.' As Series Regular". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
- ^ Iannucci, Rebecca (February 11, 2019). "Sarah Shahi, Scandal's Bellamy Young, thirtysomething Alums and More Join Netflix's Dolly Parton Anthology". TVLine.
