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Gail Bean

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gail Bean
Born
Gail Mitchell

Stone Mountain, Georgia, U.S.
Alma materValdosta State University
OccupationActress
Years active2011–present
Known forSnowfall

Gail Mitchell, known professionally as Gail Bean, is an American actress. Bean co-starred in the series Paradise Lost and the film Unexpected. She has also acted in Insecure, Love in the Time of Corona, Atlanta, and Detroiters. She is best known for her portrayal of Wanda Bell on Snowfall (2018–2023). She is currently a main cast member on the Starz drama P-Valley.

Life and career

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Born Gail Mitchell, she was raised in Stone Mountain, Georgia.[1] She is the youngest of six and the only daughter amongst her parents' children.[2] She first became interested in acting in a drama class she took while she was a student at Stephenson High School. Bean received her bachelor's degree from Valdosta State University, where she joined the sorority Delta Sigma Theta.[3] She enrolled to study accounting but at the urging of one of her professors, she instead pursued acting.[4] Mitchell adopted the stage name Gail Bean due to the nickname "Bean" that she went by as a high school student.[3]

Bean received positive critical reception for her starring role in the 2015 film Unexpected, which debuted at Sundance Film Festival. In the film she plays a pregnant teen opposite Cobie Smulders. She was named one of 10 Sundance Breakout Stars by TheWrap for her performance.[5] Bean went on to appear in television series including Insecure, Love in the Time of Corona, Detroiters, Chicago P.D., Grey's Anatomy, and Paradise Lost.[6][7][8][9][5] She gained wider notoriety in 2018 as a main cast member on Snowfall, where she portrays Wanda Bell, a young woman who dates a drug dealer and later struggles with addiction.[10] As of 2022, she is also a cast member on P-Valley. Bean portrays Roulette, a rebellious new dancer at The Pynk.[10]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
2011 Diamonds Aren't Forever Jessica Roberts
2012 Herstory Susie Screw Short
2013 I Stand Alone - Short
The Special Project Brittany Short
Love and War Felicia Short
The Final Hour Rebecca Lee Short
At Mamu's Feet Amanda
2014 Good Wood Juror 1
Duffle Nikki Lamont Short
2015 Unexpected Jasmine
2016 The Belko Experiment Leota Hynek
2018 The Culprit Shannon Short
Jacks Bertha Short
2019 Skin in the Game Jasmine
Test Pattern Amber
2020 Outcast Imara Short
The Social Distance Activity Rachel
2024 The Piano Lesson Grace

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
2013 Estrogen Monica Main cast
2014 Sex Sent Me to the ER Megan Episode: "Clean Up on Aisle 4"
Sugar Aja Episode: "Pilot"
2016 Insecure Rasheeda Episode: "Racist as Fuck" & "Thirsty as Fuck"
2017 Meta-Dimensional Gaia Episode: "Pilot"
Snap! - Episode: "Pilot"
The Trustee Delana TV movie
2018 Chicago P.D. Sienna Episode: "Confidential"
Atlanta Nadine Episode: "Champagne Papi"
Detroiters Megan Episode: "Lois" & "Royals"
Velvet Demetra Main cast
2018–23 Snowfall Wanda Bell Recurring cast: season 2-5; main cast: season 6
2019 Games People Play Quanisha Recurring cast: season 1
2020 Grey's Anatomy Caitlin Freeman Episode: "Give a Little Bit"
Paradise Lost Gynnifer Green Recurring cast
Love in the Time of Corona Adeah Recurring cast
Cast Black Talent Virtual Reading Series Toyia Episode: "Hurt Village"
2022–present P-Valley Roulette Recurring cast: season 2; main cast: season 3

Video games

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Year Title Role Notes
2018 Red Dead Redemption II The Local Pedestrian Population (voice)

Awards and nominations

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Year Award Category Work Result Ref.
2021 Black Reel Awards Outstanding Guest Actress, Drama Series Snowfall Nominated [11]

References

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  1. ^ Ruff, Rivea (8 March 2022). "Gail Bean Gives Voice To The Unheard On 'Snowfall' and 'P-Valley'". Essence. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  2. ^ Pruner, Aaron (25 July 2021). "'Snowfall' star Gail Bean on Marvel dreams, NSYNC, and super-flare jeans". Inverse. Retrieved 2022-07-12.
  3. ^ a b "All Hail Gail Bean". Bleu Mag. 2022-06-15. Retrieved 2022-07-12.
  4. ^ Morgante, Megan (2021-05-22). "Women in Motion: Gail Bean". The Noemi Magazine. Retrieved 2022-07-12.
  5. ^ a b Sneider, Jeff (21 January 2015). "10 Sundance Breakout Stars Led by Melissa Rauch, Julia Garner and the 'Knock Knock' Girls". The Wrap. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  6. ^ "Gail Bean". www.rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 2022-07-12.
  7. ^ "From Wanda on 'Snowfall' to Her New Role on 'P-Valley,' Actress Gail Bean Does John Singleton Proud • EBONY". EBONY. 2022-04-22. Retrieved 2022-07-12.
  8. ^ Bastien, Angelica Jade. "'Insecure' Season 1, episode 3: Code Switching". NYT. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  9. ^ Del Rosario, Alexandra (2 February 2022). "'P-Valley': Psalms Salazar & Gail Bean Join season 2 Cast, Creator Katori Hall Teases Upcoming Chapter". Deadline. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  10. ^ a b Kebreau, Felicia (2022-04-19). "Gail Bean Dishes on the Snowfall Season Finale, What's Next for Wanda, & Intense Training for Upcoming P-Valley Role". MEFeater. Retrieved 2022-07-12.
  11. ^ "Plenty of "Love" in the Heart of the Country! – The Black Reel Awards". Black Reel Awards. 2021-06-28. Archived from the original on 2021-06-28. Retrieved 2023-04-22.
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