subscribe to newsletter

Sela Ward is a two-time Primetime Emmy Award–winning and Golden Globe–winning actress whose career spans acclaimed television dramas, major studio films, and memorable prestige projects. She most recently starred as FBI Special Agent in Charge Dana Mosier on the CBS series FBI (2018–2019), bringing gravitas and authority to the show’s inaugural season, and recurred as Juliet in HBO’s Westworld (2018). Before that, she co-starred opposite Nick Nolte in the EPIX political dramedy Graves, playing former First Lady Margaret Graves, and appeared as President Elizabeth Lanford in the sci-fi blockbuster Independence Day: Resurgence (2016).

Ward first broke through on television as Teddy Reed on NBC’s Sisters (1991–1996), a role that earned her a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. She went on to win a second Primetime Emmy and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Drama Series for her performance as Lily Manning in ABC’s Once and Again, cementing her status as one of TV’s most respected dramatic leads. She has also been recognized with additional Emmy nominations, including for the title role in Lifetime’s Almost Golden: The Jessica Savitch Story, one of the network’s most-watched original films.

Across television, Ward is known for a string of standout roles: she played House’s formidable former partner and hospital attorney Stacy Warner on House, crime-scene investigator Jo Danville on CSI: NY, and Dana Mosier on FBI, in addition to her earlier star-making turns in Sisters and Once and Again. Her work is frequently praised for its emotional depth, intelligence, and the grounded, relatable women she brings to life.

On the big screen, Ward has appeared in notable films including The Fugitive, My Fellow Americans, The Day After Tomorrow, The Guardian, The Stepfather, Gone Girl, and Independence Day: Resurgence, where she portrayed the President of the United States. This combination of prestige television and high-profile features has made her a familiar and trusted presence to audiences over several decades.

Born in Meridian, Mississippi, Ward graduated from the University of Alabama with a degree in fine art and advertising, where she was both a cheerleader and Homecoming Queen. She began her career in New York as a storyboard artist before being recruited as a model for major campaigns, eventually transitioning into acting and relocating to Los Angeles. Beyond her work on screen, Ward has developed a reputation for her love of design and architecture; her art-filled SoHo loft in Manhattan’s Cast Iron Historic District — which she fully renovated with her husband — has been featured in major design and real-estate publications.

Ward is also deeply committed to philanthropy. After encountering foster children during a visit home, she founded Hope Village for Children in Meridian, a residential and transitional facility serving abused and neglected kids in Mississippi. The organization has provided care and support for hundreds of children each year and reflects her long-standing dedication to children’s welfare, community, and the arts.