Gloria Reuben

Early life and education

Gloria Elizabeth Reuben was born on June 9, 1964 in Toronto, Ontario, to Pearl Avis (Mills), a classical singer, and Cyril George Reuben, a civil engineer. Her parents are both Jamaican-born. Her father was mostly Jewish (with Ashkenazi and Sephardi roots), though he also had some African ancestry; her mother is of mostly African descent. Her father, an elderly widower with five adult children when he married her mother, Her parents had split up before his death. Reuben was the subject of a segment of Henry Louis Gates Jr.'s television genealogy series Finding Your Roots.

Gloria was one of six children. Her older half-brother, Denis Simpson, was an actor and children's television host and died in 2010. Her younger brother David died in 1988. Reuben details her relationship and experience with the deaths of her brothers in her 2019 memoir My Brothers' Keeper.

Reuben began learning piano as a child and later studied music technique and theory, ballet, and jazz at the Royal Conservatory of Music.

Career

Screen acting

Reuben began her career as an actress after having a few jobs as a model and in television advertisements.

Reuben came to prominence on the American television series ER as Jeanie Boulet, an HIV-positive physician assistant on the hospital's staff. She was a guest star throughout the first season and was promoted to full-time cast member at the beginning of the second. She continued that role until early in the sixth season. In 2008, Reuben returned to ER for one episode during its 14th season. She has stated that this role led to her HIV/AIDS activism. In 1996, she was chosen by People magazine as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the World.

Reuben again held a major role in a television series when she starred as FBI agent Brooke Haslett in 1-800-Missing (2003–2004). She later starred as Rosalind Whitman in the TNT series Raising the Bar.

Reuben guest-starred in the season two finale of Drop Dead Diva as Professor Kathy Miller. Reuben guest-starred in season 12 of NBC's Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, reprising her role as U.S. Attorney Christine Danielson. In 2012, she appeared in the CBS TV movie Jesse Stone: Benefit of the Doubt. In 2012, Reuben played Elizabeth Keckley in the historical drama film Lincoln and her portrayal of the character received critical praise. In 2013, she guest starred on the sci-fi drama series Falling Skies.

In October 2014, it was announced that Reuben had joined the cast of the USA Network series Mr. Robot. Reuben plays Dr. Krista Gordon, the psychiatrist of the show's unstable main character, Elliott. The show premiered on in June 2015. She acted in all four seasons of the show. At first a recurring role, Reuben's character was upgraded to a season regular for the fourth and final season.

In 2017, Reuben was cast as Adina Johnson, mother of Tyrone Johnson, in the series Cloak & Dagger.

In 2025, Reuben joined the cast of Blue Bloods spinoff Boston Blue as Mae Silver, the District Attorney for Boston.

Stage acting

In 1999, Reuben acted in an off-Broadway production of The Vagina Monologues. In 2006, she starred as Condoleezza Rice in the play Stuff Happens at the Public Theater. The following year, she won the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Lead Actress, the preeminent honour for off-Broadway productions, for her portrayal. In 2008, she returned to the Public Theater for Conversations in Tusculum.

Music

In 2000, Reuben sang backup vocals for Tina Turner on her Twenty Four Seven Tour.

Reuben is a regularly performing jazz singer and pianist. She released her first record, Just for You, in December 2007. Her second album, Perchance to Dream, was released in April 2015; it was her first jazz record. Her latest album, For All We Know, was released on February 14, 2020, on the MCG Jazz recording label, where she is accompanied by guitarist and Grammy winning producer Marty Ashby. She performed all around New York City in the fourth quarter of 2019 to promote her upcoming record.

Author

On November 19, 2019, Reuben released a memoir, My Brothers' Keeper, detailing her journey and an exploration of the life she shared with her two brothers, as well as her emotions and experiences after their sudden deaths.

Personal life

Reuben lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Activism

Reuben is a committed social activist. In large part due to her role as an HIV-positive character in ER, she continues to raise awareness about the HIV/AIDS pandemic, lobbying for increased advocacy and speaking at several major fundraising events. She also takes great interest in global issues, predominantly climate change, nature, and human rights. Gloria Reuben is the president of Waterkeeper Alliance, an organization that strengthens and grows a global network of grassroots leaders protecting everyone’s right to clean water. She is also a special adviser on climate change for The Climate Reality Project, former United States vice president Al Gore's environmental organization. She was formerly on the board for the National Wildlife Federation. Reuben is also on the Leadership Council for the RFK Center for Justice and Human Rights.

Filmography

Films

Television

References

References

1. [https://beachmetro.com/2021/05/08/reel-beach-journey-through-gloria-reubens-family-history-intriguing-and-fascinating/ Reel Beach: Journey through Gloria Reuben’s family history intriguing and fascinating]
2. Stated on ''[[Finding Your Roots]]'', PBS, September 23, 2014
3. (January 28, 2016). "Finding Your Roots, Season 2: The Official Companion to the PBS Series". UNC Press Books.
4. died when she was young.[http://www.interfaithfamily.com/arts_and_entertainment/popular_culture/Hollywood_Now_New_Fall_Previews.shtml Profile], interfaithfamily.com; accessed November 27, 2014.
5. (March 1999). "Gloria!". [[Chatelaine (magazine).
6. Williams, Kam. (August 28, 2008). "Gloria Reuben: The Raising the Bar Interview with Kam Williams". The Sly Fox Film Reviews.
7. Bournea, Chris. (April 3, 2007). "Gloria Reuben's Activism Moves from Screen to Real-Life Role". ThisWeek Newspapers.
8. "Gloria Reuben born".
9. "Actress Gloria Reuben Opens Up About a Very Personal Journey in New Book".
10. (November 19, 2019). "My Brothers' Keeper". Post Hill Press.
11. KTLA Morning Show interview, October 9, 2008.
12. (May 5, 2002). "Gloria Reuben takes time out from 'The Agency' for Hallmark's 'Little John'". nwi.com.
13. "Exclusive: Gloria Reuben to Guest-Star on Drop Dead Diva". TVGuide.com.
14. "Gloria Reuben Returns to SVU". TVGuide.com.
15. [http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,20311937_20647218_21237675,00.html#disqus_thread "Oscars 2013: Keep Your Eye On..."] {{Webarchive. link. (October 8, 2014 , ew.com; accessed November 27, 2014.)
16. . (October 23, 2014). ["Karen Pittman Joins ''The Americans''; Gloria Reuben In ''Mr. Robot''"](https://deadline.com/2014/10/karen-pittman-cast-the-americans-gloria-reuben-mr-robot-857936/).
17. (August 16, 2019). "Krista Gordon played by Gloria Reuben {{!}} Characters & Cast {{!}} Mr. Robot".
18. Andreeva, Nellie. (June 10, 2025). "'Boston Blue': Gloria Reuben Joins 'Blue Bloods' Offshoot For CBS".
19. "Gloria Reuben".
20. "Just For You".
21. "Perchance to Dream".
22. "Gloria Reuben: From Ballads to Bossa".
23. "For All We Know".
24. "- The Triad".
25. "Pizza Express Live".
26. "Gloria Reuben {{!}} People {{!}} Pioneers of Television".
27. (October 26, 2009). "Gloria Reuben to Jamie Dimon – Stop Bankrolling MTR and the Coal Industry! – The Understory".
28. (November 23, 2020). "Gloria Reuben".
29. "The National Wildlife Federation Blog".
30. Hipes, Patrick. (February 26, 2019). "'City On A Hill': James Remar & Gloria Reuben To Recur On Showtime Series". Deadline Hollywood.