Maria Howell

Biography

Wanda Maria Howell is an American actress and also a singer. Maria was born in Gastonia, North Carolina and graduated from Winston-Salem State University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Howell worked as a jazz singer and made her film debut in The Color Purple. She lived in Okinawa, Japan, from 1995-2001. She made guest appearances on the television series Drop Dead Diva, Army Wives, The Game, Necessary Roughness, and The Vampire Diaries, and as well as co-starred in films that include Daddy's Little Girls, Mississippi Damned, The Blind Side, and What to Expect When You're Expecting. In 2013, Howell played Seeder in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. Also in 2012, she was cast in the recurring NBC television series Revolution as Grace Beaumont, and in 2013 she plays Ida Hayes in the m comedy-drama Devious Maids.

Known For

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

as Seeder

Hidden Figures

as Ms. Sumner

The Vampire Diaries

as Mrs. Halpern

The Vampire Diaries

as Ayana

The Blind Side

as CPS Welfare Worker

American Made

as NSC Woman

Criminal Minds

as Dr. Lode Barren

The Color Purple

as Church Choir Soloist (uncredited)

What to Expect When You're Expecting

as Jules' Doctor

The Resident

as Judge Lola Rawlins