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Deanna Reed-Foster, born Deanna Kathleen Reed to Moses and Constance Reed on May 28, 1970, in Chicago, Illinois, was raised on the south side of Chicago alongside her older brother Curtis and her mother. She is a product of the Chicago Public School system and attended Lindblom Technical High School, where she first discovered her passion for music. She participated in chorus and competed in city and state choral and solo competitions. After graduating, she continued singing and recorded with Mark Hubbard and The United Voices for Christ.
Initially, Deanna did not see herself as an actress, but in 1995 she performed in her first professional stage play. Although she maintained her singing career, acting soon became her true calling. She performed in various plays across Chicago and eventually toured nationally and internationally. In 2004, she debuted at the prestigious Black Ensemble Theatre and has since appeared in numerous productions there.
Her first feature film role came in 2005 with "Roll Bounce," directed by Malcom Lee ("Girls Trip"). In 2008, she earned an Emmy Award for narrating "Fresh From Julianne's Garden: A Legacy In Bronze." While focusing primarily on stage work in subsequent years, she also balanced a full-time job as a property manager. In 2013, Deanna made the bold decision to leave Corporate America and pursue acting full-time. That same year, she married Earl Foster, who has been a major supporter of her career change.
To hone her craft, Deanna trained in the Meisner technique at the Gately Poole Acting Conservatory. Since then, her career has flourished, with appearances in numerous stage, television, and film projects. She holds a recurring role on NBC's "Chicago Fire" and appeared in the film "Southside With You," which premiered at Sundance in 2016. In 2017, she received a Joseph Jefferson Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the play "Even Longer and Farther Away." That year, she also worked with Oscar-nominated director Steve McQueen and is set to appear in Richard Linklater’s Oscar-nominated film "Last Flag Flying" alongside Laurence Fishburne, playing his wife.
Deanna's faith in Christ is central to her life. She lives by the motto "#LiveOnPurpose," striving to fulfill God's will and purpose through her work and life.
