Rutina plays Tara, the sharp-witted, assertive best friend of Sookie Stackhouse in True Blood.
Rutina Wesley grew up in Las Vegas, NV. Rutina’s mother was a Las Vegas showgirl and her father is a tap dancer and musician. She graduated in 1997 from the Las Vegas Academy of International Studies, Performing and Visual Arts high school and received a BFA from the University of Evansville in Indiana.
Rutina continued her post undergraduate studies at the Juilliard School in New York in the drama division and graduated in 2005.
She studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London for a summer while attending Juilliard. She debuted on Broadway in 2006 alongside Julianne Moore and Bill Nighy in The Vertical Hour. Her film debut was as Raya in How She Move in 2007.
Actress:
- “True Blood” …. Tara Thornton (24 episodes, 2008-2009)
- Beyond Here Lies Nothin’ (2009) TV episode …. Tara Thornton
- Frenzy (2009) TV episode …. Tara Thornton
- New World in My View (2009) TV episode …. Tara Thornton
- I Will Rise Up (2009) TV episode …. Tara Thornton
- Timebomb (2009) TV episode …. Tara Thornton
(19 more) - “Numb3rs” …. Sarah (1 episode, 2008)
… aka “Num3ers” (USA: promotional title)
- Magic Show (2008) TV episode …. Sarah - How She Move (2007) …. Raya Green
… aka Bouge de là! (Canada: French title)
Tara makes the show for me she is So Hot ! phat more like it.
Whan I first seen Her I like her spunk But I then saw Rutina Wesley and heard her talk and then I was really hooked on her. Great actress for 2011 and beyond !!! Striverajj out!