Award-nominated actress, writer and director Keesha Sharp has become known in the entertainment industry for her innate ability to bring complex characters to life on screen, her steadfast professionalism, and her irrefutable beauty, inside and out. Sharp can be seen as a series regular on season three of “Power Book II: Ghost” as Professor Harper Bennet. Recently, Sharp starred as Trish Murtaugh in the international hit series “Lethal Weapon” for FOX, rebooting the hit movie franchise of the same name. Sharp stood out as Trish, a lawyer and devoted wife and confidante to Roger (Damon Wayans). “Lethal Weapon” became an instant hit in the United States and overseas. Sharp was nominated for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series at the 2017 NAACP Image Awards for her work on the show. She also recurred on the hit FOX series “Empire” and the acclaimed series “The Good Fight” on Paramount+.
On the film front this year, Sharp stars in the upcoming psychological thriller Dark My Light with Albert Jones and Tom Lipinski. In addition, she’ll be starring in Heist 88 with Courtney B. Vance and Keith David for Paramount+. This reunites her with her co-star from “The People vs O.J. Simpson” (Vance) and August Wilson’s Seven Guitars (David).
Sharp is also well known for her role as Dale Cochran, wife of defense attorney Johnnie Cochran (Courtney B. Vance), in the Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winning limited series “The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story.” Her other well-known roles include her series regular role as Gigi on the TBS/syndicated comedy “Are We There Yet?” and as Monica Charles Brooks on The CW’s hit series “Girlfriends,” for which she was nominated for her first NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.
In addition to her diverse acting credits, Sharp has become a force of a director as well. Known for her preparation, meticulous dedication to the story and talent for communicating with actors, Sharp is a director for different genres of television. After making her directorial debut on the multi-camera comedy “Are We There Yet?” (TBS), she went on to direct dramatic action series “Lethal Weapon” (FOX) and “Black Lightning” (The CW), the comedy “The Last O.G.” (TBS), dramas “Bel-Air” (Peacock), “Found” (NBC), “All American: Homecoming” (The CW), “Our Kind of People” (FOX) and sci-fi “Charmed” (The CW).
Other acting film credits include Marshall starring opposite Chadwick Boseman for which Sharp earned an NAACP Image Award in the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture category for her standout role as Buster Marshall in the film. Other credits include Why Did I Get Married?, indie films Fixed, Born Guilty, The 636, for which she won Best Actress at the NYLA International Film Festival, Shattered!, Never Die Alone, and American Adobo. Other television credits include: NBC’s “The Player,” The CW’s “Significant Mother,” CBS’ “Bad Teacher,” ABC Family’s “Melissa & Joey,” UPN’s “Everybody Hates Chris,” TV Land’s “The Exes,” CBS’ “Elementary,” “Cold Case” and many more.
Born in Rochester, New York, Sharp was immersed in music and studied the clarinet, piano and cello at the prestigious Hochstein School of Music. Her enthusiasm for school theatre led her to apply to The Boston Conservatory, where she received a scholarship. After graduating Cum Laude with a B.F.A. from the Conservatory, Sharp set her sights on the stage. She performed in the Broadway National Tour of Carousel, debuted Off-Broadway in Michael Bradford's Living in the Wind and played eight different roles in the interactive comedy Eat the Runt. Other theatre performances include Abyssinia, Aida, Thunder Knockin', Jitney, The Producers, Big Street, Suburb and Joe Turner's Come and Gone, in which Sharp read alongside playwright August Wilson himself.
In addition to her work on the screen and stage, Sharp has several other original projects in the works she has written or co-written. She continues to sing and has a full-length album in production. When she isn’t working in front of or behind the camera, or in the studio recording music, Sharp has a love for fitness and stays in shape boxing and studying Krav Maga. She also enjoys playing piano, hiking and long road trips. Sharp resides in Los Angeles with family.
