Damaris Lewis

Damaris Lewis is an American model and actress born on October 10, 1990. She is best known for her appearances in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issues from 2009 to 2011 and for her role as Blackfire on the superhero television series Titans.

Lewis was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. Her parents are West Indian from the island of St. Kitts. She attended Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, where she studied with a conservatory-style arts concentration in dance. While performing at Chelsea Piers with her childhood dance company, Restoration Dance Theater, Lewis was discovered. She subsequently signed a modeling contract with Elite Model Management during her second year of high school.

Throughout her modeling career, Lewis appeared in campaigns for major brands including Black/Up, Clarins, MAC Cosmetics, L'Oréal, and Yves Saint Laurent. Her editorial work includes photo shoots for publications such as Sports Illustrated Swimsuit in 2009, 2010, and 2011, as well as Essence, French Marie Claire, Self, Cosmopolitan, and GQ. To help expose her to a wider audience, Nick Jonas and Modelinia selected her for a three-day, feature-style interview video set.

In addition to modeling, Lewis worked extensively as a professional dancer. Musician Prince hired her as a dancer alongside The New Power Generation for his 2012 Welcome 2 Australia Tour. She continued touring with Prince and NPG for his 2012 Welcome to Chicago Tour, appeared with the band on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and served as his muse for his closing show at SXSW in Austin, Texas, in 2013. That same summer, she traveled to Switzerland to perform with Prince's band at the Montreux Jazz Festival. Lewis remained in his employ as a dancer until his death in April 2016.

Lewis also expanded into film, television, and broadcast hosting. She appeared briefly in the 2011 film Limitless, dancing in a club scene with Bradley Cooper, and later played Odetta in Spike Lee's 2018 film BlacKkKlansman. In television hosting, she presented Prince! Behind The Symbol: Music Special for The Africa Channel during Prince's Welcome 2 America - 21 Night Stand at the Los Angeles Forum. She starred in the promo video for the 2013 NBA All-Star Game in Houston, Texas, co-hosted NBA Style for TNT and NBA TV with Turner Broadcasting for three years, and co-hosted ESPN's City Slam Dunk Competition in 2016.

In 2018, Lewis played Jazmine Wintour, a member of the House of Wintour, on the FX series Pose. She also portrayed Blackfire in season two of the series Titans on DC Universe and HBO Max, later being promoted to a series regular for season three. Alongside her entertainment career, Lewis began volunteering in 2009 with organizations such as Project Sunshine, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and The Garden of Dreams. Beginning in 2014, she served a three-year run as chairwoman for The Garden of Dreams Foundation's annual prom, organizing proms for children in the New York tri-state area.