Victoria Rowell

Victoria Lynn Rowell is an American actress, screenwriter, director, producer, and former model. Born in Portland, Maine, on May 10, 1959, she was raised in foster care from the age of 16 days alongside her sisters. At age eight, she began taking ballet lessons while living with foster parents in Maine. She danced with the American Ballet Theater II and the Juilliard School of Music Dance Extension program before teaching as a guest artist in New England.

In 1979, Rowell began her career as a dancer and model, becoming a high-demand catalog and runway model during the 1980s. She made her feature film debut in the 1987 comedy Leonard Part 6 and subsequently secured recurring roles on The Cosby Show and the CBS daytime soap opera As the World Turns.

Rowell achieved widespread recognition starting in 1990 when she joined the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless as Drucilla Winters. Her portrayal earned her three Daytime Emmy Award nominations and 11 NAACP Image Awards. She appeared on the show regularly until 1998, briefly returned in 2000, and performed as a main cast member again from 2002 until departing in 2007. Concurrently, from 1993 to 2001, she starred as Dr. Amanda Bentley in the CBS medical drama Diagnosis: Murder.

Throughout her film career, Rowell starred opposite Eddie Murphy in The Distinguished Gentleman (1992) and appeared in feature films such as Full Eclipse (1993), Dumb and Dumber (1994), Barb Wire (1996), Eve's Bayou (1997), Motives, A Perfect Fit, and Home of the Brave (2006). Her television credits also feature recurring roles in Single Ladies, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and Good Sam, along with the 2024 film Summer Camp.

As a creator and filmmaker, Rowell wrote, directed, produced, and starred in the comedy series The Rich and the Ruthless (2017–2021) and created the miniseries Jacqueline and Jilly (2018). She made her feature directorial debut in 2020 with Everything Is Fine and went on to direct films including A Rich Christmas, Stranger Next Door, Montross: Blood Rules, Catfish Christmas, and Blackjack Christmas. Additionally, she authored the memoir The Women Who Raised Me, novels including Secrets of a Soap Opera Diva, and co-authored Tag, Toss & Run: 40 Classic Lawn Games.

Rowell founded the Rowell Foster Children Positive Plan in 1990 to provide aid and support to foster youth. Her honors for advocacy include an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from the University of Southern Maine in 2006 and the Gift of Adoption Celebration of Adoption Award in 2008.