Jayma Mays life and biography

Jayma Mays is an American television and film actress, and singer. Mays' most prominent roles include that of Emma Pillsbury on the American television series Glee, recurring appearances on Ugly Betty and on Heroes as characters named Charlie.

Mays was raised in Grundy, Virginia, the daughter of Paulette (née Norris) and James Mays, a high school teacher who also worked in the coal mining industry. Mays's interests as a child ranged from singing to mathematics. After graduating from Grundy High School, she attended and earned an associate degree from Southwest Virginia Community College. Mays then attended Virginia Tech for a year before transferring to Radford University, graduating in 2000 with a degree in Theatre.

In 2004, she made her first television appearance on Joey. The following year, she made her feature film debut with a supporting role in Red Eye. Mays's other credits include Six Feet Under, The Comeback, Entourage, Stacked, How I Met Your Mother, Heroes, Pushing Daisies where she played both Elsita and her mother Elsa in episode four, Ghost Whisperer and Ugly Betty. Jayma was in other movies, such as Bar Starz, Flags of Our Fathers and Blind Guy Driving. She starred in the spoof film Epic Movie where she met her now husband Adam Campbell and as Amy in Paul Blart: Mall Cop. She was a patient on House in the episode "Sleeping Dogs Lie" in 2006. She also starred in the music video for the song "Awakenning" by Switchfoot alongside her husband, released as a single in 2007.

Mays has played the love interest of a character played by Masi Oka in two different roles: Charlie Andrews on Heroes and Nina in the direct-to-DVD film Get Smart's Bruce and Lloyd: Out of Control. She currently stars as Emma Pillsbury on the Fox show Glee, which premiered on May 19, 2009 and in March 2010, Mays played the female lead in a live action/animation hybrid film version of The Smurfs.

Filmography:

2009: Paul Blart: Mall Cop
2011: The Smurfs

Television:

2009: Heroes
2009-present: Glee

Awards:

2010: Screen Actors Guild Awards: Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series - Nominee
2009: Screen Actors Guild Awards: Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series - Winner

Read more