Jamie Gray Hyder is an actress on the rise. Since bursting onto the scene as the werewolf Danielle in Seasons 5 and 6 of True Blood, she’s appeared in numerous TV shows, multiple music videos, and even become the voice of Lieutenant Nora Salter in Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare. Her latest venture sees her take on the role of NYPD Detective Katriona “Kat” Azar Tamin on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, a role that’s sure to take her career to the next level. Find out more about the talented actress with these ten quickfire facts.
1. She doesn’t have a TV
A lot of actors claim not to watch their own performances, but for all their denials, there’s always a little voice at the back of our heads asking “Really??”. In Hyder’s case, however, we can pretty much take her word for it. As she confessed to ShowBiz Junkies, she doesn’t even have a TV, making the possibility of any sneaky glances at her shows more than a little remote.
2. She’s a classically trained vocalist
Hyder always dreamed of being an actor as a child and performed in community theater from a young age. Keen on pursuing her ambitions further, she studied acting at college, graduating with a degree in Theater and Film Studies from the University of Georgia. However, acting wasn’t the only thing she studied: Hyder is a classically trained vocalist and has spoken extensively about how one day she’d like to mold her two great passions in one project.
3. She’s a passionate cook
Outside of acting, Hyder is a keen cook, citing roasts as one of her favorite things to prepare. “I love roasting pork shoulders,” she explained to So Fetch Daily. “I love the processes when you work with bigger cuts of meat where you break them down. I think you get a little closer to your food when you are working with bigger cuts like that. I would say roasting a pork shoulder is probably one of my favorites to cook and it’s also one of my favorite things to eat, which makes it easy.”
4. True Blood was her breakthrough
Hyder began her career with various commercials, stage performances, music videos, and modeling campaigns, but besides a minor role in Sons Of Tucson in 2010, her acting resume was looking pretty bare until she landed her breakthrough role in season 5 of True Blood as the werewolf Danielle. After making a huge impact on the show over the course of two seasons, she departed in 2013 to take on the recurring role of Lucia Solano in season 2 of Graceland. Other TV credits include NCIS (2016), Bones (2016), Rizzoli & Isles (2016), Voltron: Legendary Defender (2017-2018), Criminal Minds (2017), Inhumans (2017), The Last Ship (2018), and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2019).
5. She’s appeared in multiple music videos
Even before she cemented her status as an actress, Hyder wasn’t short of work. In 2009, she landed her first music video, playing a principal role in The Killers’ “A Dustland Fairytale”. From there, the offers started flooding in. To date, she’s appeared in “Face Drop” by Sean Kingston, “Heartbreak Warfare” by John Mayer”, Heart Heart Heartbreak” by Boys Like Girls, “Hot-n-Fun” by N.E.R.D, and “Lovers on the Sun” by David Guetta.
6. She’d love to present SNL
Hyder is trained in improv and has previously spoken about how she’d love the chance to sink her teeth into some serious comedy on SNL. “Comedy has always been what I have done and I’d love to be able to do that [host SNL],’ she told So Fetch Daily. As for who she’d choose as her special musical guest? “I love Quadron,” she gushed. “Their new album, Avalanche- I’ve been listening to that a lot lately, so if you ask me right now that’s who I would want to be the guest with me.”
7. She’s a millionaire
She may only have been active in the industry for a little over a decade, but that hasn’t stopped the talented Ms. Hyder racking up a very healthy fortune. Thanks to both her modeling activities and acting gigs, she’s now worth a very respectable $1 million. Or maybe $5 million. According to sources (in this case Celebs Trend Now) it could be either.
8. She finds dating tough
She may be a bone fide celeb, but Hyder isn’t the type to reveal too much about her personal life, preferring to keep a clear line between the private and the professional. While she’s been ambiguous about the current state of her love life, what we do know is that as someone whose fame arrives in a room before she does, she doesn’t always find dating the easiest thing in the world. “You are going to get guys who really appreciate you for you and a sea of others who are only interested because of what you have done or where they see you going,” she’s said. She has, however, reviled what it takes to win her over. “Good, open communication can really be helpful for any problem you may face.”
9. She’s of Lebanese descent
Hyder is of mixed heritage: from her mother’s side, she gets her German, English, and Scottish roots, while from her father, she gets her Lebanese ones. Hyder has spoken proudly of her Lebanese heritage in the past and has even modeled with the Lebanese flag. In case you were interested, other big names with a Lebanese heritage include Salma Hayek, Jenna Dewan, Shannon Elizabeth, and Hank the Angry Drunken Dwarf.
10. She’s the voice of Echo
In 2013, Hyder got the chance to go down in gameplaying history as the voice of Echo on the first-person shooter Killzone Shadow Fall. 3 years later, she got another chance to do the same, this time as Lieutenant Nora Salter in Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare.
