Shoshannah Stern as Bonnie Richmond
Born on July 3, 1980 in Walnut Creek, California, Shoshannah Stern is from the fourth-generation of a deaf family. Growing up in Fremont, California, she was educated at California School for the Deaf, where her parents worked and her siblings also studied. As soon as she completed her studies, her family moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico. She later attended Gallaudet University, the only liberal arts college for the deaf in the world, where she actively participated in theater, garnering awards and recognition. As a child, she aspired to become a professional actor, and as soon as she graduated from college, she moved on to pursue her dream.
Stern's first ever major performance as a professional actress was when she was in her senior year in college. She received an email from Warner Bros., inviting her to audition for a guest starring role on Off Center. She went to Los Angeles for the audition and eventually landed the role. Her work in the series gave her recognition, and she was consequently cast for shows such as
Providence,
Boston Public,
ER and
The Division. She also did a cameo on the feature film,
The Last Shot.
While on
The Division, she played the role of a rape victim, and this performance led the director to cast her on another show,
Threat Matrix. Upon completion of her work on the series, she received a recurring role on the Golden Globe Award-winning comedy,
Weeds.
Stern moved on to audition for non-deaf roles and she consequently landed the role of Bonnie Johnson on the CBS series,
Jericho.
In talking about her plans in the future, Stern said, "In general, I want to continue in the direction that I've come and just keep trying for traditional roles. I feel like that's the best way to educate people about the deaf community and what people are capable of if they're given the chance. I do want to start writing one day. I have a few roles I really want to sink my teeth into, but I don't want to talk about them until I really start to make that a reality. When the time is right, I'll tell you all about that and you won't be able to shut me up."
(Photos courtesy of CBS)