Lyric Ross
Lyric Ross is an American actress. She is known for her role as Deja Pearson in the NBC drama series This Is Us.
Early life and career
Ross raised in Homewood, Illinois, is the daughter of Brandi Smith and Stephen Ross and granddaughter of Margaret Smith. She started acting when she was five years old, appearing in commercials and guest-starring in Chicago Fire and Sirens. In 2017, she performed in a recurring role as Deja Pearson on season 2 of This Is Us while in the eighth grade at James Hart School in Homewood, Illinois. On August 27, 2018, NBC announced that Ross had been promoted to a series regular onwards season 3. She and the rest of the show's cast won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series in 2018.
She has been cast in the upcoming television series Ironheart.
In 2022 she dubbed in the stop motion film Wendell & Wild as Katherine "Kat" Koniqua Elliot.
Philanthropy
Ross serves as a celebrity ambassador for Orphan Myth.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Rogers Park | Ruby | |
| 2018 | Canal Street | Tameka | |
| 2022 | The Class | Casey | |
| 2022 | Wendell & Wild | Kat Elliot |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Sirens | Lily | 1 episode |
| 2015 | Chicago Fire | Girl | 1 episode |
| 2016 | Untitled Lena Waithe Project | Andrea | TV movie |
| 2017–2022 | This Is Us | Deja Pearson | Recurring (season 2); main character (season 3–6) |
| 2025 | Ironheart | Natalie Washington | Miniseries |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Project | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice TV Breakout Star | This Is Us | Nominated |
| 2019 | BET Awards | Young Stars Award | Nominated | |
| Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series | Won | ||
| Image Awards (NAACP) | Outstanding Performance by a Youth (Series, Special, Television Movie or Limited Series) | Nominated | ||
| 2020 | Outstanding Performance by a Youth (Series, Special, Television Movie or Limited Series) | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series | Nominated | |||
| 2021 | Outstanding Performance by a Youth (Series, Special, Television Movie or Limited Series) | Nominated | ||
| 2023 | Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance, Motion Picture | Wendell & Wild | Nominated |