Wanda Sykes

Wanda Sykes (born March 7, 1964) is an American actress, comedian, voice artist and writer. She was first recognized for her work as a writer on The Chris Rock Show, for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award in 1999. In 2004, Entertainment Weekly named Sykes as one of the 25 funniest people in America.[1] She is also known for her role as Barb Baran on CBS' The New Adventures of Old Christine (2006–10) and for appearances on HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm (2001–11). She is also known as the voice of Bessie in the Nickelodeon show, Back at the barnyard (2007 - 2012).

Aside from her television appearances, Sykes has also had a career in film, appearing in Monster-in-Law (2005), My Super Ex-Girlfriend (2006), Evan Almighty (2007) and License to Wed (2007), as well as voicing characters in the animated films Over the Hedge (2006), Barnyard (2006), Brother Bear 2 (2006), Rio (2011), Ice Age: Continental Drift (2012), Ice Age: Collision Course (2016), UglyDolls (2019), and UglyDolls 2: Return of Uglyville (2024).

Sykes is also known for her live-action roles such as Lena in Harlem Boys (2022).