N'Bushe Wright ( ən-BOO-shay; born September 7, 1969) is an American actress and dancer. She attended and trained as a dancer at the Alvin Ailey Dance Center and the Martha Graham School of Dance. She is known mainly for her roles as the drug-addicted older sister of twelve-year-old protagonist Michael in 1994's Fresh, and as Dr. Karen Jenson in the 1998 feature film Blade.
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Career
Within a year of attending Stella Adler's Studio, Wright was starring in Anthony Drazan's Zebrahead (1992). She received positive reviews for her portrayal of the drug-addicted older sister of the title protagonist in Boaz Yakin's Fresh (1994). The following year, Wright played an idealistic member of the Black Panther Party in the Hughes Brothers' feature film Dead Presidents (1995). Wright played Dr. Karen Jenson in Blade (1998).
In 1992, Wright played the recurring role of Claudia, a black civil rights activist fighting for equal opportunities in education in the acclaimed but short-lived NBC television drama I'll Fly Away. She has made guest appearances on several other television series, including New York Undercover, Homicide: Life on the Street, Chappelle's Show and Third Watch.
Wright also recorded a public service announcement for Deejay Ra's Hip-Hop Literacy campaign.
Personal life
Wright attended the Manhattan High School for the Performing Arts. A native of Brooklyn, Wright's mother was a psychologist with the New York City Board of Education, who died in 2009 after 40+ years of marriage to Wright's father, jazz musician Stanley Wright a.k.a. Suleiman-Marim Wright, who was murdered in 2011.