Cassandra "Cassi" Davis (born July 11, 1964) is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 actress. She is mostly known for her role as Ella Payne

Ella Payne

Ella Payne is a fictional character on the TBS sitcom, Tyler Perry's House of Payne. In the series, she is depicted to be a very responsible, caring Christian woman who does many chores around the Payne house and often make major decisions that affect the family...

 in Tyler Perry's House of Payne

Tyler Perry's House of Payne

Tyler Perry's House of Payne is an American comedy-drama television series created and produced by playwright, director, and producer Tyler Perry. The show revolves around a multi-generational family living under one roof in Atlanta, Georgia led by patriarch Curtis Payne and his wife Ella...

. Davis has done extensive work with director and writer Tyler Perry

Tyler Perry

Tyler Perry is an American actor, director, playwright, entrepreneur, screenwriter, producer, author, and songwriter. Perry wrote and produced many stage plays during the 1990s and early 2000s. In 2005, he released his first film, Diary of a Mad Black Woman...

, and has played many roles in his various productions. She also has appeared in several stage plays.

Life and career

Born in Holly Springs, Mississippi

Holly Springs, Mississippi

Holly Springs is a city in Marshall County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 7,957 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Marshall County. A short drive from Memphis, Tennessee, Holly Springs is the site of a number of well-preserved antebellum homes and other structures and...

, Davis' acting career began in 1988 with her role in the Spike Lee

Spike Lee

Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee is an American film director, producer, writer, and actor. His production company, 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks, has produced over 35 films since 1983....

 film School Daze

School Daze

School Daze is a 1988 American musical-drama film, written and directed by Spike Lee, and starring Laurence Fishburne, Giancarlo Esposito, and Tisha Campbell-Martin...

. Her early television credits include appearances on Living Single

Living Single

Living Single is an American television sitcom which aired for five seasons on the Fox network from August 29, 1993 to January 1, 1998. The show centered on the lives of six friends who share personal and professional experiences while living in a Brooklyn brownstone.Throughout its run, Living...

, Married... with Children

Married... with Children

Married... with Children is an American surrealistic sitcom that aired for 11 seasons that featured a dysfunctional family living in Chicago, Illinois. The show, notable for being the first prime time television series to air on Fox, ran from April 5, 1987, to June 9, 1997. The series was created...

, Kenan & Kel

Kenan & Kel

Kenan & Kel is an American teen sitcom produced by Tollin/Robbins Productions that originally aired on Nickelodeon from July 1996 to July 2000. The show starred friends and then-All That cast members Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell. Sixty-two episodes and a made-for-TV movie were produced over four...

, Boycott, and The PJ's. She established her acting career by appearing in Tyler Perry productions such as Madea's Family Reunion

Madea's Family Reunion

Madea's Family Reunion is a 2006 comedy-drama film adaptation of the stage production of the same name written by Tyler Perry and sequel to Diary of a Mad Black Woman. It was written and directed by Perry, who also played several characters, including Mabel "Madea" Simmons...

, Madea Goes to Jail, Daddy's Little Girls, and Tyler Perry's House of Payne.

Davis attended Spelman College

Spelman College

Spelman College is a four-year liberal arts women's college located in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The college is part of the Atlanta University Center academic consortium in Atlanta. Founded in 1881 as the Atlanta Baptist Female Seminary, Spelman was the first historically black female...

 in Atlanta

Atlanta, Georgia

Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...

. She has credited her devout, born-again Christian faith as the main reason behind her professional success.

Filmography

Film
Year	Film	Role	Notes
1988	School Daze School Daze School Daze is a 1988 American musical-drama film, written and directed by Spike Lee, and starring Laurence Fishburne, Giancarlo Esposito, and Tisha Campbell-Martin...	Paula
2004	He Say... She Say... But What Does GOD Say?	Sister Tiny	Direct-to-DVD release Direct-to-video Direct-to-video is a term used to describe a film that has been released to the public on home video formats without being released in film theaters or broadcast on television...
2005	Love on Layaway	Willanetta	Direct-to-DVD release
2006	Madea's Family Reunion Madea's Family Reunion Madea's Family Reunion is a 2006 comedy-drama film adaptation of the stage production of the same name written by Tyler Perry and sequel to Diary of a Mad Black Woman. It was written and directed by Perry, who also played several characters, including Mabel "Madea" Simmons...	Aunt Sarah
	Madea Goes to Jail (play)	Ella	Direct-to-DVD release
2007	Daddy's Little Girls	Rita
2010	Madea's Big Happy Family Madea's Big Happy Family Madea's Big Happy Family is a 2010 American musical play created, written, produced, and directed by Tyler Perry. It stars Tyler Perry as Mabel "Madea" Simmons, Cassi Davis as Aunt Bam, Palmer Williams, Jr. as Uncle Monroe, and Chandra Currelley-Young as Shirley.Perry began writing "Big Happy...	Aunt Bam	Direct-to-DVD release
2011	Madea's Big Happy Family (film) Madea's Big Happy Family (film) Tyler Perry's Madea's Big Happy Family is a 2011 comedy-drama film based on Tyler Perry's 2010 play of the same name and the eleventh film in the Tyler Perry film franchise, and the fifth in the Madea franchise.-Plot:...	Betty Ann "Aunt Bam" Murphy
2011	A Madea Christmas A Madea Christmas A Madea Christmas is a 2011 American musical play created, written, produced, and directed by Tyler Perry. It stars Tyler Perry as Mabel "Madea" Simmons and Cassi Davis as Aunt Bam.-Plot:...	Aunt Bam	Direct-to-DVD release
2012	Aunt Bam's Place Aunt Bam's Place Aunt Bam's Place is a 2011 American musical play created, written, produced, and directed by Tyler Perry. It stars Cassi Davis as Aunt Bam.-Plot:One weekend, Aunt Bam's nephew-in-law Stewart is granted a court-ordered visitation with his children...	Aunt Bam	Direct-to-DVD release
Television
Year	Title	Role	Notes
1993	Living Single Living Single Living Single is an American television sitcom which aired for five seasons on the Fox network from August 29, 1993 to January 1, 1998. The show centered on the lives of six friends who share personal and professional experiences while living in a Brooklyn brownstone.Throughout its run, Living...	Francine	1 episode
1996	Married... with Children Married... with Children Married... with Children is an American surrealistic sitcom that aired for 11 seasons that featured a dysfunctional family living in Chicago, Illinois. The show, notable for being the first prime time television series to air on Fox, ran from April 5, 1987, to June 9, 1997. The series was created...	Patty	1 episode
1999	Kenan & Kel Kenan & Kel Kenan & Kel is an American teen sitcom produced by Tollin/Robbins Productions that originally aired on Nickelodeon from July 1996 to July 2000. The show starred friends and then-All That cast members Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell. Sixty-two episodes and a made-for-TV movie were produced over four...	Kitty	1 episode
1999–2001	The PJs The PJs The PJs is an American stop-motion animated television series created by Eddie Murphy, Larry Wilmore, and Steve Tompkins. It portrayed life in an urban public housing project, modeled after the Brewster-Douglass housing projects in Detroit that once housed Diana Ross & Lilly Tomlin...	HUD woman (Voice)	26 episodes
2000	The Parkers The Parkers The Parkers is an American sitcom . A spin-off of UPN's Moesha, The Parkers featured the mother-daughter team of Nikki and Kim Parker . The Parkers' signature "Heeyyy" greeting made its way into popular vernacular in the early 2000s.-Premise:The series centered around a mother and daughter who...	Big Woman	1 episode
2001	Boycott Boycott A boycott is an act of voluntarily abstaining from using, buying, or dealing with a person, organization, or country as an expression of protest, usually for political reasons...	Cook	Television movie
2006–2011	Tyler Perry's House of Payne Tyler Perry's House of Payne Tyler Perry's House of Payne is an American comedy-drama television series created and produced by playwright, director, and producer Tyler Perry. The show revolves around a multi-generational family living under one roof in Atlanta, Georgia led by patriarch Curtis Payne and his wife Ella...	Ella Payne

External links