Biography

Saum got her start at a Model Search America convention near her home in Kettering, Ohio

Kettering, Ohio

As of the census of 2000, there were 57,502 people, 25,657 households, and 15,727 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,077.4 people per square mile . There were 26,936 housing units at an average density of 1,441.6 per square mile...

. She was discovered during high school, modeling mostly during summer breaks until she decided to move to New York and work full time with the New York modeling agency Images Management. Her career quickly turned from modeling to auditioning for roles in film and television. Her first major role in a TV series, was in the soap opera

Soap opera

A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...

 Sunset Beach

Sunset Beach (TV series)

Sunset Beach was an American television soap opera, first broadcast in the United States on NBC on January 6, 1997, and last airing on December 31, 1999. The show followed the loves and lives of the people living in a fictional coastal city named Sunset Beach, on the coast of California...

as Vanessa Hart

Vanessa Hart

Vanessa Hart was a fictional character in the American soap opera Sunset Beach, portrayed by American actress Sherri Saum during the show's entire run.-Character history:...

 during the entire run of the series (1997–1999). She appeared in a variety of shows including Showtime's Beggars and Choosers

Beggars and Choosers (TV series)

Beggars and Choosers is a comedy-drama series broadcast by Showtime. Developed by Peter Lefcourt and Brandon Tartikoff, the series was a comedic, behind-the-scenes look at network television...

(1999–2000), Girlfriends

Girlfriends

Girlfriends is an American comedy-drama sitcom that premiered on September 11, 2000, on UPN and aired on UPN's successor network, The CW, before being cancelled in 2008...

for an episode in (2000), Charmed

Charmed

Charmed is an American television series that originally aired from October 7, 1998, until May 21, 2006, on the now defunct The WB Television Network. The series was created in 1998 by writer Constance M...

in (2001), and later starred in another soap opera One Life to Live

One Life to Live

One Life to Live is an American soap opera which debuted on July 15, 1968 and has been broadcast on the ABC television network. Created by Agnes Nixon, the series was the first daytime drama to primarily feature racially and socioeconomically diverse characters and consistently emphasize social...

, from 2001 to 2003, as Keri Reynolds. Saum plays the role of Natalie on the FX series Rescue Me

Rescue Me (TV series)

Rescue Me is an American television drama series that premiered on the FX Network on July 21, 2004, and concluded on September 7, 2011. The series focuses on the professional and personal lives of a group of New York City firefighters in the fictitious Ladder 62 / Engine 99 firehouse.The show...

. Saum appeared in the Hallmark Television film Relative Stranger with Cicely Tyson

Cicely Tyson

Cicely Tyson is an American actress. A successful stage actress, Tyson is also known for her Oscar-nominated role in the film Sounder and the television movies The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman and Roots....

 and Eriq La Salle

Eriq La Salle

Eriq La Salle is an American actor and director, known for his portrayals of Darryl in the 1988 comedy film Coming to America and Dr. Peter Benton on the NBC drama series ER.-Early life:...

. She also appears in the independent film Ten Stories Tall with Ally Sheedy

Ally Sheedy

Alexandra Elizabeth "Ally" Sheedy is an American film and stage actress, as well as the author of two books. She is best known for her roles in the Brat Pack films The Breakfast Club and St. Elmo's Fire.-Early life:...

 and Josh Hamilton. In 2009, she played Bess in Season 2 of the HBO drama series In Treatment

In Treatment

In Treatment is an American HBO drama, produced and developed by Rodrigo Garcia, about a psychologist, 50-something Dr. Paul Weston, and his weekly sessions with patients, as well as those with his own therapist at the end of the week. The program, which stars Gabriel Byrne as Paul, debuted on...

.

Personal life

She was born to a German mother and an African-American father. On May 19, 2007, she married longtime boyfriend and former One Life to Live castmate Kamar de los Reyes

Kamar de los Reyes

Kamar de los Reyes is an American actor.Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico to Cuban percussionist Walfredo de los Reyes and a Puerto Rican mother, Matilde Pages, Kamar de los Reyes grew up in Las Vegas, Nevada...

 in New York City.

Filmography

Years	Films	Roles
		--
1994	House Party 3 House Party 3 House Party 3 is a 1994 comedy film, starring Kid 'n Play and Bernie Mac. It is the third and intended final installment of the House Party film series, and the last film in the series to feature Kid 'n Play. This was to be the last film in the franchise, making it a trilogy but 7 years later, a...	--
1997–1999	Sunset Beach Sunset Beach (TV series) Sunset Beach was an American television soap opera, first broadcast in the United States on NBC on January 6, 1997, and last airing on December 31, 1999. The show followed the loves and lives of the people living in a fictional coastal city named Sunset Beach, on the coast of California...	Vanessa Hart Vanessa Hart Vanessa Hart was a fictional character in the American soap opera Sunset Beach, portrayed by American actress Sherri Saum during the show's entire run.-Character history:...
1999	Beggars & Choosers Beggars and Choosers (TV series) Beggars and Choosers is a comedy-drama series broadcast by Showtime. Developed by Peter Lefcourt and Brandon Tartikoff, the series was a comedic, behind-the-scenes look at network television...	Casey Lennox
2000	Girlfriends Girlfriends Girlfriends is an American comedy-drama sitcom that premiered on September 11, 2000, on UPN and aired on UPN's successor network, The CW, before being cancelled in 2008...	Angela Anderson
2001	Charmed Charmed Charmed is an American television series that originally aired from October 7, 1998, until May 21, 2006, on the now defunct The WB Television Network. The series was created in 1998 by writer Constance M...	Ariel
2001–2003	One Life to Live One Life to Live One Life to Live is an American soap opera which debuted on July 15, 1968 and has been broadcast on the ABC television network. Created by Agnes Nixon, the series was the first daytime drama to primarily feature racially and socioeconomically diverse characters and consistently emphasize social...	Keri Reynolds
2003	Anne B. Real Anne B. Real Anne B. Real is a 2003 dramatic coming-of-age film by Lisa France and Luis Moro, starring David Zayaz, Carlos Leon, Janice Richardson, Jackie Quinones, Eric Smith, Geronimo Frias Jr, Ernie Hudson, Nesta Ward, and Sherri Saum.-Plot summary:...	Janet Gimenez
2003	Finding Home	Candace
2005	Law & Order: Trial by Jury Law & Order: Trial by Jury Law & Order: Trial by Jury is an American television drama about criminal trials set in New York City. It was the third spin-off from the long-running Law & Order. The show's almost exclusive focus was on the criminal trial of the accused, showing both the prosecution's and defense's preparation...	Tiffany Jackson
2005	Love & Suicide	Georgina
2006	Drift	Luna
2006	Love Monkey Love Monkey Love Monkey is a television series created by Michael Rauch and based on a book of the same name, by Kyle Smith. It starred Tom Cavanagh as a 30-something, single, record executive who navigated the tumultuous and highly amusing waters of work and dating in New York City.Its first episode aired on...	Daria - Temp
2006	Law & Order: Criminal Intent Law & Order: Criminal Intent Law & Order: Criminal Intent is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it was also primarily produced. Created and produced by Dick Wolf and René Balcer, the series premiered on September 30, 2001, as the second spin-off of Wolf's successful crime drama...	Lydia Wyatt
2006–2007	Rescue Me Rescue Me (TV series) Rescue Me is an American television drama series that premiered on the FX Network on July 21, 2004, and concluded on September 7, 2011. The series focuses on the professional and personal lives of a group of New York City firefighters in the fictitious Ladder 62 / Engine 99 firehouse.The show...	Natalie
2007	Army Wives Army Wives Army Wives is an American drama series that follows the lives of four army wives, their families, and an army husband whose wife is in the army. The series, shot at ABC Studios, premiered on Lifetime on June 3, 2007...	Vanessa Kelsing
2007	Primal Scream	Katrina
2009	In Treatment In Treatment In Treatment is an American HBO drama, produced and developed by Rodrigo Garcia, about a psychologist, 50-something Dr. Paul Weston, and his weekly sessions with patients, as well as those with his own therapist at the end of the week. The program, which stars Gabriel Byrne as Paul, debuted on...	Bess
2010	Heroes Heroes (TV series) Heroes is an American science fiction television drama series created by Tim Kring that appeared on NBC for four seasons from September 25, 2006 through February 8, 2010. The series tells the stories of ordinary people who discover superhuman abilities, and how these abilities take effect in the...	Kate (1 Episode)
2009–2010	Gossip Girl Gossip Girl (TV series) Gossip Girl is an American teen drama television series based on the book series of the same name written by Cecily von Ziegesar. The series was created by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, and premiered on The CW on September 19, 2007...	Holland Kemble

External links

• Profile of Sherri Saum by ABC for One Life To Live