About Amber Riley
Amber Patrice Riley (born February 15, 1986), sometimes known mononymously as Riley (stylized in all caps), is an American actress, singer and songwriter. She is best known for her portrayal of Mercedes Jones on the Fox comedy-drama series Glee (2009–2015), for which she was nominated for three NAACP Image Awards, and won a shared Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series. As a member of the Glee cast, Riley charted over 200 entries on the Billboard Hot 100, and was nominated for a Grammy Award. In 2016, Riley originated the lead role of Effie White in the West End debut of Dreamgirls. For her work, she won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical and Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Musical Performance in 2017. Riley won the 17th season of Dancing with the Stars (2013). In 2017, Riley formed a musical theatre supergroup with Beverley Knight and Cassidy Janson, known collectively as Leading Ladies and signed to East West Records/Warner. Their album, Songs from the Stage, was released on November 17, 2017 and debuted within the top 20 of the UK Albums Chart. She also participated on the American and British versions of The Masked Singer, winning the 8th season of the American version, and being a finalist in the 4th season of the British version. She voices the character Ursula in the Disney Jr. animated series Ariel, for which she received a nomination for the Children's and Family Emmy Awards for Outstanding Voice Performer in a Preschool Program. For her performance on the series, she was nominated for three NAACP Image Awards, and won a shared Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series. As a member of the cast, Riley charted over 200 entries on the Billboard Hot 100, and was nominated for a Grammy Award.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.