Renee Lawless

Renee Lawless was a celebrated theater performer before breaking into television, thanks to a powerful co-sign from Tyler Perry and Oprah Winfrey. Lawless was born on November 30, 1960, in Knoxville, TN. When she was nine, her family relocated to Jacksonville, FL. After an undergrad stint at Stetson University, Lawless obtained her masters degree in vocal performance at the University of Cincinnati. Lawless soon found herself in demand in the theater world: she appeared in national touring productions of "Beauty and the Beast" and "Wicked," as well as Broadway stage productions of "Menopause: The Musical," "My Fair Lady," and "Nine." She first tried to break into the world of television with a part on Dolly Parton's sitcom "Heavens to Betsy" (CBS, 1994), but the show never made it to air. However, her patience paid off a decade later, when she appeared as herself in a 2014 episode of "The Tyler Perry Show" (TBS, 2009-). Apparently she made such an impression on the entertainment impresario that he cast her in her most high-profile role yet, as Katherine Cryer on the syndicated soap opera "The Haves and the Have Nots" (OWN, 2013-), broadcast on the TV network run by Oprah Winfrey.