Dawn-Lyen Gardner

Dawn-Lyen Gardner is an American actress known for her leading role as Charley Bordelon West in the Oprah Winfrey Network drama series Queen Sugar. Born in Los Angeles, California, Gardner has an African-American father and a Chinese mother. She graduated from Los Angeles County High School for the Arts in 1999 and later attended Juilliard School, where she graduated in 2003. Gardner began her acting career with recurring roles on Viper and ER, and later appeared on stage in productions like For Colored Girls and The Seagull. She has also made guest appearances on television shows such as Crossing Jordan, Bones, and Heroes.