Tracee Ellis Ross first gained recognition as the daughter of Diana Ross. Of course, she has crafted a career as a hugely successful actress in her own right. Ross first debuted on-screen in 1996 and gained widespread public recognition with her role in the hit modern sitcom Girlfriends. The show ran for eight seasons, from 2000 to 2008, and quickly proved Ross was a talent that was here to stay.



After Girlfriends ended, Ross starred in a handful of films and TV shows to moderate success. It wasn’t, however, until her starring role in ABC’s black-ish that Ross would burst into the spotlight. Running for eight seasons, black-ish was an award-winning series that followed an upper middle class Black family, with Ross and Anthony Anderson as the mother and father. Ross’ next project is the title role in the upcoming Daria spinoff movie Jodie. According to Variety, the cast also include William Jackson Harper, Zosia Mamet, and Kal Penn. As we await further details, let’s look at her five best performances, ranked.

5 Reed Between the Lines

Reed Between the Lines starred Ross as Carla alongside Malcolm Jamal Warner as Alex Reed. The two are psychologists who navigate the line between their personal and professional lives while living in New York City. Ross succeeded in the show, and after she left, the show was canceled 9 episodes later, proving the impact she had on it. Carla discovers that her father leads a secret life, which prompts her to leave for Los Angeles. The success of the show depended on Ross, and it went downhill after she left. In an interview with Essence, Ross cited scheduling conflicts and uncertainty on BET’s part as the reason for her exit.

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4 The High Note

The High Note was released in 2020 and sees Ross star in a leading role as Grace Davis. The film was set to present a huge opportunity for Ross, with a theatrical release planned; however, this was interrupted with the onset of COVID-19 and the theater closures that accompanied it. Ross plays a successful R&B singer in a commanding role that sees the character reinvent her public image after her career faces some issues due to a lack of new material. The film is directed by Nisha Ganatra and also stars Dakota Johnson, Kelvin Harrison Jr., and Ice Cube in different roles. It’s a strong performance that likely would have received much more attention given different worldly circumstances.

3 Five

Five is a film that features women who are struggling with breast cancer and are attempting to keep their lives as normal as possible while combating the illness. It focuses on five different stories and seeks to raise awareness of the impact of the illness. Ross co-stars alongside Rosario Dawson and Jennifer Lewis in the chapter called “Lily,” which was directed by Alicia Keys. This chapter of Five portrays the tender relationship between mother and daughter, which is deepened after breast cancer becomes a part of their lives. Everyone involved was highly applauded for their efforts, and they created a very moving film.

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2 Girlfriends

Girlfriends represented a huge opportunity for Ross back in the 2000s. She played the character of Joan Clayton, who became a widely beloved character, catapulting Ross into the spotlight in her own right. The series ran from 2000-2008 and follows the lives of four women best friends: Joan, Toni (Jill Marie Jones), Maya (Golden Brooks), and Lynn (Persia White). The series focuses on how they navigate life including their relationships, friendships, and career triumphs and struggles. Girlfriends was a huge success and propelled Ross’ career to new height, and she also earned several awards for her compelling performance.

1 black-ish

black-ish is perhaps Ross’ most popular role to date and represented another high-point in her career. She portrayed Rainbow Johnson / Bea on the ABC hit series, which challenges racial stereotypes, showing how Bea and Dre (Anthony Anderson) raise their children in a mainly white, upper-class neighborhood. The show was so acclaimed and popular that it produced two spin-offs, mixed-ish and grown-ish, both of which Ross has starred in.