Sharon Elizabeth Lawrence ’83
Sharon Lawrence is an acclaimed actress who is well-known for her Emmy Award-nominated and SAG Award-winning portrayal of assistant district attorney Sylvia Costas in the popular television show “NYPD Blue.” Over the course of her career, she has appeared in nearly 120 films and television series, including roles in “Desperate Housewives,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “One Tree Hill,” “Shameless”, “Dynasty,” and “Joe Pickett.” Lawrence is also an accomplished stage actress whose credits include Broadway’s “Chicago” and the revivals of “Cabaret” and “Fiddler on the Roof.”
Lawrence’s first professional stage performance was with PlayMakers Repertory Company, and she has shown great generosity in sharing her talents with students at Carolina over the years. She is a collaborator and contributor to the Department of Communication’s Hollywood Internship Program, which for the past 30 years has sent up to 20 students to Los Angeles each summer to work with entertainment industry professionals and gain meaningful career-building experience.
In addition, Lawrence has personally mentored dozens of students and facilitated introductions of students to key executives in the entertainment industry. She has served as a guest lecturer for the Department of Dramatic Art, and she regularly participates in campus activities, such as meeting with students in the Writing for Stage and Screen program to offer feedback on how to write and develop complex female characters.
A former chair of the Women in Film Foundation, Lawrence currently serves as vice president of the SAG-AFTRA Foundation, a nonprofit organization that provides career and educational support to performing artists.
