- published: 01 Mar 2012
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Jayma Suzette Mays (born Jamia Suzette Mays; July 16, 1979) is an American actress and singer. Mays' most prominent roles include that of Emma Pillsbury on the American television series Glee, recurring appearances on Ugly Betty, and Charlie Andrews on Heroes.
Mays was born in Bristol, Tennessee and raised in Grundy, Virginia, the daughter of Paulette (née Norris) and James Mays, a high school teacher who also worked in the coal mining industry. Mays' interests as a child ranged from singing to mathematics. At the age of 15, Jayma was offered a job working on the local radio station reading the obituaries. After graduating from Grundy High School, she earned an associate's degree from Southwest Virginia Community College. Mays then attended Virginia Tech for a year before transferring to Radford University, graduating in 2001 with a degree in theatre.
In 2004, she made her first television appearance on Joey. The following year, she made her feature film debut with a supporting role in Red Eye. Mays's other credits include Six Feet Under, The Comeback, Entourage, Stacked, How I Met Your Mother, Heroes, Pushing Daisies where she played both Elsita and her mother Elsa in episode four, Ghost Whisperer, and Ugly Betty. Jayma was in other movies, such as Bar Starz, Flags of Our Fathers and Blind Guy Driving. She starred in the spoof film Epic Movie and as Amy in Paul Blart: Mall Cop. She was a patient on House in the episode "Sleeping Dogs Lie" in 2006. She stars in the 2007 music video for the song "Awakening" by Switchfoot alongside her husband Adam Campbell.