Grace Byers Biography: Husband, Age, Parents, Children, Net Worth, Movies, Height, Ethnicity
Biography
Grace Byers (née Gealey) is a Caymanian-American actress, author, and activist.
Born in Butler, Pennsylvania, she was raised in the Cayman Islands by her Caymanian parents before returning to the U.S. at age 18. She earned a B.A. in Theater Arts from the University of South Florida and an M.F.A. in Acting from the University of California, Irvine.
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Byers gained widespread recognition for her breakout role as Anika Calhoun in the hit Fox series Empire (2015–2018), earning an NAACP Image Award nomination.
She has also starred as Reeva Payge in Marvel’s The Gifted, appeared in films like The Blackening (2022), and featured in projects such as Bent and Tales. As an author, she wrote the New York Times bestselling children’s book I Am Enough (a Goodreads Choice Awards winner), inspired by her experiences as a multicultural, biracial Child of Deaf Adults (CODA) and her advocacy against bullying.
She volunteers with the anti-bullying organization Saving Our Daughters. Byers has been married to actor Trai Byers since 2016, and they have one child. She resides in Los Angeles and continues to work across acting, writing, and advocacy.
| Caymanian-American actress | |
| Grace Byers | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Wiki Facts & About Data | |
| Real Name: | Grace Byers-Gealey |
| Stage Name: | Grace Byers |
| Born: | 26 July 1984 (age 41 years old) |
| Place of Birth: | Butler, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Nationality: | American, Caymanian |
| Education: | University of South Florida, University of California, Irvine |
| Height: | 165 cm |
| Parents: | Cheryl McCoy-Gealey |
| Siblings: | Faith Gealey-Brown |
| Spouse: | Trai Byers (m. 2016) |
| Boyfriend • Partner: | Not Dating |
| Children: | 1 |
| Occupation: | Actress • Activist • Author |
| Net Worth: | $2 million (USD) |
Early Life & Education
Grace Byers, born Grace Lillis Gealey on July 26, 1984, in Butler, Pennsylvania, USA, is a Caymanian-American actress.
She relocated with her family to the Cayman Islands—her mother’s homeland—at around age 2 and spent her formative years there before returning to the United States at 18 to pursue higher education.
Raised as a Child of Deaf Adults (CODA), Byers communicated with her parents primarily through American Sign Language. Her family background is interracial and multicultural: her mother, Cheryl McCoy Gealey, is Afro-Caribbean from the Cayman Islands and became deaf after contracting pneumonia, while her father, an American of European descent, was born deaf.
The couple later divorced. Growing up biracial with deaf parents shaped her early experiences, including instances of bullying that would later influence her advocacy and writing. Byers has one older sister, Faith Gealey-Brown.
She is a practicing Christian and often draws on her faith for strength and inspiration in her personal and professional life.
For her education, Byers earned a Bachelor’s degree in Theater Arts from the University of South Florida in Tampa. She went on to complete a Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) in Acting at the University of California, Irvine.
Career
Grace Byers began her career in theater after earning an MFA in Acting from the University of California, Irvine. She performed in Off-Broadway shows in New York City, including Venus Flytrap and Rent, and appeared in national commercials, short films, and stage productions.
She later moved to Chicago to join its lively theater community, taking roles in plays like The Misanthrope and Tartuffe in 2013. Her big break came when she was cast as Anika Calhoun in the Fox drama series Empire (2015–2018), her first network television role, which brought her wide recognition, including an NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.
After Empire, Byers played Reeva Payge, a main villain, in the Marvel series The Gifted (2018–2019) on Fox. She made her feature film debut in the indie thriller Bent (2018) as Kate, a jazz singer and lounge owner.
Her other screen credits include guest roles in Tales (2019) and starring roles in The Blackening (2022), a comedy-horror film, and The Retirement Plan (2023). More recently, Byers has continued to succeed on television.
She played Quinn Joseph in the Amazon Prime Video comedy series Harlem (2021–2025) as a series regular. She also appeared as Katherine ‘Boz’ Bosworth in Phoenix (2024) and has upcoming projects such as Wife Stalker (2025), in which she plays Piper.
In addition to acting, Byers is a successful children’s book author and advocate. Inspired by her own experiences with bullying as a biracial Child of Deaf Adults, she wrote the New York Times bestselling picture book I Am Enough (2018), which won the Goodreads Choice Award for Picture Book.
She followed it with I Believe I Can (2020) and continues to promote self-acceptance, kindness, and anti-bullying through her writing and volunteer work with groups like Saving Our Daughters.
Social Media
- Wikipedia: Grace Byers
- IMDb: Grace Byers
- Instagram: Grace Byers (@ladygracebyers)
Personal Life
Grace Byers, born on July 26, 1984, is 41 years old.
She has been married once, to actor Trai Byers, whom she met on the set of Empire in 2015. The couple became engaged later that year and married in a private ceremony on Grand Cayman Island on April 14, 2016.
They remain married with no public indications of separation or divorce. Grace and Trai welcomed their first child, a son, in 2022.
The couple announced the birth several months later but have chosen to keep their child’s name and most details private. She stands at 5 feet 5 inches (165 cm) tall.
Net Worth
Grace Byers‘ net worth is estimated at $2 million as of recent reports (with some sources citing up to $3 million in earlier years).
Her primary income sources include her acting roles, most notably her breakout performance as Anika Calhoun on Empire (2015–2018), where she appeared in over 60 episodes, followed by starring parts in The Gifted (2018–2019), Harlem (2021–2025) on Amazon Prime Video, and films such as The Blackening (2022).
Additional earnings stem from her successful children’s books, including the New York Times bestseller I Am Enough (2018) and its follow-up, I Believe I Can (2020), as well as endorsement opportunities and advocacy work.
As a working actress and author in Hollywood, her wealth reflects steady career progress since her mid-2010s rise to fame, though she maintains a relatively private lifestyle focused on family and philanthropy.
Filmography
Film Roles
- Caesar and Otto’s Summer Camp Massacre (2009) – Chip (debut feature)
- Destination Planet Negro (2013) – B-12
- Jayhawkers (2014) – Nathan Davis
- Selma (2014) – James Forman (civil rights leader in the Oscar-nominated historical drama)
- Americons (2015/2017) – Theo Jones
- Bent (2018) – Chuck
- The 24th (2020) – Boston (lead role; also co-writer and producer)
Television Roles
- All My Children (2011) – Early soap opera appearance
- 90210 (2011) – Guest role
- Empire (2015–2020) – Andre Lyon (breakout series regular)
- Harlem (2021–2023) – Keith (recurring/guest across seasons)
- Wife Stalker (2025) – Leo (TV movie; stars alongside his wife Grace Byers as Piper)
What People Ask
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