# Tawny Cypress
**Tawny Cypress** (born 1976) is an American actress known for playing Simone Deveaux on NBC's superhero series *Heroes* and adult Taissa Turner on Showtime's *Yellowjackets*, a role she has held since 2021.[1](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/34066-tawny-cypress) • [2](https://www.paramountplus.com/sneak-peak/yellowjackets-cast/) Born in Point Pleasant, New Jersey, she has worked in television and film since the late 1990s and has also appeared in stage plays.[1](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/34066-tawny-cypress) • [3](https://www.netflixmovies.com/s/actor/tawny-cypress)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1976, Point Pleasant, New Jersey, United States[1](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/34066-tawny-cypress) |
| Breakout role | Simone Deveaux, an art dealer on NBC's *Heroes* (2006–2007), 13 episodes[1](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/34066-tawny-cypress) • [4](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/15431/tawny-cypress) |
| Current lead role | Adult Taissa Turner on *Yellowjackets* (Showtime/Paramount+, 2021–2026), 33 episodes through season 4[4](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/15431/tawny-cypress) • [5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0194241/) |
| Other series regular roles | Ginger "Love Tap" LeBeau on *K-Ville* (2007); Cherie Rollins-Murray on *Unforgettable* (26 episodes); Carly Heath on *House of Cards* (5 episodes); Nez Rowan on *The Blacklist: Redemption* (8 episodes)[4](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/15431/tawny-cypress) |
| Training | Boston University, Westminster Choir College, Rutgers University's Mason Gross School of the Arts, and the William Esper Studio in New York City[6](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/tawny-cypress/) |
| Family | Her older brother, Toby Cypress, is a comic book artist known for the 2006 graphic novel *The Tourist*[6](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/tawny-cypress/) |
## Early life and training
Cypress was born in Point Pleasant, New Jersey, the second child of an African-American and Native American father and a Hungarian and German mother.[6](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/tawny-cypress/) She studied at [Boston University](https://www.edgepedia.org/boston-university) and later at [Westminster Choir College](https://www.edgepedia.org/westminster-choir-college) in Princeton before winning a place at [Rutgers University](https://www.edgepedia.org/rutgers-university)'s Mason Gross School of the Arts. There she met the acting teacher Barbara Marchant, under whose tutelage she continued her training at the William Esper Studio in New York City.[6](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/tawny-cypress/) An Encyclopedia.com career entry also lists commercial work in this period, including advertisements for Secret deodorant, Ford cars, Dockers, Excedrin, Lexus, MCI, and Olive Garden.[7](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/cypress-tawny-1976)
## Early television career
Cypress began in daytime television, making a name for herself as Professor Shambala Stevens on the ABC soap *All My Children* before moving into primetime.[6](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/tawny-cypress/) A 2000 guest appearance on *NYPD Blue* led to her first major film role in *Autumn in New York* (2000), [Joan Chen](https://www.edgepedia.org/joan-chen)'s directorial debut starring [Richard Gere](https://www.edgepedia.org/richard-gere) and [Winona Ryder](https://www.edgepedia.org/winona-ryder).[6](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/tawny-cypress/) Her first regular primetime role was Cassandra Rodriguez on Sidney Lumet's courtroom drama *100 Centre Street* (A&E, 2001–2002), followed by a semi-recurring part as Assistant District Attorney Sharon Burns on NBC's *Third Watch*.[6](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/tawny-cypress/) • [7](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/cypress-tawny-1976)
**Series regular roles.** In 2006 Cypress joined the cast of *[Heroes](https://www.edgepedia.org/heroes-american-tv-series)*, NBC's widely followed serial about ordinary people with extraordinary abilities, as Simone Deveaux, an art dealer and the girlfriend of the precognitive painter Isaac Mendez.[6](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/tawny-cypress/) • [4](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/15431/tawny-cypress) She then starred as police officer Ginger "Love Tap" LeBeau on the Fox drama *K-Ville* (2007), set in post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans.[1](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/34066-tawny-cypress) Later regular and recurring parts included Cherie Rollins-Murray during seasons two and three of CBS's *Unforgettable* (26 episodes), Carly Heath on Netflix's *House of Cards*, and the mercenary Nez Rowan on both *The Blacklist* and its spin-off *The Blacklist: Redemption*.[3](https://www.netflixmovies.com/s/actor/tawny-cypress) • [4](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/15431/tawny-cypress)
Her film work in this period included [Oliver Stone](https://www.edgepedia.org/oliver-stone)'s *World Trade Center* (2006), *Brooklyn's Finest* (2009), and the horror film *Steve Niles' Remains* (2011).[6](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/tawny-cypress/) • [5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0194241/) In 2011 BET Networks announced production of its original television movie *Gun Hill*, a cop drama starring [Larenz Tate](https://www.edgepedia.org/larenz-tate) in a dual role alongside Cypress and [Aisha Hinds](https://www.edgepedia.org/aisha-hinds), written and directed by Reggie "Rock" Bythewood; Cypress played Andrea Logan.[8](https://ir.paramount.com/static-files/5106e767-e162-4711-9fef-d1f194d0cf20) • [5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0194241/)
## Yellowjackets
Since 2021 Cypress has played adult Taissa Turner on *Yellowjackets*, Showtime's survival drama created by Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson, which follows a girls' high-school soccer team stranded after a 1996 plane crash and the same survivors roughly 25 years later.[4](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/15431/tawny-cypress) • [2](https://www.paramountplus.com/sneak-peak/yellowjackets-cast/) Most central characters are played by two actors across the two timelines; [Jasmin Savoy Brown](https://www.edgepedia.org/jasmin-savoy-brown) plays teen Taissa while Cypress plays the adult, a determined figure who channels that energy into a political career as a New Jersey state senator candidate.[2](https://www.paramountplus.com/sneak-peak/yellowjackets-cast/) • [9](https://time.com/6114326/yellowjackets-review-showtime/) A *Time* review described Taissa's present-day storyline as "a political thriller tinged with horror," and noted that her campaign threatens to put the women's shared past under a microscope.[9](https://time.com/6114326/yellowjackets-review-showtime/)
Cypress is part of the show's core adult ensemble with [Melanie Lynskey](https://www.edgepedia.org/melanie-lynskey) (Shauna), [Christina Ricci](https://www.edgepedia.org/christina-ricci) (Misty), and [Juliette Lewis](https://www.edgepedia.org/juliette-lewis) (Natalie).[10](https://newsroom.hasbro.com/node/32491/pdf) In interviews she has engaged with the show's fan theories; when asked about speculation that Shauna's baby would be eaten by the survivors, she told *Entertainment Weekly*, "They're not going to eat the baby... But beheading dogs? Totally," a nod to her own character's season 1 transgressions.[11](https://time.com/6264459/yellowjackets-season-2-questions/)
The series has continued through a fourth and final season, announced by Showtime in October 2025, premiering November 20, 2026 on [Paramount+](https://www.edgepedia.org/paramount) with Cypress among the returning cast.[12](https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/tv-shows/yellowjackets-season-4/) • [13](https://www.paramountplus.com/sneak-peak/yellowjackets-season-4-everything-you-need-to-know/) Across seasons 1 through 3 she was credited in 29 episodes, with four more listed for season 4.[4](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/15431/tawny-cypress) • [5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0194241/)
## Recent work
Beyond *Yellowjackets*, Cypress's recent credits include a recurring guest role as Vanessa on *The Equalizer* (2022, 2 episodes), Naia on *Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector* (2020, 5 episodes), and the title role of Inez in the 2019 film *Inez & Doug & Kira*.[4](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/15431/tawny-cypress) • [3](https://www.netflixmovies.com/s/actor/tawny-cypress) She returned to the *Law & Order* franchise in 2024 and 2025 as Erin Grassley, a character she had first played in a 2024 episode.[4](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/15431/tawny-cypress) IMDb also lists her in the post-production television series *Die Trying* as Julia.[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0194241/)
## References
1. [Tawny Cypress, The Movie Database (TMDB)](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/34066-tawny-cypress)
2. [Meet The Cast Of Yellowjackets, Paramount+ Sneak Peak](https://www.paramountplus.com/sneak-peak/yellowjackets-cast/)
3. [Tawny Cypress Movies on Netflix, NetflixMovies.com](https://www.netflixmovies.com/s/actor/tawny-cypress)
4. [Tawny Cypress, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/15431/tawny-cypress)
5. [Tawny Cypress, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0194241/)
6. [Tawny Cypress, Actress, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/tawny-cypress/)
7. [Cypress, Tawny 1976–, Encyclopedia.com (Contemporary Theatre, Film and Television)](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/cypress-tawny-1976)
8. [BET Networks Begins Production on Original Film, "Gun Hill," Paramount press release (September 7, 2011)](https://ir.paramount.com/static-files/5106e767-e162-4711-9fef-d1f194d0cf20)
9. [Showtime Survival Thriller 'Yellowjackets' Is the Best New Show in Months, Time](https://time.com/6114326/yellowjackets-review-showtime/)
10. [eOne's Yellowjackets Premieres November 14th at 10/9c on Showtime, Hasbro Newsroom](https://newsroom.hasbro.com/node/32491/pdf)
11. [8 Questions That Yellowjackets Needs to Answer in Season 2, Time](https://time.com/6264459/yellowjackets-season-2-questions/)
12. [Buzz Buzz! 'Yellowjackets' Fourth and Final Season Premieres This Fall, Marie Claire](https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/tv-shows/yellowjackets-season-4/)
13. [Yellowjackets Season 4: Everything You Need To Know, Paramount+ Sneak Peak](https://www.paramountplus.com/sneak-peak/yellowjackets-season-4-everything-you-need-to-know/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 2000s onward › Surnames Co to C*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 20, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 20, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license