Deanna Reed-Foster
Actor · Born May 28, 1970 (56) · Chicago, Illinois, USA
Actress Deanna Reed-Foster was born Deanna Kathleen Reed to Moses and Constance Reed on May 28, 1970 in Chicago, Illinois. Growing up on the south-side of Chicago with her older brother Curtis and her mother, she is a product of the Chicago Public School system. She attended Lindblom Technical H.S. where she first discovered her love of music. She sang with the chorus and competed in city and state choral and solo competitions. After high school, she continued singing and recorded with Mark Hubbard and The United Voices for Christ. She never thought of herself as an actor in her early years, but in 1995 she performed in her first professional stage play. Although she continued to sing she was bitten by the acting bug and realized she was more fulfilled by acting. She continued to perform in various plays in the Chicago area; later she would travel across the country and abroad. In 2004, she did her first production at the venerable Black Ensemble Theatre. Where she has continued to perform in various productions over the years. In 2005, she did her first feature film, "Roll Bounce" directed by Malcom Lee (Girls Trip) and in 2008 she received an Emmy award for her narration of "Fresh From Julianne's Garden: A Legacy In Bronze." In the years that followed she focused mainly on the stage while holding down a full-time job as a property manager. Then in 2013 she decided to follow her passion. She left the security of Corporate America and took a leap of faith to become a full-time actress. In that same year, she married Earl Foster. He has been her biggest supporter in her major career move. To further refine her talent, she received formal Meisner training at Gately Poole Acting Conservatory. In the years that followed, her career has gained momentum. She has appeared in several stage, TV and film projects. Most notably, she has a recurring role on "NBC's Chicago Fire." She appeared in the film "Southside With You" (Sundance 2016). In 2017, she was nominated for best supporting actress by the Joseph Jefferson awards for her role in the stage production of "Even Longer and Farther Away." Also in 2017, she worked with Oscar nominated director Steve McQueen and she is set to appear in Oscar nominated director Richard Linklater's "Last Flag Flying" alongside Laurence Fishburne as his wife. Deanna's faith in Christ is first and foremost in her life. She lives by the credo of "#LiveOnPurpose" and seeks to fulfill God's will and purpose for her life.
Read moreShow less
Biography from IMDb.
- May 28, 1970 (56)
- Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Actor
- 17 on MovieCove · 21 credits in all
What are Deanna Reed-Foster's films like?
Across their 7 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 1 · Earnest 5
A split, not a type: Light 3 · Serious 1 · Dark 2
Grounded 6 · Stylized 0 · Heightened 0
Gentle 1 · Charged 3 · Intense 2
Steady 1 · Shifting 5 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 2 · Some laughs 4 · Funny 0
Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 2 · Relentless 0
Casual 3 · Engaged 3 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 1 · Affecting 3 · Heavy 2
Resolved 4 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
- Happy1
- Bittersweet5
- Ambiguous1
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Deanna Reed-Foster's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 16 of their 17 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (5).
Subscription and free streaming for Deanna Reed-Foster's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
21 credits, 17 with a MovieCove page.
Viral (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)
The Vince Staples Show(2024)
Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all shows
Shining Girls(2022)
Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all shows
61st Street (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)
Christmas Again(2021)
Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films
South Side(2019)
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all shows
Widows(2018)
Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films
Joe Pera Talks with You(2018)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all shows
The Chi(2018)
Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all shows
Cold War(2017)
Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films
Last Flag Flying(2017)
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films
Rogers Park(2017)
Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films
Market Value(2017)
Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
A Chance in the World(2017)
Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films
Southside with You(2016)
Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films
Sense8(2015)
Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all shows
Chicago P.D.(2014)
Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all shows
Chicago Fire(2012)
Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all shows
Roll Bounce(2005)
Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films
The Evil One (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)
Whole (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
Star power in the 80th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 21 titles, 20 of them dated from 2005 to 2025; peak year 2016.
Biggest box office
Southside with You (2016)
Highest rated
Last Flag Flying (2017)
Most popular right now
The Vince Staples Show (2024)
Film career
Peak 2016 · steadily prominent in film for years. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.
- 2005Screen debut· Roll Bounce
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
How do Deanna Reed-Foster's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 62nd percentile, the median of all 9; across their 6 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 66th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up7
- 50th to 74th9
- 25th to 49th1
Shape of the crowd
5 of their 17 titles are Universally Loved.
- Universally Loved5
- Loved with Detractors1
- Divisive1
- Cult Classic2
- Crowd Pleaser4
- Mixed4
Reviewers score the acting 73/100 in their films, across 5 reviewed titles; fans 79, detractors 54. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is Deanna Reed-Foster's work okay for kids?
Across a limited sample of up to 3 MovieCove titles with content scores.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.
Who does Deanna Reed-Foster work with?
People who share at least 2 of Deanna Reed-Foster's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Vanessa Bell Calloway shares the most, 2.
Actors
- Vanessa Bell CallowayShared titles: The Vince Staples Show (2024), Southside with You (2016)See all 2 shared titles with Vanessa Bell Calloway
- Antoine McKayShared titles: Cold War (2017), Rogers Park (2017)See all 2 shared titles with Antoine McKay
- Sara SevignyShared titles: Cold War (2017), Rogers Park (2017)See all 2 shared titles with Sara Sevigny
