Victoria Rowell

1960 - present. Born in Portland, Maine and raised in foster care, Victoria Rowell was best known for her portrayal of Drucilla in the daytime drama The Young and the Restless on CBS, and for her eight-season stint on the prime-time mystery Diagnosis Murder.

A professional dancer since the age of 17, Victoria received scholarships to the School of American Ballet, the American Ballet Theatre, and the Dance Theatre of Harlem. She also danced with the American Ballet Theatre II. 

Bill Cosby discovered her while she was auditioning for The Cosby Show, and she landed a recurring role in the series. She was later cast by him in Leonard Part VI. Other television credits include guest appearances in the prime time/ series The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Herman's Head, and the daytime dramas As the World Turns, on CBS, and One Life to Live. She also appeared with Eddie Murphy in the feature film The Distinguished Gentleman. 

Victoria, who was a foster child, founded the Rowell Foster Children's Fine Arts Scholarship Fund, which provides ballet classes for foster children.

In 2007, Victoria Rowell won Outstanding Debut Author for her literary work 'The Women Who Raised Me"

For more information, please visit: http://www.rowellfosterchildren.org/vcorner/index.html

Photo credit: Leslie Bohm