Rhondee Beriault

Rhondee Beriault was born in Portland Oregon. Raised in a family involved in Public Relations and Construction, and as the second oldest sibling with two brothers, with French, German and Swedish ancestry, she developed a diverse understanding in professional fields and an interest in the arts growing up. Born Deaf with a very good speaking ability aided by hearing aids in both ears, her skills were further enhanced by a cochlear implant later in adulthood. At the age of 9, she began practicing Martial Arts and earned a black belt by the age of 15. She graduated from Model Secondary School for the Deaf in Washington, D.C. in 1986 and then from the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in 1987, where she studied Ballet, Jazz and Tap. She later moved to New York City to further her dance studies. Rhondee's biggest break came in 1991 with the television series Quantum Leap on NBC, where she played the lead role of Diana Quinna, a deaf waitress and aspiring professional dancer, in the episode "Private Dancer" (S3E14). Her performance earned her an Emmy Award nomination. In 1993, she starred in a television movie The Sound and The Silence on TNT, where she played the lead role of Helen Keller. After overcoming adversity and taking a sabbatical to heal from a severe injury sustained in a car accident, she is now eagerly ready to return to the TV and film industry.