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Biography

Sela Ann Ward was born July 11, 1956, in Meridian, Mississippi. The oldest of 4 children -- with a sister and 2 brothers -- Sela (pronounced See-lah, it's an abbreviated form of Hallelujah) is the daughter of an electrical engineer and a homemaker. Her childhood was nothing short of ordinary for a beautiful girl growing up in the South. While a student at the University of Alabama, where she studied art and advertising, Sela was also a cheerleader for the football team, a sorority sister, and was elected homecoming queen. With her Bachelor of Fine Arts, Sela headed to New York to pursue a career in advertising, but after the striking, statuesque brunette was encouraged to become a model, she decided to try her hand at modeling. Ward was originally offered the role of Megan Donner on CSI:Miami and Susan Mayer on Desperate Housewives, but turned both down. The parts later went to Kim Delaney and Teri Hatcher, respectively. Ward says she does not want another lead role in an hour-long series due to the time away from her family it would require.She developed and produced a pilot for a half-hour situation comedy (in which she would also star) for CBS' 2006 season but it was not selected by the network for its roster.