Biography
Jayma Mays is an American actress. Born Jamia Suzette Mays on 16 July 1979 in Bristol, Tennessee, she was raised in Grundy, Virginia. She earned an associate degree from Southwest Virginia Community College and a BA in theatre from Radford University.
Mays made her screen debut in 2004 on the series Joey. She is known for her role as Emma Pillsbury in the musical series Glee (2009–2015), as Charlie Andrews in Heroes (2006–2010), and for film roles including Cynthia in Red Eye (2005), Amy in Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009) and Grace Winslow in The Smurfs (2011) and its 2013 sequel. She has also appeared in The Millers (2013–2014) and Trial & Error (2017–2018).
In 2025 she joined the cast of the Netflix series Leanne as Mary.
