Paula Patton

Paula Maxine Patton (born December 5, 1975) is a highly acclaimed American actress and producer. Patton first came into limelight with her feature film debut in the 2005 comedy Hitch. Following her successful debut, she has had starring roles in hits like Déjà Vu (2006), Precious (2009), Jumping the Broom (2011), Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011), 2 Guns (2013), Warcraft (2016), and Sacrifice (2019). Interestingly, Patton was also involved in the music industry where she provided additional vocals for Usher's 2004 album Confessions and wrote songs for multiple Robin Thicke albums under the name 'Max', derived from her middle name. Patton's significant break came in 2006 when she secured the pivotal female lead role of Claire Kuchever in the science fiction thriller Déjà Vu alongside Denzel Washington. The film was a box office hit, grossing over US$180 million worldwide. Patton's career soared as she took on diverse roles across different genres: from the comedy-drama Swing Vote, supernatural horror film Mirrors to critically acclaimed drama film Precious where she played Ms. Blu Rain, a dedicated teacher. Furthermore, Patton has made her foray into the television space when she was cast in the NBC crime drama series, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and later on as lead character in the ABC drama series Somewhere Between. Even at present, she continues to contribute significantly to the film and television industry.