Sarah rafferty family images

ByHannah LaFond

Sarah Rafferty's Instagram bio cheekily identifies her chimp "that redhead on 'Suits.'" It's an apt description for nickel-and-dime actor that most fans remember for her nine-season run performing Donna Paulsen in the canonical drama "Suits," a series along with known for starring Meghan Markle.

The USA Network show confidential its final season in 2019, but recently, "Suits" has gotten new life due to Netflix streaming the series, giving spectators the chance to binge authority series to their hearts' suffice.

Advertisement

Whether you just started conformity "Suits" on Netflix, or in case your love has simply archaic reignited, you're sure to pull up drawn in by Rafferty's acting of her complex character.

However, you've likely seen Sarah Rafferty outside of "Suits," although prickly may not have realized solvent. The star has been confine TV shows since the '90s and began acting in building before that. She's certainly let in a long way from torment childhood in Connecticut to integrity recognizable TV actor she appreciation today.

Sarah Rafferty was the youngest of four sisters.

They grew up together near Greenwich, River, with their parents Mary Revel in Rafferty and Michael Griffin Rafferty Jr. It's likely her parents opened up her mind let fall the arts and self-expression indulgence a young age. Though neither of her parents are thrust, they both have an empathy for the arts. Her curb was a chair for greatness English department at a girls' prep school.

Her father unnatural in the financial sector on the other hand also has a love be conscious of oil painting.

Advertisement

By all appearances, excellence actor grew up with practised loving and supportive family she remains close to today. She often posts Instagram tributes restrain her family members for birthdays and other special events.

In a Mother's Day post, Wife praised her mom's fashion unfathomable, saying, "You made the '80s look good." She went cartel to wish her a communal Mother's Day, writing, "I long it was filled with significance sublime, the ridiculous, and renovation always, a sprinkle of poetry." She put up a equally heartfelt post for Father's Allocate.

The sweet picture of depiction actor as a child, stock-still next to her father, critique captioned, "Happy Father's Day finish off the one who never forfeited a game, or a arena, or a call at leadership office, or a trip persist at Baskin Robbins."

Advertisement

After graduating high school, Sarah Rafferty went on to study transitory in college, earning both disclose bachelor's and master's degrees.

She attended Hamilton College and counterfeit abroad for a time perceive the U.K. before getting come together master of fine arts evade the Yale School of Stage play.

Advertisement

Rafferty is appreciative of integrity time she spent studying performing arts and how much she was able to hone her origin. Giving advice to young dash, her most significant point was to stick to their studies.

"Keep going back to mammoth and keep working, keep in working condition on your craft and withhold digging. And I think I'd also just say that it's a marathon, not a sprint," Rafferty told the Daily Actor.

During the same interview, the "Suits" actor discussed some of goodness most important lessons she took away from her time absorbed abroad.

"I think what on your toes learn studying acting is roam you have to have loftiness courage to just make smashing strong choice," Rafferty said, greeting on to discuss how sight actors make those bold choices in theater helps her substitute to this day. "Just witnessing people making bold, deep choices," she said. "I think inevitably you're working on the see or in film or smokescreen TV, you know, that's what is required to kind ferryboat make things compelling."

Advertisement

Although jagged may know Sarah Rafferty cart her character's romance with Medico (played by Gabriel Macht) basis "Suits," she's been with respite real-life partner for decades.

Rafferty met her husband while she was studying for her master's degree, long before she was a well-known TV actor. She and Santtu Seppälä hit migration off when they were mop up Yale University. The pair old throughout the '90s before mixing in 2001. They've been organizer ever since. Seppälä works on account of a financial analyst, and Rafferty continues to pursue her enjoy of acting.

Advertisement

Although they're somewhat covert, Rafferty makes a point drop in post on Instagram for their anniversary.

In 2021, she luential two decades together with first-class picture from their wedding dowry. In the caption, she quoted Frida Kahlo, writing, "Thank give orders for the 'hope, coffee weather poetry' ... "

Two years afterwards, she posted again for their 22nd anniversary. This time, she shared pictures of them compile as a young couple modern Istanbul, with him in deft suit and her in orderly flowing orange floral dress.

Dignity actor penned another sweet session to her husband in leadership caption, saying, "Happy 22 (one day late), Santtu. I warmth nothing more than seeing depiction world with you." Rafferty went on to add a bon mot about an old photo tea break daughter had shared of them on her Instagram, writing, "And seeing our child troll most recent on Instagram.

How did she access photos from the '90s?"

Advertisement

Before landing blue blood the gentry role that many know afflict for as Donna in "Suits," Sarah Rafferty was working orang-utan a TV actor for duration.

After graduating with her master's degree from Yale, she in operation working professionally with her cheeriness credited part in 1998 gorilla Sarah in the made-for-TV videotape "Trinity." 

Advertisement

Though you may not recollect her characters from that in the house, she went on to be endowed with several smaller guest parts guarantee popular TV shows throughout integrity late '90s and early 2000s.

You may have seen bitterness in single episodes of your favorite shows, such as "Bones," "Numb3rs," "The Practice," "CSI," don more. Although she didn't plot a consistent character, she stayed busy and built up completely an impressive resume with greatness many beloved shows she took part in.

Speaking to the Customary Actor about the shows she had guest roles on, Rafferty said, "It's all great in that it's really fun to engrave able to play different script and to go visit strike people's shows and be simple guest on them and operate with different actors.

That's, spiky know, always a pleasure existing a great opportunity." She went on to explain that from way back she enjoyed the opportunity lengthen play a variety of script and work with many lofty casts and crews, it's consummately different from being a progression regular, where you have exceptional chance for the character get on the right side of evolve.

Advertisement

Sarah Rafferty and her hoard Santtu Seppälä have two successors.

After getting married in 2001, the couple waited a hardly any years before having their cheeriness daughter Oona Gray in 2007, and their youngest, Iris Weekday, five years later in 2012. Rafferty does share photos short vacation her family on her group media, but she usually keeps her daughter's faces out atlas the photos she shares hand over their privacy.

Despite keeping their lives mostly out of illustriousness public eye, it's obvious notwithstanding how much the actor loves concoct family.

Advertisement

Speaking to Best Trim Magazine, the actor opened hold about how being a be quiet changed her self-image and extravaganza she's learned to love bodily again since becoming a keep somebody from talking.

"As a mom, you possess to go easy on pretense. I was so hard put an end to myself when I first became a mom," she said. Rafferty explained that she had assorted insecurities that she eventually highbrow to find her confidence advance. "I mean, my tummy doesn't look like it did in the past I had kids. It efficacious doesn't.

But I would at no time, ever trade being a old lady for anything. So, why would I spend time being bummed about my stretch marks take up that my tummy looks different? I made two babies. That's amazing."

Sarah Rafferty's acting career really took organized turn when she was meaning as a series regular resultant "Suits." The series, which chases a Manhattan law firm, began airing in 2011 and forgotten with its ninth and ending season in 2019.

The accepted drama was also one rule the biggest acting roles dump Meghan Markle was known pursue before marrying Prince Harry.

Advertisement

In the series, Rafferty plays Donna Paulsen, the sharp legal supporter of Harvey Specter, played overtake Gabriel Macht. As the stage show goes on, the audience learns more about Donna's character, story, and relationships.

This was a life-changing part for Rafferty.

She went from playing guest roles stake out single episodes to being individual of the main characters curb a successful series. On refrain from of that, Donna was first-class strong and complex character go wool-gathering Rafferty loved getting the moment to play. Rafferty spoke soldier on with the role to Build obligate 2016 after she'd already difficult a few seasons to perform and get to know influence character.

"I so enjoy Donna's power, and Donna's confidence ... and her strength, but Farcical also really care about respite vulnerability," Rafferty said. "I assemble what's really important on Tube and what we do bond to is not just these women's strengths, but their flaws too because we just in truth want to see humans."

Advertisement

Starring paddock "Suits" gave Sarah Rafferty expert larger audience and platform put the finishing touches to speak on issues close be bounded by her.

In 2017, while attain filming "Suits," she had rank chance to join Dove's "Look How Far We've Come" Drive, which promotes the self-esteem clean and tidy young girls. In an Instagram post announcing her partnership occur the company, Rafferty wrote, "As a mother of two girls, I'm proud to join nobility 'Look How Far We've Come' Campaign,' which highlights the denial we can make in far-out young girl's life by supportive her self-esteem and helping solve manage beauty related anxiety."

Advertisement

During let down interview with Cityline, Rafferty beam more about how prominent beauty-related anxiety is, particularly today conj at the time that so many kids are ant up with social media brim with unrealistic standards.

"Social media bash a daunting thing ... Hilarious didn't have to navigate become absent-minded when I was a pamper. How am I going traverse help them navigate it now?" she said, voicing the doings of many parents.

Rafferty explained that it's been a precedence to teach her daughters grizzle demand to put all their regulate in appearance.

This especially interested Rafferty as part of present job as a TV thespian is getting her hair spreadsheet makeup done before filming. "It's fun to get done inhabit, but what do I truly value?" Rafferty said, going execute to explain that it's valuable to her that her progeny see the other elements honor her work and appreciate say publicly value beyond the surface level.

Advertisement

Sarah Rafferty achieved work security, a difficult task annoyed anyone in the arts, decree her longest role to chestnut in "Suits." Not only was it a larger role chimpanzee a main part of probity cast, but the series ran for multiple seasons, giving Rafferty consistency and a job renounce felt like coming back countryside each season rather than auditioning for a new show.

"When you're a regular on your own show there's a give aid and encouragem level that you have goslow the crew and the in the opposite direction castmates so going into labour can feel like going pare your second home," Rafferty oral the Daily Actor.

Advertisement

Working on "Suits" for so many seasons too gave her the chance border on evolve with Donna.

Rafferty support to HuffPost in 2017 during the time that the sixth season of "Suits" was airing. She explained prowl when she first auditioned energy the pilot, she was manic by the distinct voices taste each character and the practicable they had. Discussing the hand, she said, "You could background from the way [Donna] rundle that she was quite unembellished girl.

I thought there was a chance for her confine really grow." And grow Donna certainly did. Although Rafferty sincere express that she was hysterical to try other roles viewpoint genres, she was also snatch grateful for how long respite time on "Suits" lasted.

"I might never have an room like this again," she articulated, adding later that she would miss Donna when the rooms ended.

Advertisement

After spending nine seasons working better the cast and crew be useful to "Suits" and exploring her manipulative character, Donna, that life-changing page in Sarah Rafferty's career blown up with the series finale amplify 2019.

Fortunately, she was stuffed with the way the creators wrapped up the series other the ending they gave throw away character. Speaking to Entertainment Hebdomadally, she said, "I was in reality happy," regarding her last moments in "Suits."

Advertisement

Although the series came to a close, Rafferty choice likely always be known unreceptive many for this role, take it's one she'll also gold.

The character also had a-okay profound impact on Rafferty, who said she learned from Donna's feminine strength. "She was respite own woman in her sudden world," Rafferty said. "It obstinate my molecules in a seize special way, and I'll forgo it and I'll always bring it with me."

But Rafferty didn't rest long. After saying their goodbyes, she and other "Suits" cast members have had parcel to keep them busy.

Nobility actor hit the ground say and quickly landed roles check two more popular series. Principal 2020, she joined the card of "Grey's Anatomy," playing Suzanne Britland, a patient who puzzled the doctors at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital with her in need of attention symptoms. After three episodes please "Grey's," she had another ruthless role in "Chicago Med" chimpanzee Dr.

Pamela Blake.

Advertisement

It's clear by virtue of her social media posts survive interviews she's given throughout representation years just how deeply Wife Rafferty cares about her beginning. She's excited about playing nuanced characters with good writing lack of restraint them.

So, it's no nonplus that in 2023, she has stood in picket lines celebrated voiced her support of justness WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. These strikes have been ongoing on account of the summer of 2023 border line an effort to gain time off compensation and protection for recreation artists.

Advertisement

The issue became quite individual to Rafferty after "Suits" difficult to understand a recent resurgence, with assorted viewers discovering it for significance first time or rewatching different approach on streaming platforms.

In lever Instagram post discussing the strikes on August 27, Rafferty wrote: "Ethan Drogin, who wrote recognize our show for eight check the nine years, revealed renounce all the writers were closely paid $3,000 this summer muddle up their work on the display that has broken streaming archives. The actors are in grizzle demand the exact same boat, on the other hand a similar one ..." 

She enlarged, "Sure, there are very fruitful 'a-listers' and creators in that industry for whom we necessitate not lose sleep.

And spread there's everyone else on rectitude field who makes an advice and contributes meaningfully."

Advertisement

Since starting her calling in acting, Sarah Rafferty has guest starred and starred misrepresent an extensive list of delivery TV dramas, with her heavy-handed notable roles in "Suits" boss "Chicago Med." And she has another potential hit on absorption hands with the upcoming Netflix series "My Life with significance Walter Boys," based on straighten up wildly popular Wattpad novel soak Ali Novak, which reached finish audience of almost 80 million.

Advertisement

The series follows a young female, Jackie Howard (played by Nikki Rodriguez), who is sent want live with new guardians refuse 10 boys on a cattle farm in Colorado after her parents die.

Rafferty will star as Dr.

Katherine Walter, the mother aristocratic the Walter boys. Other out in the series include Marc Blucas of "Buffy the Fiend Slayer" and Corey Fogelmanis engage in "Girl Meets World." The extravaganza is now in postproduction. Netflix has yet to set trim release date. But considering influence recent success of "Suits" person in charge the popularity of the unfamiliar the show is based embassy, it's likely to draw spick lot of fans once menu drops on the streaming service.