Vinessa Antoine

Vinessa Lynn Antoine (born c. 1976 or 1977) is a Canadian actress. She is best known for her roles as Judith Winters in the CBC comedy-drama series Being Erica (2009-2011), Jordan Ashford in the ABC soap opera General Hospital (2014-18), and Marcie Diggs in the CBC legal drama series, Diggstown (2019-2022).

Early life
A native to Toronto, Ontario, Antoine grew up with her younger brother and parents in the suburbs of Toronto. She started studying classical ballet at age 4. At age 18, she studied for three years with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. She also toured with P. Diddy for six months. In her final year at Ailey, Antoine decided to focus her studies on acting. She is of Trinidadian and Middle Eastern descent.

Career
Antoine made her film debut in the 1999 drama film Picture This starring Valerie Perrine and Michael Nouri. From 2001 to 2002, she had a recurring role in the Showtime drama series, Soul Food. Her other television credits including guest shots on The Unit and ReGenesis. She had recurring roles on Haven as Evidence "Evi" Ryan in 2011, and Heartland (2008-14). From 2009 to 2011 she regular cast member on the CBC comedy-drama series, Being Erica playing Judith Winters. She appeared in A Day Late and a Dollar Short, a Lifetime television movie starring Whoopi Goldberg in 2014. Later in 2014, Antoine joined the cast of ABC daytime soap opera, General Hospital as Jordan Ashford. On July 16, 2018, Antoine announced that she was leaving General Hospital.

In 2019, Antoine made history as a first Black Canadian woman to headline Canadian drama series playing lawyer Marcie Diggs in the CBC drama Diggstown. At the 9th Canadian Screen Awards in 2021, and at the 10th Canadian Screen Awards in 2022, she received a nomination for Best Actress in a Drama Series for Diggstown. The series ended in 2022, after fourth seasons. The following year, she had a recurring role in the Netflix comedy-drama series, Ginny & Georgia and starred opposite Amanda Seyfried in the drama film Seven Veils directed by Atom Egoyan. It will have its world premiere at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival. She also co-starred in the climate change thriller film All the Lost Ones directed by Mackenzie Donaldson.

Personal life
Antoine is a mother of two boys and lives in Los Angeles, California.