{{short description|American actress and ballet dancer|bot=PearBOT 5}} {{Infobox person | name = Jaclyn Betham | image = Jaclyn Betham on RealTVfilms.jpg | caption = Betham in 2014 | birth_name = Jaclyn Michelle Betham | birth_date = July 4, 1986 | birth_place = Long Beach, California, U.S. | other_names = | occupation = Actress, ballerina | years_active = 2010–present | spouse = | known_for = | website = }}
'''Jaclyn Michelle Betham''' (born July 4, 1986) is an American actress and ballet dancer. She is best known for her role as Amanda Cryer on the television series ''The Haves and the Have Nots''.
==Early life== Betham is of Samoan descent and was born on July 4, 1986, in Long Beach, California.<ref name="press telegram dancers">{{cite web |last1=Van Dyke |first1=Jonathan |title=Dancers Come Home With Ballet |url=https://www.presstelegram.com/2011/03/30/dancers-come-home-with-ballet/ |publisher=Long Beach Press-Telegram |access-date=April 28, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210527160338/https://www.presstelegram.com/2011/03/30/dancers-come-home-with-ballet/ |archive-date=May 27, 2021}}</ref><ref name="tv insider">{{cite web |title=Jaclyn Betham - Actress |url=https://www.tvinsider.com/people/jaclyn-betham/ |publisher=TV Insider |access-date=April 29, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250428190220/https://www.tvinsider.com/people/jaclyn-betham/ |archive-date=April 28, 2025}}</ref> She was a gymnast until the age of 12 when she started taking dance classes.<ref name="channel guide">{{cite web |last1=Oates |first1=Barb |title=The Haves and the Have Nots star Jaclyn Betham calls Amanda a little crazy this season |url=https://www.channelguidemag.com/tv-news/2014/01/21/haves-and-have-nots-star-jaclyn-betham-says-amanda-little-crazy-season/ |publisher=Channel Guide Magazine |access-date=April 13, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160111212028/https://www.channelguidemag.com/tv-news/2014/01/21/haves-and-have-nots-star-jaclyn-betham-says-amanda-little-crazy-season/ |archive-date=January 11, 2016}}</ref> At fifteen years old, she received a full scholarship to the Houston Ballet and trained with American Ballet Theatre. At eighteen years old, she won a gold medal at the Dance Grand Prix Italia for contemporary and classical ballet. Betham has performed with Ballet San Jose, Anaheim Ballet, Opera San Jose, and the San Francisco Opera.<ref name="equinox">{{cite web |title=Jaclyn Betham demonstrates the ballerina's beautiful athleticism atop Ireland's Cliffs of Moher |url=https://www.equinox.com/articles/2015/12/ballet-video |publisher=Equinox |access-date=March 8, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241205134748/https://www.equinox.com/articles/2015/12/ballet-video |archive-date=December 5, 2024}}</ref>
==Career== Her first acting role was playing a kidnapped girl on ''America's Most Wanted''.<ref name="hydrogen mag">{{cite web |title=First Thing With Jaclyn Betham |url=http://hydrogen-mag.com/archives/4211 |publisher=Hydrogen Magazine |access-date=November 12, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180730110713/http://hydrogen-mag.com/archives/4211 |archive-date=July 30, 2018}}</ref> She starred in the popular 2012 short ''Quiet'', a film based on the true story of a lesbian couple caught in a medical nightmare.<ref>{{cite web |title=QUIET Makes Noise at Film Fests |url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/quiet-makes-noise-at-film-fests-149521235.html |publisher=PR Newswire |access-date=May 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225205203/https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/quiet-makes-noise-at-film-fests-149521235.html |archive-date=February 25, 2021}}</ref> In 2013, Betham's first major acting role came when she was cast as Amanda Cryer in the Tyler Perry television series ''The Haves and the Have Nots''.<ref name="Jaclyn Betham BHL">{{cite web |title=Jaclyn Betham BHL Interview |url=https://www.blackhollywoodlive.com/jaclyn-betham-interview-black-hollywood-lives-next/ |publisher=Black Hollywood Live |accessdate=August 4, 2018 |archive-date=July 30, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180730110843/https://www.blackhollywoodlive.com/jaclyn-betham-interview-black-hollywood-lives-next/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 2020, she made her debut as a writer and producer on the film ''Getaway''.<ref name="getaway">{{cite web |last1=White |first1=Stephon |title=Getaway Interview: Jaclyn Betham On Crafting A Good Twist In A Horror Movie |url=https://lrmonline.com/news/getaway-interview-jaclyn-betham-on-crafting-a-good-twist-in-a-horror-movie/ |publisher=Latino Review Media |access-date=January 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221204055011/https://lrmonline.com/news/getaway-interview-jaclyn-betham-on-crafting-a-good-twist-in-a-horror-movie/ |archive-date=December 4, 2022}}</ref>
==Personal life== Betham has worked as a ballet teacher and pilates instructor.<ref name="studio pilates">{{cite web |title=Meet Jaclyn |url=https://thestudiopilates.com/about-us/meet-jaclyn/ |publisher=The Studio Pilates |access-date=April 28, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240914014300/https://thestudiopilates.com/about-us/meet-jaclyn/ |archive-date=September 14, 2024}}</ref> She is the founder of a nonprofit organization called Betham Ballet Theatre.<ref name="edgepac">{{cite web |title=Jaclyn Betham - Ballet |url=http://www.edgepac.com/teachers/betham_jaclyn/betham_jaclyn.htm |website=edgepac.com |publisher=EDGE Performing Arts Center |access-date=June 1, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131227011050/http://www.edgepac.com/teachers/betham_jaclyn/betham_jaclyn.htm |archive-date=December 27, 2013}}</ref>
==Filmography== ===Film=== {| class="wikitable sortable" ! Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |- | 2011 | ''J.A.W.'' | Hot Volleyball Girl | Short film |- | 2012 | ''Quiet'' | Sam | Short film |- | 2015 | ''Touched'' | Maria | |- | 2016 | ''Ulterior Motives: Reality TV Massacre '' | Darcy Burns | |- | 2020 | ''Bring Me a Dream'' | Avery Quinn | |- | 2020 | ''Getaway'' | Tamara | |- | 2021 | ''Stars Fell on Alabama'' | Charlotte Lott | |}
===Television=== {| class="wikitable sortable" ! Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |- | 2010 | ''America's Most Wanted'' | Shannah | Episode: "America's Most Wanted's 1,000th Episode Special Edition" |- | 2012 | ''The LXD: The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers'' | Principal Ballerina | Episode: "Super Ballet" |- | 2013 | ''90210'' | Beach Girl | Episode: "Life's a Beach" |- | 2013-2014 | ''The Haves and the Have Nots'' | Amanda Cryer | Main role |- | 2018 | ''NCIS: New Orleans'' | Brooklyn | Episode: "Mind Games" |- | 2018 | ''Dear White People'' | Theadora | Episode: "Volume 2: Chapter X" |- | 2019 | ''Grand Hotel'' | Drea | Episode: "The Big Sickout" |- | 2019 | ''Dolly Parton's Heartstrings'' | Bijou Honeycutt | Episode: "Two Doors Down" |}
==References== {{Reflist|30em}}
==External links== *{{IMDb name|4688539}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Betham, Jaclyn}} Category:1986 births Category:Living people Category:American television actresses Category:American film actresses Category:American ballerinas Category:American people of Samoan descent Category:Actresses of Samoan descent Category:21st-century American actresses Category:Actresses from Long Beach, California
{{US-tv-actor-stub}}