Tamara Braun - Biography

Tamara Braun (born April 18, 1971) is American actress. She is best known for her roles on General Hospital as Carly Corinthos from 2001 to 2005, along with her roles on Days of our Lives as Taylor Walker (2011) and Ava Vitali. She is also known for her role on All My Children as Reese Williams.

Biography

Braun was born in Evanston, Illinois and attended Evanston Township High School. She was a psychology major at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and took a summer course in Shakespeare at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in England before backpacking throughout Europe.

Personal life

Braun spends her spare time enjoying writing, films, horseback riding, and alpine skiing. Her training includes stage combat and various dialects. Her main charity is the TLC - Therapeutic Living Centers for the Blind a not-for-profit agency providing programs and services for individuals who have multiple disabilities, including blindness. Another of Braun's charities is Planned Parenthood.

Career

Braun is well known for her win at the 2009 Daytime Emmy Awards, receiving the accolade of Outstanding Supporting Actress for the role of Ava Vitali on Days of our Lives. She is also well known for her Emmy-nominated portrayal of Carly Corinthos on the ABC soap opera General Hospital, a role she played from 2001 to 2005. As Carly, Braun was featured very prominently as a romantic partner of characters Sonny Corinthos, portrayed by Daytime Emmy winner Maurice Benard, and Lorenzo Alcazar, portrayed by Ted King.

After leaving General Hospital, Braun played the female lead in the independent movie Little Chenier, which was filmed in Louisiana in August 2005. Braun worked with a dialect coach to perfect a Cajun accent, and she altered her appearance by getting a bronzed tan and darkening her hair. Tamara appeared as pastry chef Rose on four episodes of the ABC sitcom Freddie as a romantic interest of both lead male characters. Tamara has also starred in the independent film Limbo Lounge, directed by Tom Pankratz. In 2006 and 2007 respectively, Braun appeared on the CBS hit shows Cold Case and Ghost Whisperer; in the former she portrayed a country singer who helped cover up the murder of a fellow singer in order to protect her career. Additionally, she appeared in the 2007 season premiere of Without a Trace.

In 2008, Braun joined the cast of the NBC soap opera Days of our Lives in the Emmy-winning role of Ava Vitali, a woman from long-time veteran Stephen Nichols' character Steve Johnson's past. She left the soap in August 2008, but would go on to win a Daytime Emmy award for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal in the Ava Vitali role.

Later that year she joined the cast of All My Children as Reese Williams, making it her second soap since leaving General Hospital in April 2005.

In July 2009, she landed the recurring role of Renee Ellen on the TNT show Saving Grace starring Holly Hunter.

On February 15, 2011, Soap Opera Digest announced Braun would return to Days of our Lives and take over the role of Taylor Walker from her former General Hospital co-star Natalia Livingston. Episodes with Braun in them began airing in Canada on Monday, April 25, 2011 and in the United States on Tuesday, April 26, 2011. On June 7, 2011, Braun was let go from DAYS and her last episode aired on September 22, 2011.

Filmography

• 1997: Soul Food as Teri's Secretary
• 1997: The Sentinel as Stacey Neumann (1 episode)
• 1997: Buffy the Vampire Slayer as Tara (1 episode)
• 1997: City Guys as Allison (1 episode)
• 1998: Fallen Arches as Jenny
• 1998: Party of Five as Marcy (1 episode)
• 1998: The Magnificent Seven as Virginia (1 episode)
• 1998: Buffy the Vampire Slayer as Frenzied Girl (1 episode)
• 1998: Unhappily Ever After as Nell (1 episode)
• 1998: 7th Heaven as Ellen (1 episode)
• 1998: Unhappily Ever After as Lacy (1 episode)
• 1998: The Pretender as Claire Dunning (1 episode)
• 1999: Zoe, Duncan, Jack and Jane as Anna (1 episode)
• 2001: Off Centre as Lisa (1 episode)
• 2005-06: Freddie as Rose (4 episodes)
• 2001-05: General Hospital as Carly Corinthos #2 (Role: May 2, 2001 to April 15, 2005)
• 2006: Little Chenier as Marie-Louise LeBauve
• 2006: House as Grace (1 episode)
• 2006: Cold Case as Edie Lowe (1 episode)
• 2007: Limbo Lounge as Anya
• 2007: Ghost Whisperer as Brenda Sanborn (1 episode)
• 2007: Without a Trace as Kate Douglas (1 episode)
• 2008: ' as CoCo (1 episode)
• 2008-09: All My Children as Reese Williams (Role: October 30, 2008 to April 29, 2009
• 2008: Days of our Lives as Ava Vitali (Role: February 8, 2008 to August 4, 2008)
• 2009: Saving Grace as Renee Ellen (2 episodes)
• 2009: Three Rivers as Samantha Krauser (1 episode)
• 2010: Leave Bad Enough Alone as Sedella (So far, this is not a film. It is rather just a working trailer for a film that is awaiting financing as per the director Jason Olson)
• 2011: Days of our Lives as Taylor Walker (April 26, 2011 to September 2011)