Sela Ward Parents: Meet Annie Kate Ward, Granberry Holland Ward Jr.
Ethan Hayes
Updated on January 05, 2026
Sela Ward is an American actress, author, and producer best known for her work in television and film.
Sela Ward was born on July 11, 1956, in Meridian, Mississippi, USA. She is the daughter of Annie Kate, who was a housewife, and Granberry Holland Ward Jr., who worked as an electrical engineer.
Her father is a Meridian native, whereas her mother was born in Choctaw County, Alabama, and moved to Meridian as a child. Sela Ward is the eldest of four children, the other three being her sister Jenna and two brothers, Joseph Brock and Granberry Holland Ward III.
Sela Ward attended the University of Alabama, where she was a Crimson Tide cheerleader and a member of the Chi Omega sorority.]She majored in both fine art and advertising. She received her diploma in 1977.
Sela Ward began her career as a model before transitioning to acting. Her breakthrough television role was Teddy Reed in the NBC drama series Sisters (1991-1996), for which she won her first Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 1994.
Sela Ward went on to appear in shows such as “House,” “CSI: NY,” and “FBI.” Aside from her work on television, Sela has appeared in a slew of films throughout her career, including “The Man Who Loved a Woman.”