Debra Wilson is an American actress, puppeteer, and comedian. She is the longest-serving original cast member on the sketch comedy series Mad TV, having appeared on the show's first eight seasons from 1995 to 2003. As a voice actress, she has voiced various characters on television shows and video games, including Mao Mao: Heroes of Pure Heart, Baby Shark's Big Show!, Spitting Image, Mirror's Edge Catalyst, Wolfenstein, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, Halo Infinite, Diablo IV, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Clone Drone in the Hyperdome, Destiny 2, as well as Death Stranding 2: On the Beach.
She also starred in the films The Summerland Project and Bodied. From 2022 to 2025, Wilson voiced Daisy Duck in Mickey Mouse Funhouse.
Early life
Wilson was born and raised in New York City, in the neighborhood of Ozone Park, Queens, and attended the New York City High School of the Performing Arts. After graduation, she studied television and radio broadcasting at Syracuse University. She worked as a preschool teacher during the 1980s for the All Saints Church, in Sunnyside, Queens.
Wilson made her television acting debut on The Apollo Comedy Hour and The Uptown Comedy Club, where she became a series regular. She continued her work in television working as a spokesperson for Burger King,
Career
thumb|right|Wilson in 2010
Mad TV
Wilson was one of the original eight cast members of Mad TV when the series aired in 1995. Wilson came to the show with a background in sketch comedy, improv, and television.
Wilson was credited for creating some of the most popular recurring characters on the show. Among her characters were Latina bimbo Melina (Lida and Melina), Reality Check Tovah McQueen, Stick Chick Autumn, Kappa Kappa Kappa sorority sister Hayden Brooks, Alexis Duvane (Prehistoric Glamazon Huntresses), blaxploitation actress Cocoa Latette (Son of Dolemite), She has also played Oprah or Oprah-like characters in other media, most notably Scary Movie 4 and The Proud Family.
Television
Since her debut on MADtv, Wilson has done voice acting on episodes on numerous television shows, landing some recurring roles on such shows as Clone High, Family Guy, and did puppeteer work on The Mr. Potato Head Show.
Wilson has made numerous independent films, including Naked Angel, Jane White Is Sick and Twisted, Skin Deep, and Soulmates. She was also in an episode of Without a Trace as a doctor, and appeared three times as a working girl, Divine, in episodes of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.
She and MADtv co-star Nicole Sullivan have done commercials for Pepsi's Sierra Mist. She appeared as herself on the February 15, 1999, episode of WCW Monday Nitro accompanying MADtv castmate Will Sasso in his professional wrestling match against Bret Hart. She also appeared on the British Whose Line Is It Anyway?.
She was the co-host of TV Guide Channel's TV Watercooler with John Fugelsang, until she was replaced by Teresa Strasser in October 2006. She was also a co-host on GSN Live until she left in January 2010.
Wilson is the announcer of the revival of the NBC game show Weakest Link hosted by Jane Lynch.
In July 2022, Nickelodeon announced that Wilson would voice the character Headless Headmistress Bloodgood in the 2022 animated reboot series Monster High.
Theater
Wilson performed off-Broadway with the improvisational comedy troupe Noo Yawk Tawk directed by Richmond Shepard at The Village Gate Theater (1988–1991).
Video games
Wilson has voiced many video game characters, such as her role as Grace Walker in Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus and her role as Cere Junda in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and its sequel Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. She also appeared in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare as General Lyons. Her other video game voice work includes The Outer Worlds, Gears 5, Wolfenstein: Youngblood, Rage 2, Days Gone, Fallout: New Vegas, Fallout 76, and Far Cry New Dawn. She is the voice of Draka in World of Warcraft: Shadowlands. She is the voice of Savathûn in Destiny 2 and the Harbinger in Halo Infinite. She also plays The Doctor in Death Stranding 2 and Inquisitor Lödwyn in Avowed. More recently, she voiced Sifuu in Palia and The Houndmaster in Dead by Daylight.
Personal life
Wilson married writer and director Cliff Skelton in April 2006. They separated in 2010, citing irreconcilable differences.
Filmography
Film
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
! class="unsortable" |
|-
| 1994
| Cracking Up
|
|
|
|-
| 1995
| Blue in the Face
| Statistician
|
|
|-
| 1996
| Girl 6
| Salesgirl #3
|
|
|-
| rowspan="5" | 1997
| Gridlock'd
| Medicaid Woman #2
|
|
|-
| B*A*P*S
| Flight Attendant
|
|
|-
| Soulmates
| Jennifer Williams
|
|
|-
| Asylum
| Belinda Davis
|
|
|-
| Sleeping Together
| Wendy
|
|
|-
| 1998
| Star Trek: The Experience: The Klingon Encounter
| Security Officer
| Short
|
|-
| 2000
| Rubbernecking
| Julia
|
|
|-
| 2002
| Jane White Is Sick & Twisted
| Chi-Chi
|
|
|-
| 2003
| Skin Deep
| Alex
|
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2004
| Target
| Nolan
|
|
|-
| Nine Lives
| Lisa
|
|
|-
| 2005
| Bringing Up BayBay
| Pam Wilcox, BayBay Girl
| Short film; also writer
|
|-
| rowspan="8" | 2006
| Whitepaddy
| Aunt Tiny
|
|
|-
| Danny Roane: First Time Director
| Rehab nurse
|
|
|-
| '
| Sister Buzzard
| Voice; direct-to-video
|
|-
| Scary Movie 4
| Oprah Winfrey
|
|
|-
| Over the Hedge
| Debbie
| Voice
|
|-
| The Loud House Movie
| Nana May, Nana Collette, Nana Helene, Mrs. Turnberry
| Voice
|
|-
| Call Me Miss Cleo
| Herself
| Documentary
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2023
| Cobweb
| Monster Sarah
| rowspan="2" | Voice
|
|-
| Baby Shark's Big Movie!
| Grandma Shark
|
|}
Theatre
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Venue(s)
! class="unsortable" | Notes
! class="unsortable" |
|-
| 1988–1991
| Noo Yawk Tawk
| Improv Actor, Ensemble
| The Village Gate Theater <br><small>Off-Broadway, New York City</small>
|
|
|-
|}
Video games
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
! class="unsortable" |
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2006
| Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
| Ellie
|
|
|-
| X-Men: The Official Game
| Storm
|
| rowspan="4" | <!-- url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hK5gdNQy7o -->
|-
| StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty
| rowspan="2"| Additional voices
|
|
|-
| Fallout: New Vegas
|
|
|-
| 2011
| Infamous 2
| Female Pedestrians, The Storyteller
|
|
|-
| 2013
| Grand Theft Auto V
| The Local Population
|
|
|-
| rowspan="4" | 2014
| Elder Scrolls Online
| Additional voices
|
|
|-
| WildStar
| Dreadphage Ohmna, Selene, Granok Female
|
|
|-
| Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
| Additional voices
|
|
|-
| World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor
| Monster Vocal Effects
|
|
|-
| rowspan="4" | 2016
| Mirror's Edge Catalyst
| Rebecca Thane
|
| rowspan="2" |
|-
| Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
| Kit
|
|
|-
| Disney Speedstorm
| Ursula
|
|
|-
| Destiny 2: The Final Shape
| Savathûn
|
|
|-
| World of Warcraft: The War Within
| Speaker Brinthe
|
|
|-
| Rivals of Aether 2
| Envis
|
|
|-
|Dead by Daylight
|Portia Maye / The Houndmaster
|
|
|-
| rowspan="8" | 2025
| Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii
| Queen Michele
| English dubbing
|
|}
Web series
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
! class="unsortable" |
|-
| 2012–2013
| Lips
| Ex-girlfriend
| 2 episodes
|
|-
| 2017
| My Sister Is So Gay
| Becca
| 6 episodes
|
|}