Who is Dawn-Lyen Gardner? wiki, bio, net worth, fiancé, rumors, miscarriage?

Anything related to Oprah Winfrey is sure to exceed expectations. Such is the case with Queen Sugar, a drama series produced by the Oprah Winfrey Network. The series follows the estranged Bordelon siblings in Louisiana as the put aside their struggles to run the family business. The drama series not only had great writing and production but the acting was also on point. One of the major reasons for that is Dawn-Lyen Gardner. The 42-year-old American actress brought out her A-game on-screen which catapulted the fame of Queen Sugar. In this article, we take a closer look at the wiki-bio of Dawn.

Wiki/Bio Facts

Fact	Description
Birth name	Dawnlyen Gardner
Birth date	August 30, 1981
Age	42
Birth place	Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Zodiac sign	Virgo
Ethnicity	African-American and Chinese-American
Nationality	American
Gender	Female
Sexuality	Straight
Relationship status	Engaged
Education	Los Angeles County High School for the Arts (1999), Juilliard School (2003)
Occupation	Actress
Net Worth	Estimated over $1 million.
Years active	1994–present
Notable works	Queen Sugar, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Prototype 2
Fiancé	A writer and physician who specializes in end of life care
Miscarriage	Suffered a miscarriage in 2020 at three months pregnant
Social media	Instagram: [@dawnlyen], Twitter: [@dawnlyen]
Controversies and rumors	Gardner has not been involved in any major controversies or scandals that have come to the media yet. She loves to keep her personal life away from the media and it is the reason behind her rumor-free personality.

Early Life

Dawn-Lyen Gardner was born on the 30th of August 1981 in Los Angeles, California. Dawn shares a Chinese descent on her mother’s side while her father is an American. Born and raised in LA, Dawn is the only child of the family. Growing up, Dawn attended the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts and passed her matriculation exams in 1999. She later enrolled at the Juilliard School in New York City and graduated in 2003. It is unclear as to how and when Dawn’s passion for acting began. As a young child, Dawn would often appear in school plays and continued to do so throughout her early years. 

Professional Career

Dawn-Lyen began her career when she was just 13-years of age. She appeared as Ronnie Wilkes in the pilot episode and another three episodes of the TV series, Viper. She was also cast as Sandy Rochon in the series, ER. 

Gardner’s proper acting debut came in Invisible Scream, where she played the role of Andi. After her graduation, Dawn continued to appear in movies like Married to the Kellys and Crossing Jordan. Dawn had fewer opportunities in 2005 and 2006 and did only two movies during the time, Summerland and Art School Confidential. 

Dawn’s first proper TV series came in 2007 when she appeared on the TV series, Bones. She also worked in an episode of Cane in the same year and moved onto work in the series Heroes in 2008. Dawn also made a brief appearance in the TV series, Castle in 2011. She also worked on a videogame entitled Prototype and played several characters in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. 

After taking a hiatus from 2012 to 2015, Dawn made an appearance in The Mysteries of Laura in 2015. But, Dawn’s biggest role came in Queen Sugar when she was cast in the leading role as Charley Bordelon West. Work continued to flow for Dawn who made numerous appearances down the years in, I Love You…But I Lied (2016), Unforgettable (2016), Luke Cage (2016), The Dunning Man (2017), Conan Exiles (Video Game: 2017), God Friended Me (2018).

Personal Life

Even though Dawn has achieved newfound celebrity status, she is yet to reveal details about her love life. The Los Angeles native developed a close friendship with American film producer, Mike Jackson as the two were often spotted attending different social events together. Though the duo appeared together in several places, Dawn addressed Mike as her older brother. Even though critics haunted her with rumors being homosexual, Dawn seemed unbothered by it.

Dawn-Lyen Gardner is unmarried and does not have any children as of 2024. She is engaged to a physician whose identity is not yet revealed. It is currently unknown if Dawn and her fiancé are already married or when they plan to tie the knot. In early 2020, the pair were expecting their first child but suffered a miscarriage. Since then, Gardner has not discussed her romantic status and has not made any official announcements.

Gardner has also opened up about her healing process after the devastating loss of her baby. She said that she felt isolated in her grief, especially amid the pandemic and the social unrest following George Floyd’s death. She decided to tell her story to help other women who have experienced a miscarriage feel less alone and more supported. She also expressed her gratitude for her fiancé, her family, and her Queen Sugar cast and crew for being there for her during the difficult time.

Another surprising news that Gardner revealed was that she did not participate in the making of the final season of Queen Sugar, which premiered on September 7, 2023. She posted a message on social media explaining that she will always cherish portraying Charley Bordelon, the woman she has poured her heart into for six years, but she did not give any specific reason for her absence from the show. She thanked her cast family, the writers, directors, crew, and the fans for their love and support. She also hinted at looking forward to what the future holds for her.

Net Worth

As the emerging star is good at keeping information to herself, she has never spoken openly about her personal details or anything of her personal interest. The star of many movies and reality series is enjoying her life at fullest with a good sum of money as seen from her social activities. Though she had not revealed her net worth, according to her work in many movies and series it would be fair to say that her net worth must be more than $1 million.

Physical Traits

Trait	Description
Height	About 5′ 4″ (162 cm)
Weight	About 132 lbs (60 kg)
Eye color	Dark brown
Hair color	Black
Hair style	Long and curly, sometimes in braids or buns
Face shape	Oval with high cheekbones and a pointed chin
Ears	Small and close to the head
Skin tone	Light brown with a warm undertone
Body type	Slim and athletic
Tattoos	None visible
Piercings	One on each earlobe
Smile	Bright and wide, showing teeth
Dress style	Elegant and sophisticated, often wearing dresses, skirts, blouses, and jackets in solid colors or floral patterns
Accessories	Minimal, usually earrings, necklaces, rings, or bracelets in gold or silver tones
Signature feature	Her expressive eyes and confident posture