Sela Ann Ward (born July 11, 1956 in Meridian, Mississippi) is an American actress.
She was born to Granberry Holland and the late Annie Kate Ward, who died of ovarian cancer in 2002.
Sela Ward attended the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, where she performed as one of the Crimson Tide football cheerleaders, was homecoming queen, and dated football star and future Miami Dolphin Bob Baumhower.
Ward dated actor Richard Dean Anderson for three years and was once engaged to actor Peter Weller. Since 1992, she has been married to wealthy venture capitalist Howard Sherman; they have two children, Austin (b. 1994) and Anabella (b. 1998).
She is most widely known for her Emmy Award-winning television roles, playing free-spirited Teddy on Sisters (1991-96) and as single mom Lily on Once and Again (1999-2002). Ward received a CableACE Award for her portrayal of the late journalist Jessica Savitch in the TV movie Almost Golden: The Jessica Savitch Story. She also appeared on Frasier as supermodel/zoologist Kelly Easterbrook in the fifth season opener ("Frasier's Imaginary Friend"), September 1997 (series 1993-2004).
In 2005, she began a recurring role in the series House as Stacy Warner, the hospital's former attorney who happens to be the ex-partner of the protagonist, Dr. Gregory House (played by British actor Hugh Laurie).
Her first film role was in The Man Who Loved Women, released in 1983.
It has been written that Ward was originally offered the role of Susan which eventually went to Teri Hatcher on Desperate Housewives, but she turned it down.
