Accelerate Faculty

Shanola Hampton was born May 27 in Long Island, NY to a Pastor and an IRS agent. She was raised in Summerville, South Carolina with her three sisters. In college she earned a degree in Theater, with emphasis in Performance from Winthrop University along with a Masters Degree in Fine Arts from University of Illinois. She moved to Los Angeles in 2001 and began appearing in commercials. Later, she made her first guest appearance in Ryan Murphy's "Popular."

The following years brought Hampton several guest roles. In 2002, she guest starred in Strong Medicine as Tracy Saunders. In 2004, Hampton appeared in the acclaimed medical comedy Scrubs. After appearing in four episodes of the comedy series Related from 2005 to 2006, Hampton continued to make waves in the drama series Pepper Dennis (2006) and the 2010 medical thriller Miami Medical.

But 2010 proved to be a life-changing year for Hampton, as that's when she was cast in the series that earned her widespread acclaim.

No one can deny that one of Hampton's most compelling performances to date was as Veronica Fisher in the Emmy-Award-winning Shameless, a comedy-drama following the dysfunctional Gallagher family based in Chicago's South Side. Hampton joined Shameless' ensemble cast in the series' 2011 debut alongside William H. Macy, Emmy Rossum, and Jeremy Allen White.

From 2011 to 2021, Hampton played the Gallagher's helpful and feisty friend and neighborhood bartender. Hampton was a beloved fan favorite on the series and a tour-de-force of talent. She also made her directorial debut with Season 11, Episode 8 ("Cancelled") of the show.

Hampton’s newest project is her starring role in NBC's new hit series, nail-biter, Found. From Variety Magazine: Extremely binge-able with an incredibly strong Hampton leading the charge as an Olivia Pope for the missing. Hampton also serves as a producer of the series, which shines a grim spotlight on human trafficking and missing person cases. Found has once again proven that Shanola Hampton is a powerhouse talent in the television and film industry.