Jaime Ray Newman

Jaime Ray Newman (born April 2, 1978) is an American actress, producer, and singer.

Newman began her acting career with early stage performances, including a debut at age eleven in Israel Horowitz's play A Rosen by Any Other Name, and founded her production company, Apollo Theatre Productions, at sixteen while attending high school. She pursued formal training at Boston University's School for the Arts and Northwestern University before relocating to Los Angeles to build her professional resume, which initially included short films, guest spots like on The Drew Carey Show, and performances with her jazz quartet.

Jaime Ray Newman was born on April 2, 1978, in Farmington Hills, Michigan, to Ashkenazi Jewish parents of Eastern European descent, including roots in Lithuania, Poland, Ukraine, Romania, Russia, and England. Her family background emphasized Jewish cultural and religious traditions, as evidenced by her early involvement in community performances tied to Jewish institutions.

Newman attended the Jewish Hillel Day School of Metropolitan Detroit for her elementary education, an institution focused on providing a Jewish-centered curriculum that integrated religious studies with general academics, fostering her exposure to Ashkenazi heritage from a young age. At age eleven, she made her acting debut in a local production of Israel Horovitz's play A Rosen by Any Other Name at the Jewish Ensemble Theatre in Detroit, an early indicator of her interest in performance within a culturally familiar setting. This upbringing in a suburban Michigan Jewish community shaped her formative years prior to broader academic pursuits.

They have two daughters: Alma Ness Newman Nattiv, born on September 18, 2018, and Mila Nico Newman Nattiv, born prematurely on October 3, 2019. The family maintains ties to Nattiv's Israeli heritage alongside Newman's Jewish background, incorporating elements of both cultures into their household dynamics in Los Angeles.