Karla Mosley has made headlines for her character “Maya Avant”, a transgender model working for “Forrester Creations”, on CBS’s Emmy® Award winning daytime drama series “The Bold and The Beautiful”. A 2014 NAACP Image Award Nominee, Mosley proudly portrays a woman who has come out to her family and the world as a transgender woman, is now married and has adopted a child - a historical first for any CBS program.
Mosley previously portrayed the elite “Belles” member “Elodie Baxter” on the CW’s critically acclaimed series “Hart of Dixie” and the sweet natured, pre-med student “Christina Moore Boudreau” on the Emmy® Award winning soap, “Guiding Light”. She had a breakout role in the 2008 Cohen Brothers comedy, BURN AFTER READING. Not only limited to acting, Mosley was commissioned by CBS to write, produce and star in the fictional web series, “Room 8”, which marks the first time a network soap has taken a character’s story arc and turned it into a separate series for the internet. From fan urging, Mosley published a book of micro poems “Short Poems for a Long and Happy Life”. She also performed the role of Deena in the musical production Dreamgirls at TUTS & MUNY Theater Cos. alongside Jennifer Holliday. In 2008, Mosley starred in Expatriate, an off-Broadway show at the Culture Project Theater for which she was commended on her excellent voice and acting capabilities by notable publications such as The New York Times, Time Out New York and Variety.
Born and raised in Westchester, New York, Mosley originally took an interest in singing before making the switch to acting. She spent part of her younger life as a member of a youth rock music group called “Sugar Beats”, who were frequently joined by such legends as Carol King. Before making it onto the big screen, Mosley graduated with honors from NYU’s prestigious Tisch School of the Arts, receiving a BFA in drama. She went on to study at the Roy Hart Vocal Institute in France and traveled to Australia to record the three time Emmy Nominated TLC children’s series Hi-5 before moving to Los Angeles to pursue her acting career.
In her rare free time, Mosley loves to combine two of her passions, performing arts and social justice, to raise money and awareness for various non-profit organizations. She was on the board of “Covenant House,” the largest privately funded agency in the Americas, which provides shelter and other services to homeless youth. Additionally, she is a celebrity ambassador for the “National Eating Disorders Association” (NEDA), which campaigns for the prevention, improved access to quality treatment and increased research funding to better understand and treat eating disorders. She is currently the Philanthropic Director of Ammunition Theater Co., an LA based company that is composed of working Hollywood actors committed to fostering new, diverse work, fresh ideas and merging activism with art. In August 2016 Mosley and her business partner Tina Huang created 1 to 1 Productions. 1 to 1 is a film, TV & digital production company whose mission is to champion women of color in front of and behind the camera. Mosley resides between Los Angeles and New York.
She also enjoys tweeting with her fans; you can follow her on Twitter @karlamosley and on Instagram @KarlaMose.
