Born in Portland, Maine, Victoria Rowell was raised in foster care for her entire childhood. Under the auspices of the Ford Foundation, she received a full scholarship to the Cambridge School of Ballet in Massachusetts at the age of eight.

As a young dancer, she flourished there and became a member of the American Ballet Theater family. In addition, she participated in an exchange program with the Julliard School of Music & Dance program.

Rowell made the transition into acting from classical dance in her late 20s. Bill Cosby was so impressed by the young actress after seeing her in an audition that he cast her as his daughter in his comedy Leonard Part VI where she made her film debut. She also had a recurring role on The Cosby Show.

ABC brought the talented young actress to Los Angeles to audition for a series. During that time she also auditioned for the daytime drama The Young and the Restless and was cast immediately. She has been on the series for 13 years.

Over the years Rowell has amassed an impressive list of credits. Her feature films include: Eve's Bayou with Samuel L. Jackson, Distinguished Gentleman with Eddie Murphy, Dumb and Dumber with Jim Carey, Motives with Vivica A. Fox, and One Red Rose with Hill Harper. Another feature film is the MGM drama, Home of the Brave, which opened in January 2007. Rowell portrays Samuel L. Jackson's wife in this story about three soldiers trying to re-adjust to life at home after serving a lengthy tour at war in Iraq. 50 Cent portrays one of the soldiers.

On the small screen, Rowell was a series regular on Diagnosis Murder, opposite Dick Van Dyke. She also guest-starred on The Fresh Prince of Bel Air and co-starred in the movie-of-the-week, Secret Sins of My Father, opposite Beau Bridges. She adds a recurring role to the Logo series Noah's Arc, which follows the daily lives of four gay men in Los Angeles as they manage their complex romantic and professional relationships. In addition, she just completed the pilot, Polly and Marie.

In addition, Rowell is working on a book and documentary dedicated to the role models in her life. Both her book, The Women Who Raised Me, and her documentary, The Mentor, talk about the important people in her life who have helped her achieve her successes.

Rowell has been honored with eleven NAACP Image Awards and is involved with numerous charities. In 1990, she founded The Rowell Foster Childrens Positive Plan (RFCPP). The mission of the organization is to give direct services in the areas of: fine arts, higher education, healthcare, financial literacy, reunification programs, cultural enrichment and resource family support.

She actively supports Americans for the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts, American Ballet Theater, The Child Welfare League of America, NAACP and Harvard School of Public Health. Since 1998, Rowell has been the National Spokesperson for the Annie E. Casey Foundation's direct service arm, Casey Family Services, established by Jim Casey, founder of UPS.

In recognition for her contribution in education and supporting foster children and her work for human rights and world peace, Rowell received the United Nations Association Award. Recently, she received an Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters from the University of Southern Maine and an Honorary Degree from Wheelock College in Boston in recognition of her work in foster care and adoption. In addition, Rowell has been honored as a National Angel in Adoption by the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute. She has participated in CBS's annual "Home for the Holidays" special which honors foster children for seven years.

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