Native Actress Cheryl Frazier, who is also known under the moniker Razfier Yelrch was among the last graduating class from Madison High School.
Shortly after graduating, she decided to leave Rochester in 1986, after receiving an invitation to move to Miami to live with her father. Upon her arrival, the thought of going into acting was the furthest thing from her mind. As a matter of fact, she ended up being a cop. An undercover cop!
She was taking a class at a community college in Miami, when she was assigned to do a paper on stress. At the time, her father’s girlfriend was a police officer and suggested, she do a ride along.
“I did the ride along and I was hooked,” Frazier acknowledged.
She started at the police department in 1989 and joined the force in 1992, where she patrolled the streets of Liberty City for four years.
“I got the acting bug, when I was assigned to work undercover,” she said. “I was an undercover narcotics buyer. For eight years, I would prowl the streets dress like common folks and buy drugs. I was acting for my life, literally,” Frazier recall. “My first buy, the guy recognized me. He saw me at a comedy show the weekend before and he told me he knew me, and he wasn’t going to sell to me, and I had to think on my feet really fast. I told him I had a twin and he believed me, and he sold me Miami’s finest crack cocaine.”
In multiple roles, she spent a total of 26 years at the Miami Police Department, before moving to Atlanta in 2017, to pursue acting full-time.
“I saw a casting call for models all of ages and all sizes,” she recalls. “I submitted my information and I didn’t know it was an audition to appear as one of the models for Tina Knowles (singer Beyoncé Mom’s) clothing line on The Monique Show that was featured on BET. It was my first national booking and from there I started doing stage plays, commercials and print work,” she notes. “But the most important thing at that time, I was growing as an actress.”
Currently, Frazier acting career is being guided by TDH Talent Unlimited, whose goal is to find talented actors with a passion and make sure they are prepared and then to help fill the tremendous acting needs in the Southeast.
The other part of Frazier’s team is acting trainers Troy Rowland out of Los Angeles, who is one of Hollywood's premier life and acting coaches and Thom Scott II, out of Atlanta, who has for the last 20+ years been successfully acting in all mediums including national commercials, network television, feature films, and over 400+ performances Off-Broadway.
“I’m aware I started my acting career late, Frazier acknowledged. “So, I commonly play roles where I’m cast as a mother, auntie, good friend, doctor, lawyer, police officer, detective; and currently as a reporter on Mr. Mercedes, a show broadcast by the Audience Channel, where in a recurring role I’m cast as Reporter Jones.”
Frazier is currently leaning toward starring in more film projects, but her goal is to be on a network in a supporting co-star recurring role that’s able to reach a domestic and global audience.
“If it’s any one of those I’m good,” she said. “And these things are beginning to happen. I’ve had several projects on this level, I feel very good about.”
And when her ‘big break’ happens, Frazier made it no secret, she’s going to rep the Roc first and because she started acting in Miami, they deserve a shout out too.
“I would love to do a film in my hometown,” she pointed out. “I have a few friends who also are actors, actresses, producers and directors in Rochester. I did a stage play called Collard Greens Curves: The Theresa Bowick Story about two years ago with Michael Atkins Yawn, the artistic director of Imani Theatre Ensemble. So, I would love to do an independent film in Rochester. This is a goal of mine as well.”
See Frazier’s Filmography career at: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5672892/?ref_=nmbio_bio_nm
