Deb Snyder’s creative path of acting has been a nomadic, long, and winding road of self-discovery beginning from her early days in Chicago and leading all the way to Los Angeles, where she now appears on ABC’s mixed-ish.
As a recurring guest star, Deb plays ‘Dolores’ on the hit series that follows black-ish’s Rainbow Johnson (Tracie Ellis-Ross) as a young girl whose parents are forced to move from a hippie commune to the suburbs to better provide for their family after the dissolution of their cult.
On the show, Snyder plays Dolores, who is described as “a sad sack, needy junior attorney at Alicia’s law firm. She’s the type of person who overshares way too much.”
With Deb’s eclectic and vagabond past, she fit in effortlessly to the world of the show and the shoes of her character.
“Delores is a rebel who does things her own way, in that exact same style I paved my own path,” Deb tells Reel Chicago, adding she drew from her own rock ‘n’ roll 1980’s past to bring into the 80’s, leather pants wearing Dolores.
“When I read the script, I felt like I was able to bring all of my eclectic life experiences into Delores and then everything just fell into place.”
Just like mixed-ish’s initial premise, Deb also knows a thing or two about moving; though born in New York, her childhood was primarily spent in Chicago to which she credits her formative creative influences.
From Chicago, Deb traveled to Boston where as a young woman she had a very rock n roll, theatre-filled chapter. “Rock ‘n’ roll in Boston is a great way to spend your twenties,” causing Deb to laugh out loud.
This wild time led her back to New York for even more theatre. She originated the leading character Vivian in Nicky Silver’s play Freewill and Wanton Lust. Her name is listed in the Samuel French edition as the first actress to play this role.
Like the true nomad she is, Deb migrated to greener pastures in Florida where she began a flourishing commercial career starring in commercials for McDonalds and Bombas Sock, just to name a few.
Her 2019 Bombas Sock commercial, where she plays perfectly opposite a Yorkie Terrier mix, was ‘One of the Holiday’s Most Talked about Commercials,’ per Adweek.
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From the Sunshine State, all signs and roads led to even more sunshine in California.
Snyder’s additional television work includes a role as ‘Marsha’ on HBO’s Big Little Lies, and guest appearances on Life in Pieces, Boston Legal, Unscripted, Sins of the City, and General Hospital. Snyder has appeared in numerous national television commercials, playing a wide range of characters including a tuba-loving Mom and a hungry truck driver.
While on this journey of self-discovery, Deb took on another trip as a motorcyclist on the open roads of America. “I learned to ride in Florida and now when I’m not performing, I have to jump on my black Honda Shadow VLX and cruise the roads of the Golden State.”
Because of her life’s travels, Deb has become a sage in understanding the importance of enjoying the journey of life- both on the road and on the screen. As a seasoned actress, she learned that “you gotta enjoy the experience because you can’t control any of it.”
Deb is certainly enjoying her time and upcoming episodes on mixed-ish. Catch her as Dolores on Season 2 of mixed-ish on ABC and Hulu.
Megan Penn reports on the indie film market and anything that empowers women and underrepresented groups.
