Carolyn Michelle Smith was born in Washington, DC. First Generation Trinidadian-American, Carolyn spent her childhood attending international private elementary schools in the Washington, DC area. Her mother Carol Angela Smith was a legal secretary, and her father Mervyn Thompson was a factory worker and flutist. She received her BA in Theatre from Fordham University at Lincoln Center in New York. Upon graduation, she completed the Acting Apprenticeship at Actors Theater of Louisville in Louisville, KY. Returning to New York, Carolyn applied to the prestigious Juilliard School in New York City, and was accepted on a full scholarship. Upon graduation she's performed for such notable companies as Williamstown Theatre Festival, The Old Globe Theatre (San Diego), Barrow Street Theatre (Off-Broadway), and on Broadway in the 2013 production of "Romeo and Juliet" starring Orlando Bloom and Condola Rashad. Her first on-screen role was opposite Robin Wright in "House of Cards" as "Willa" Claire's Chief of Staff. She resides in Los Angeles and New York.