Lusia Strus

Lusia Strus is an American actress and theatrical writer of Ukrainian descent. She was born to a Ukrainian family in Chicago, and spoke Ukrainian as her first language. She was interested in theater since her high school years. After receiving her tertiary education at the Illinois State University, she joined the experimental theatre troupe Neo-Futurists in 1993. The troupe was partially inspired by the Italian Futurist movement of the early 20th century, sharing its appreciation for speed. The troupe typically attempts to perform 30 short plays within one hour. Strus has written plays for both solo and ensemble performances over the years. As a theatrical actress, Strus has performed at the Steppenwolf, Goodman, and Victory Gardens theaters of Chicago. Her first notable appearances in film were the roles of the androgynous veterinarian's assistant Alexa in the romantic comedy "50 First Dates" (2004), and the hair assistant Janine in the action comedy "Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous" (2005). Strus gained her first recurring television role when she portrayed the eccentric math teacher Dr. Xavier in the Nickelodeon sitcom "Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide" (2004-2007). In the early 2010s, Strus played one shot-characters in then-popular series, such as "Modern Family" and "Blue Bloods". Strus was a member of the main cast in the crime drama series "Good Behavior" (2016-2017). She portrayed Estelle Raines, the estranged mother of the professional thief Leticia 'Letty' Raines (played by Michelle Dockery). Estelle had sole custody over Letty's son, and tried to prevent any contact between the boy and his mother. The series lasted for 2 seasons and 20 episodes. Strus gained her next recurring role in the crime comedy series "Claws" (2017-2022), appearing in the second and third seasons of the series (from 2018 to 2019). She portrayed Brenda, the biological mother of co-protagonist Jennifer Husser (played by Jenn Lyon) and the adoptive mother of protagonist Desna Simms (played by Niecy Nash). In the series, both of Brenda's daughters join the male-dominated world of organized crime. Strus has had relatively few new roles in the 2020s, though she has not retired.