Sofia Black-D’Elia Sofia Black-D’Elia was just five when she began dancing at Broadway Bound in Lyndhurst. “I was really awful at first,” said Black-D’Elia. “I almost wanted to quit, but I’ve always loved entertaining people and making them laugh.” At 17, the CHS graduate and former TCBY employee got her first big break in 2009, playing teenage mother Bailey Welles on the ABC soap opera All My Children. Black-D’Elia went on 2010 CHS grad to roles in films like 2013’s The Sofia Black-D’Elia Immigrant and 2016’s Ben Hur. On TV, Black-D’Elia’s been seen on shows like MTV’s Skins and CW’s Gossip Girl, and has a starring role on Fox’s The Mick, playing Sabrina Pemberton. A star on the rise, Black-D’Elia is quick to trumpet the virtues of her roots. “So if you want to know what real America looks like,” she recently told the online site Coveteur.com, “go to northern New Jersey and hang out with, like, a million different cultures. It was such an amazing childhood...”
Jayne Modean Didn’t you know “the girl next door” came from Clifton? If you knew 1975 CHS grad Jayne Modean, you sure did. After appearing on multiple covers of Seventeen magazine, Modean became known for her wholesome good looks and beautiful smile. Born Hartford, Conn., she grew up at 38 Wester Pl. in Clifton, one of four siblings. The daughter of Rev. Earl R. Modean of the First Lutheran Church and mom Marcia, a Minnesota native and local 4-H queen, Jayne began traveling to modeling and commercial gigs as a first-grader at School 16. She continued modeling through her time at Woodrow Wilson and Clifton High. After appearing in many ads and commercials, the one-time Mustang cheerleader moved to California to become an actress and snagged a role on ABC’s Trauma Center in 1983, appearing in 13 episodes.
Cover girl Jayne Modean; today with husband Jay Sholl, and parents Marcia and Rev. Earl Modean.
24
March 2018 • Cliftonmagazine.com