Dawn Matthews is a South African born actress best known for her role as Shakira on e.tv's drama series Scandal! from 2007-2015. Born in the Karoo town of Oudtshoorn, she studied drama at Stellenbosch University and appeared in numerous television and film productions in South Africa, including Racing Stripes, Red Dust, and Snake Island. She was one of the featured celebrities on the first season of the genealogy series Who Do You Think You Are? in 2009.