Shepard's family moved to Switzerland when she was four years old, where she grew up in Basel, Bern and Zürich. She attended drama school in Zürich, graduating in 1986. She gained stage experience at the Staatstheater Stuttgart and the Nationaltheater Mannheim.[1]
In 1990, she moved to the Lake Constance area, where she oriented herself more towards film and television. She moved to Leipzig in 2007, where she still lives.[2]
In 1997, she played her first major role in a television series, appearing in 80 episodes of Hinter Gittern – Der Frauenknast, playing Susanne Teubner, a character who killed her husband in a crime of passion. From 2003 to 2015, she played plastic surgeon and urologist Dr Elena Eichhorn in In aller Freundschaft.[3] Following that, she struggled to find new roles and filed for bankruptcy. On 31 July 2015, she opened a café, Cheryl's Café, in Leipzig,[4] but she had already closed the business by April 2016.[5] Between May 2016 and April 2017, she played a leading role in the 13th season of telenovela Rote Rosen ("Red Roses").
She supports causes advocating cultural awareness and is an active member of the charity Hand in Hand International e.V. – Verein für Begegnung und Zusammenarbeit.[6]
Shepard has been married to German actor Nikolaus Okonkwo since 2006. They have a biological son and two adopted children. She also has two adult daughters from her first marriage.[7]
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