Blacktresses: From Gabourey Sidibe to Diahann Carroll
Aunjanue Ellis, Raven-Symone, Jurnee Smollett, Gabrielle Union and the women (many of them faceless here on IMDb) that blazed the trail.
A child of the 70's looks back.
[Note: I'm continuously updating when names come to me. Most recent additions: Sufe Bradshaw, Barbara Eve Harris]
A child of the 70's looks back.
[Note: I'm continuously updating when names come to me. Most recent additions: Sufe Bradshaw, Barbara Eve Harris]
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- Actress
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Gabourey "Gabby" Sidibe, the star of Precious (2009), was born in the Bedford-Stuyvesant community in Brooklyn, New York. Her mother, Alice Tan Ridley, is a former special education teacher who gave up her career and became a street performer/singer, while her father, Ibnou Sidibe, is a cab driver. Her mother is African-American and her father is Senegalese. Her parents split when she was a youngster and Gabby grew up in Harlem. Though she was cast in school plays as a child, Sidibe had no interest in acting. She had witnessed her mother's financial struggles as a street singer and wanted the security that an education and a desk job would give her. After attending local colleges, Gabby pursued a degree in psychology at Mercy College. She was in the middle of preparing for an exam when a friend phoned her about an audition for the newest effort from Lee Daniels, Precious (2009).
Instead of attending class, she ended up being cast in the title role as Claireece "Precious" Jones, a taciturn, sixteen year-old who is pregnant for the second time after being raped by her father and is also on the receiving end of constant physical abuse by her mother. As grim as the subject matter is, Precious (2009) has become critical success and a source of inspiration for many. While her co-stars, Mo'Nique and Mariah Carey have both received a great deal of critical attention, it is Gabby who is the revelation as Precious, a character whose personality is quite different from her own. Anyone expecting a damaged young woman with no self-esteem is in for a shock after meeting the charming Sidibe. She hopes that her success in the film will motivate others to chase their dreams.
Precious (2009) has opened other doors for Sidibe. She has also completed shooting Yelling to the Sky (2011), a project from the Sundance Lab that also stars Zoë Kravitz and has other projects in the works.- Actress
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Chicago native Sufe Bradshaw, born into a family of nine siblings, learned early on the value of hard work and dedication from her Sicilian dad and her mother of Ghanaian roots. She began her acting odyssey at the Los Angeles City Theatre Academy, where she earned a degree in Theatre. Soon after, she went on to train at Lee Strasberg's prestigious Actor's Studio West, moderated by Mark Rydell. Bradshaw continued to refine her craft with The Meisner Technique and intensive sessions with Allan Miller and coaching With Michael Woolson.
Bradshaw is most notably known for her role as no-nonsense character Sue Wilson alongside Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Matt Walsh, and Tony Hale in HBO's comedy series "Veep." Most recently, Bradshaw shot a supporting role in the Netflix film "Metal Lords", written and produced by D.B Weiss and directed by Peter Sollett. She also appeared in the 2021 Sundance romantic comedy "Together Together" starring Ed Helms, Patty Harrison and directed by Nikole Beckwith.
Bradshaw can also be seen in Netflix's action adventure film "Murder Mystery" alongside Jennifer Anniston and Adam Sandler. She portrayed Nawi the Warrior on HBO Max's "Lovecraft County" guest-starred on TBS's "The Guest Book" written and directed by Greg Garcia, and had the honor of playing a cadet alien in JJ Abram's blockbuster Paramount Pictures "Star Trek."
Bradshaw is represented by Ben Gorman at Buchwald Talent Agency and managed by Tim Taylor at Luber Roklin Entertainment. She currently resides in Los Angeles, where one of her favorite hobbies is yoga with her teacher and dear friend Jake Ferree. She says that the practice has changed her life and she loves the idea that "it is not about what you are doing, but who you are being."- Alysia hails from Los Angeles. Born of parents who met at an acting class, it was no wonder that she would have the gift. Some of those gifts are acting, singing, writing (poetry and screenwriter), stand up comedy, directing, and producing. She's had a career in Film and TV including credits like: Desperate House Wives, a recurring role on Everybody Hates Chris, Scrubs, NYPD Blue, and The Shield, just to name a few. Four years ago, she got a deep passion for all things more true and cultural. That's what brought her to NY and she has been on her grind ever since. She, now, reigns as the Two Time Manhattan Monologue Slam Champion. Alysia was in the amazing stage production of "Who Is A Virtuous Woman", directed by the fabulous Wendy McKenzie and is in the 20th Century Fox Film, The Sitter with Jonah Hill which is due to premiere in August '11, working on a One Woman Show. Alysia, Just finished shooting "Excuse Me For Living" with the talented Tom Pelphrey from Guiding Light, Dick Cavett, Robert Vaughn, and Chistopher Lloyd, and is work- shopping at The Gotham Comedy Club with her stand-up skills.
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Zoë Soul was born on 1 November 1995. She is an actress and executive, known for Prisoners (2013), The Purge: Anarchy (2014) and Reed Between the Lines (2011).- Ashley Madekwe (born 6 December 1981) is an English actress. She is known for her roles as call girl Bambi in the ITV2 series Secret Diary of a Call Girl, social climber Ashley Davenport on the ABC drama series Revenge and the witch Tituba in the WGN America series Salem.
Madekwe was born in South London, England into a mixed family. Her father is Nigerian-Swiss and her mother is English. She grew up on a south London council estate and attended The Brit School at age 14. She attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London where she gained a BA in acting. While attending the school, she appeared in numerous stage productions including King Henry V as Princess Katherine and Wuthering Heights as Catherine Earnshaw.
Madekwe started her acting career with a film titled Storm Damage. Since then, she has made guest appearances on Teachers, Doctors, Casualty, and Drop Dead Gorgeous. Madekwe landed her first motion picture in the 2007 Woody Allen film Cassandra's Dream, opposite Colin Farrell and Ewan McGregor. Following that success, she played Elisha in the one-off BBC Three drama pilot West 10 LDN, and appeared in six episodes of Trexx and Flipside as Ollie. In 2008, she landed the role of Bambi on the ITV2 drama series Secret Diary of a Call Girl, appearing in series two and three. Madekwe starred in the 2008 comedy film How to Lose Friends & Alienate People. Her theatre credits include Little Sweet Thing by Roy Williams and Flight Path by David Watson.
Madekwe made her official US debut in the 2009 drama series The Beautiful Life, which only aired two episodes on The CW before being cancelled. In February 2011, she was cast as Ashley Davenport in the ABC drama series Revenge. After being a regular for the first two seasons, it was reported in late May 2013 that Madekwe would depart the series following a guest appearance in the first episode of the third season. She starred as Tituba in the television series Salem from 2014 to 2016.
In June 2012, Madekwe married her long-time boyfriend, actor Iddo Goldberg. They have worked together on Secret Diary of a Call Girl and he also had a role alongside her on the TV series Salem. - Actress
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Kali Hawk was a child prodigy, beginning high school at the age of 12, and gaining acceptance to prestigious New York arts university SUNY Purchase before she was 16 years old. While in a play on campus, she was introduced to a friend's agent and began doing commercials and plays in Manhattan's Lower East Side theatre district. A move to Los Angeles would come years later, with Kali finding work as a model. Her long legs, and model looks would land her in magazines and commercials for KFC, Clorox 2, MTV Europe, and in music videos for rock band KoRn, Rob Zombie, Norah Jones, T.I. and Usher.
Her first film role came in the Lion's Gate thriller 'Holla', which cast Kali alongside Michael Bergin as the sweet, unsuspecting camper Caprice. She would follow that project with a supporting role in the Spike Lee comedy 'Lovers & Haters', playing a scathing Hollywood diva opposite singer/superstar Mariah Carey. On television, she has also appeared on the hit CW sitcom 'The Game', executive produced by Kelsey Grammer.- Actress
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Shanola Hampton was born May 27 in Long Island, NY to a Pastor and an IRS agent. She was raised in Summerville, South Carolina with her three sisters. In college she earned a degree in Theater, with emphasis in Performance from Winthrop University along with a Masters Degree in Fine Arts from University of Illinois. She moved to Los Angeles in 2001, and began appearing in commercials. Later, she made her first guest appearance in Ryan Murphy's "Popular." Her hobbies include, traveling back to South Carolina to spend time with family, Pilates, and swimming. Her hope is to one day open a Performing Arts School.- Nadine Ellis was born in Queens, New York City, New York, USA. She is an actress, known for Hairspray (2007), Live Free or Die Hard (2007) and Tropic Thunder (2008).
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Joyful Drake was born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Her love for performing began at a young age, earning her two State Speech Performance Titles for reciting and delivering a re-enactment of Martin Luther King Jr's "I Have A Dream" speech and President Abraham Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address." Joyful earned her B.A. at the University of Madison Wisconsin on an academic scholarship where she studied drama and writing. During those years she was also a NBA Dancer for the Milwaukee Bucks. She is nicknamed "The Hurricane" by her family because of her high energy and zest for life. And most importantly, she gives back to her community through her "Dream Big Foundation," which mentors young kids and helps them carve out a path to fulfill their dreams and desires.- Actress
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Retta was born in Newark, New Jersey, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Parks and Recreation (2009), Fracture (2007) and The Lego Ninjago Movie (2017).- New York native Yaani King began her career off-Broadway in "The Alchemist" at The Classic Stage Company. She segued into film and television with The Prince and Me (2004) with Julia Stiles, and Sex and the City (1998).
After studying at The Actors Centre in London, Ms. King moved to Los Angeles and almost immediately landed a series regular role on the hit TNT show Saving Grace (2007) with Holly Hunter. In addition to having appeared in numerous guest starring roles on shows like Criminal Minds (2005), Major Crimes (2012), Extant (2014), CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000) and the new SyFy drama The Magicians (2015), she now has had a number of recurring roles on shows like ABC's Blood & Oil (2015), The Haves and the Have Nots (2013) and NBC's Aquarius (2015). Yaani has since entered the exciting world of Video Game voice-over and motion-capture when she was cast as Riley in the award-winning The Last of Us: Left Behind (2014).
Born and raised in Brooklyn and Queens, of Guyanese West Indian descent, Yaani spent her childhood watching her mother in theatre performing on stage. While attending LaGuardia High School of Performing Arts at Lincoln Center in NYC as a teen, Yaani recognized acting as her calling.
In recent years, Yaani has combined her love for acting with her humanitarian work as a founding member of a group called Charitable Living with 10 other friends, with the mission to support foundations and charities in every way from fund-raising to cooking meals. King is also an active volunteer at Aviva Family and Children's Services, mentoring young actors. In Yaani's free time she enjoys spending quality time with her husband, actor Adam Mondschein. - Actress
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Kat Graham is an actress, singer, dancer and producer. Working across a variety of genres in film, television and music, she is one of most accomplished and versatile young talents working today.
Graham was recently seen in the 70s period crime thriller "The Poison Rose" opposite Morgan Freeman and John Travolta. Graham plays Freeman's daughter, a club owner and singer suspected of murder, while Travolta plays a hard-drinking L.A. private eye who takes the case. Previously she starred in Netflix's "How It Ends" as Samantha. The film, follows a man (Theo James) and his estranged father-in-law's (Forest Whitaker) desperate race to save his pregnant wife, Samantha, after a mysterious apocalypse. Graham made history lending her voice to Nickelodeon's animated television show, "Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" as the first African-American April O'Neil.
Graham can be seen as the female lead in RZA's "Cut Throat City" starring Ethan Hawke, Wesley Snipes, Terrence Howard, and Eiza Gonzalez scheduled for release summer 2020. The film tells the story of a heist set in New Orleans' lower ninth ward after Hurricane Katrina. Graham who stars in Mark Amin's period drama "Emperor" with Dayo Okeniyi, Bruce Dern and James Cromwell following the true tale of Shields Green, a runaway slave who helped spark the civil war, is scheduled for release August 2020. Graham also stars in Netflix's "Operation: Christmas Drop" with Alexander Ludwig. The film, scheduled for release November 2020, follows a congressional aid played by Graham, on a mission to shut down the Christmas Drop mission. Operation Christmas Drop is a real life air force mission that started in 1952 that serves as training for the U.S. Air Force. It has since become the longest-running U.S. Department of Defense mission in full operation, and the longest-running humanitarian airlift in the world. In addition to the "Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" series and accompanying Netflix 2021 film, Graham's 2020 animation releases will also include Dreamwork's and Hulu's "Trolls", as well as "Robot Chicken".
Graham starred as Jada Pinkett in the highly anticipated Tupac Shakur biopic "All Eyez on Me," released by Lionsgate. She has also starred in Lionsgate's "Where's the Money?" a comedy about a guy who must pledge a fraternity to recover a stash of stolen money, both released in 2017. Graham can also be seen as the lead in Netflix's holiday hit film "The Holiday Calendar" with Quincy Brown. Graham made her television debut in 2002 on Disney Channel's popular teen comedy "Lizzie McGuire." She starred as Bonnie Bennett, considered to be her breakout role, in the CW's "The Vampire Diaries." The show premiered in 2009 and her award winning performances throughout the series received praise from fans and critics alike. The supernatural drama ran for eight seasons. She also appeared on a number of hit television shows for Disney, Fox, CBS and ABC. Other notable film credits include "17 Again", "The Roommate," "Addicted", and the starring role in "Honey 2."
Graham has also produced and sold multiple film and television projects including the series "Breaking the Record" with Disney's Maker Studios. She is set to star in and produce a biopic about iconic Motown singer Tammi Terrell produced with Brad Krevoy. She is currently producing "The Consciousness Collective", a doc series and podcast presented by Deepak Chopra, slated for 2020.
A talented singer and music producer, Graham released her second album, "Love Music, Funk Magic," in 2017 which she worked on with Babyface and Prince. She released her debut EP "Against the Wall" in May 2012 after signing with A&M/Octone/Interscope records, and her first single, "Put Your Graffiti On Me", reached over 7 million views on VEVO and hit #5 on the Billboard Dance Chart. She has had multiple Billboard/Chart top fives including "Sometimes", and the Prince penned "If Eye Could Get UR Attention". Her debut album "Roxbury Drive," which included her single "Secrets" featuring Babyface, was released in 2015. Graham, who has a degree in recording engineering, produced the 90s-inspired album with Jean-Yves "Jeeve" Ducornet and co-wrote the entire album with Babyface.
A trained dancer, Graham has appeared in music videos for a myriad of artists including Grammy winners Pharrell, Missy Elliot, John Legend, Nelly, Diddy and Usher. She has also performed on tracks with Snoop Dogg and Will.I.Am, and toured with the Black Eyed Peas on their 2007 world tour as Will.I.Am's artist.
Graham has served as the face of many campaigns and endorsements for brands such as Wet 'N Wild, Degree, Samsung, Avon, Bing, Ford, Aquafina, Abercrombie, Nivea, Armani Exchange and Fanta. Graham is currently a L'Oreal Ambassador, the face of Foster Grant and the new Dior campaign.
Born in Geneva, Switzerland, Graham is a strong advocate for human rights. Her PSA short film for Black Lives Matter landed her an Emmy nomination for best PSA short. Graham is particularly passionate about the plight of refugees worldwide. As such, Graham became a High Profile Supporter of the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner of Refugees) in 2013. In 2019, she also became a Goodwill Ambassador for Rotary International, another organization providing key support and services on the global stage. In addition to her work with refugees, Graham is a council member for GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation), Governor for the Recording Academy's Atlanta Chapter, as well as co-founder of the Modern Nirvana Wellness Group.- Actress
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Amber Riley was born on 15 February 1986 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Glee (2009), The Wiz Live! (2015) and Glee: Director's Cut Pilot Episode (2009).- Actress
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Multiethnic (African-American / Korean) actress Denyce Lawton is best known for her four seasons on the six-time NAACP Best Comedy Series Winner series House of Payne (2006) from producer Tyler Perry.
Denyce was born and raised in the New Jersey communities of Belmar and Neptune (familiar to viewers of the series Jersey Shore (2009) and later moved to Washington, DC. She completed middle school and high school in Prince Georges County, Maryland. Graduating at the top of her class while taking college course classes her senior year, she participated in almost every academic program and club the school offered, and was Vice President of her senior class, She took part in the Biotechnology Program for gifted students (headed for The medical field), the Future Teachers of America Club, the yearbook staff, the pom-pom squad, girls basketball and--what would turn out to be most important to her--the drama club. After graduation, she studied pre-med at the University Of Maryland while attending an early studies program at prestigious Johns Hopkins University.
Denyce began her professional entertainment career as a background dancer on the Broadway stage and later for such recording artists such as Ye, *NSYNC, Mya, Nelly, Jagged Edge, Ja Rule, Sean 'Diddy' Combs and many others. She also served as Assistant Vice President of Urban Promotions at Warner Brother Records, and later became A&R VP at Priority Records in New York City. She worked as personal assistant to record executive Irv Gotti at Murder Inc. Records and Assistant Junior Publicist at 20th Century Fox Pictures.
She started a modeling career with work for Kemi Oil, FUBU, ADIDAS, Enyce, Karl Kani and Baby Phat, while gaining acting experience with roles in New York City's famous "Shakespeare in the Park" series. She also appeared in music videos for such artists as Clay Aiken ("The Way"), 112 ("Peaches and Cream"), Nas ("One Mic") and Jaheim ("Anything"), among others. She has had roles in such TV series as Castle (2009) and Entourage (2004) in the feature films The Dempsey Sisters (2013), Soul Plane (2004) and Act Like You Love Me (2013).- Actress
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The consummate triple threat, Mekia Cox burst on the scene when she was cast as the vivacious DJ Sasha, on The CW's hit series "90210". From there, the Florida State University graduate was able to work with other industry icons including J.J. Abrams and producer Josh Reims when she was a series regular on NBC's "Undercovers," as well as with three-time Academy Award nominee Frank Darabont in TNT's "Mob City". Most recently she starred in three primetime shows: TV Land's "Impastor", ABC's "Secrets and Lies" the NBC hit drama "Chicago Med." Now, Mekia has recently joined the cast of the ABC's fan favorite "Once Upon A Time" for it's seventh season as series regular, Princess Tiana, the beloved character from the popular Disney animated feature "The Princess and The Frog."
Mekia Cox was born on November 18, 1981 in Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Island, but moved to Orlando, Florida at age 7. With early career credits including "One Tree Hill", "CSI:NY", "Half & Half" and "Bones," she proceeded to be cast in award-winning television series such as "Modern Family", "Grey's Anatomy", "Gotham", "Key & Peele", "Almost Human", "Leverage", "Common Law", "Necessary Roughness", and "The Mentalist", just to name a few. Additionally, she has taken her talents to the big screen when she appeared in "Battlefield America" and alongside Steve Carell and Ryan Gosling in the romantic comedy "Crazy, Stupid, Love". Mekia's talents far exceed what has been captured on screen. With a Bachelor of Music Degree in Musical Theatre and two national Broadway tours under her belt ("Fame" and "Smoke Joe's Café"), she is sharing her passion for the stage with world. Alongside her own production company, 42 Seven Productions, she and her team produce, host and perform at "Broadway at the W," a stage show that highlights the best performances in Broadway with appearances from some of the top names in entertainment. The showcases take place at the prestigious W Hotel in Hollywood as well as New York City's W in Times Square and the W City Center in downtown Chicago. Mekia has been dazzling audiences since the age of two when she performed her first solo song and dance. It was then that she knew her purpose in life was to entertain and she is proving to the world that this is just the beginning.- Actress
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Rutina Wesley is known for the character Tara Thorton, on the gritty Southern vampire drama, True Blood (2008). She was born in the city most renowned for glitz and glamour, Las Vegas, Nevada and was exposed to the arts at a very early age; in fact entertainment runs through her veins. Her father, Ivery Wheeler, is a noted tap dancer while her mother, Cassandra Wesley, performed on the Vegas strip as a showgirl. Rutina studied dance for years then earned an undergraduate degree in Theatre Performance from the University of Evansville in Indiana. She had the good fortune to be accepted by the acclaimed Julliard School. During Rutina's stint at Julliard, she was fortunate enough to spend a summer at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Fortune was with Rutina again when one of her Julliard classmates, Nelsan Ellis, reconnected with her when he became her co-star on True Blood (2008).
After leaving Julliard, Rutina was cast in the Broadway production of a David Hare play, "The Vertical Hour" opposite Bill Nighy. Rutina followed "The Vertical Hour" with an appearance in the Public Theater production, "In Darfur". Her small role in the hit movie, Hitch (2005), was cut from the completed film but that did not deter her from pursuing her dream. She made another big-screen appearance, this time in the dance melodrama How She Move (2007). She also guest starred on the hit television show Numb3rs (2005); however, her break came when she signed onto the HBO production, True Blood (2008).
True Blood (2008) is adapted from the Sookie Stackhouse Southern Vampire literary series by Charlaine Harris and conceived for the small screen by Alan Ball of American Beauty (1999) and Six Feet Under (2001). Rutina's portrayal of Tara Thornton, a character whose caustic tongue and tough manner conceal her vulnerability, helped make True Blood (2008) a cult hit. The success of True Blood (2008) shocked naysayers when the vampire soap opera became a favorite of both critics and audiences alike. We'll be seeing more of Rutina in 2010 when True Blood (2008) returns for its third season.- Kendyl Joi was born on 4 March 1982 in Dallas, Texas, USA. She is an actress, known for Miami Medical (2010), Arnolds Park (2007) and Life (2007).
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Lauren Keyana "Keke" Palmer was born on August 26, 1993 in Harvey, Illinois and raised in Robbins, Illinois to Sharon and Larry Palmer, both former actors. Palmer showed vocal promise as a five-year-old, when she belted out "Jesus Loves Me" in her church choir. A year later the singer-actress had a solo in her kindergarten play but, to her mom's dismay, the mike had not been adjusted to suit her daughter's height. Without missing a beat, Palmer lowered the mike and moved the crowd with her heavenly voice. At that very moment, her family knew there was something special about Keke (a nickname given to her by her sister).
Although music was still her passion, Palmer's first big break came via her acting skills, making her big-screen debut in Barbershop 2: Back in Business (2004) as Queen Latifah's niece. Immediately recognizing her star potential, the film's producers encouraged her parents to take their daughter to California to explore other acting opportunities. Relocating required that Palmer's parents leave behind the security of their jobs, a newly purchased home and uproot their other three children. However, it didn't diminish the family's support of Palmer's aspirations.
Once settled on the West Coast, Palmer did not waste any time. Within six weeks she had booked an episode of the critically acclaimed CBS series Cold Case (2003), a national K-Mart commercial and was chosen from a nationwide search to play opposite William H. Macy in a TNT movie, The Wool Cap (2004). Her performance was so amazing that it earned her a Screen Actors Guild nomination--to date, she is the youngest actress (then at age ten) ever to receive a nomination in a Lead Actress Category.
In 2006 Palmer appeared as the lead character "Akeelah Anderson" in the critically acclaimed, award-winning film Akeelah and the Bee (2006). The film, about a young South Los Angeles girl who attempts to win a national spelling bee, won the hearts of audiences everywhere. Her breakthrough performance has received praise from many film critics and organizations. Among the list of nominations received, "Akeelah and the Bee" was listed as one of NBR's 2006 Top Independent Films of the Year, as well as four nominations from the NAACP Image Awards. Palmer, alone, won an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Motion Picture, as well as Outstanding Lead Actress in a Motion Picture by the Black Movie Awards. She has also received nominations for Most Promising Newcomer by the Chicago Film Critics, Best Actress by the Black Reel Awards, and Best Young Actress by the Broadcast Film Critics Association. Keke held her own in scenes with veteran co-stars Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne.
That very same year, Palmer appeared in Tyler Perry's Madea's Family Reunion (2006), which was #1 at the box office for two consecutive weeks. Palmer went on to win a 2007 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture for her breakout role in "Akeelah and the Bee". She also received a ShoWest Award for Rising Star of the Year. Shortly after, Palmer lit up the small screen starring in the Disney Channel's hit movie, Jump in! (2007). This one-two punch of big-screen success coupled with small screen ratings power made Keke Palmer a household name in Hollywood.
Palmer contributed her first recording, which was featured on the "Akeelah and the Bee" soundtrack, titled "All My Girlz", and followed it up with the ever popular "My Turn Now" on the "Jump In!" soundtrack. As if two soundtracks were not enough, she was also asked to sing "Tonight", an end title song from the smash-hit Ben Stiller movie, Night at the Museum (2006). Her Atlantic Records debut album, "So Uncool", is jammed with up-tempo R&B tracks, inspirational moments, and love songs. In 2008, Palmer starred in the Weinstein Co. feature, The Longshots (2008). The film was based on the true story of a young female quarterback, played by Palmer, that makes Pop Warner history; she starred opposite Ice Cube, for first time director and Limp Bizkit front man, Fred Durst.
Palmer also starred as the title character in the hit Nickelodeon series, True Jackson, VP (2008), for 68 episodes. She played a high-school student who becomes the head of a major fashion label. In the fall of 2008, "True Jackson" bowed with over 4.8 million viewers, setting a record for Nickelodeon's largest audience for a live-action premiere. She has received four NAACP Awards for Best Actress in Children's Television for her role as "True Jackson". In 2011, Keke joined the voice cast of Nickelodeon's Winx Club (2004). She played Aisha, the Fairy of Waves. For her voice work on Winx Club, she received another NAACP Award nomination, this time for Outstanding Performance in a Youth/Children's Series or Special.
Keke starred in the movie, Abducted: The Carlina White Story (2012), for the Lifetime Network. She had a voice role in the 20th Century Fox animated film, Ice Age: Continental Drift (2012), as the character "Peaches". Her co-stars include Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary, Jennifer Lopez and Queen Latifah.
Palmer was seen on the big screen in the Alcon/Warner Bros movie, Joyful Noise (2012), singing alongside legendary Queen Latifah and Dolly Parton, however, it was Palmer who the critics singled out for her "young and inspiring" rendition of the Michael Jackson song, "Man in the Mirror".
Palmer resides in Los Angeles, CA.- Actress
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Stevens was born in Los Angeles, California. She is the daughter of actor and radio announcer Shadoe Stevens, and former model Beverly Cunningham. She has a younger sister named Chyna Stevens (Chyna Rose Stevens). She is a graduate of Beverly Hills High School. Her father is Caucasian (of Norwegian, German, English, and Dutch descent) and her mother is African-American (and part-Comanche).- Actress
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Raven Goodwin was born on 24 June 1992 in Washington, District of Columbia, USA. She is an actress, known for The Station Agent (2003), Lovely & Amazing (2001) and Snatched (2017). She has been married to Wiley Battle since 29 October 2021. They have one child.- Actress
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Naturi Naughton is an American Actress/Singer best known for her performance as "Tasha St. Patrick" in the hit show "Power" on the Starz Network. She has won 2 NAACP Image Awards for her performance in this role. Many also remember her thrilling portrayal of "Lil Kim" in Fox Searchlight's film "Notorious". Naughton has starred in various other projects such as MGM's remake of the classic film "Fame", Lottery Ticket, The Playboy Club, Mad Men and The Client List. She also appeared on Broadway in the Tony Award winning musical, "Hairspray" for 3 years. Before her transition into film and television, Naughton was a member of the Platinum selling girl group 3LW. Born and raised in East Orange, NJ, she was greatly inspired by Whitney Houston as a child and knew by the age of 5 that she wanted to be a performer. Naughton continues to thrive in Hollywood as a respected actress who has been lauded for her ability to transform into any role she is given.- Actress
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Bresha Webb was born on 6 May 1984 in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. She is an actress and director, known for Run the World (2021), A Fall from Grace (2020) and Meet the Blacks (2016). She has been married to Nick Jones Jr. since 4 February 2023.- Kimberly Jeppson was born on 8 October 1985 in California, USA. She is an actress, known for Days of Our Lives (1965), The Big Bang Theory (2007) and Mostly Ghostly (2007).
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Sharon Pierre-Louis is a multilingual actress fluent in Haitian-Kreyol, American Sign Language, English & conversational French. She is a classical/Opera singer who co-founded Project Elev8, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that supports elevating the standards of education in Haiti. Pierre-Louis has appeared on the fourth and fifth seasons of Freeform's hit series Switched at Birth in the recurring guest star role of Iris which can also be viewed on Netflix. Credits Include ABC's Speechless, the role of Little Jody in Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained & a guest star recurring role on ABC Family's (now known as Freeform) Lincoln Heights. She has guest starred on CBS's CSI: Miami, ABC's Suburgatory, and after having shot a couple of pilots, Sharon worked as a series regular on ABC Family's The Lying Game. She played Sophie in the indie film Electric Love & worked as a series regular on the New Media series, Grown, through Adaptive Studios (an LA-based company best known for producing HBO's 2015 reboot of Matt Damon and Ben Affleck's docuseries, Project Greenlight.) She is also the voice of several characters in the Playstation's video game Crime Boss: Rockay City. She has commercial credits with Toyota, McDonald's & Tomorrow Mattress. Theatre credits include the voice of Emily Webb with Sandra Mae Frank in Deaf West's production of Our Town at the Pasadena Playhouse. The following season she returned to the Pasadena Playhouse stage in the French-Senegalese Muslim role of Amina, a four person play, Belleville, with Anna Camp (Pitch Perfect, The Help) & Thomas Sadoski (Life in Pieces, The Newsroom). Sharon graduated from an award winning middle/high school theatre program at the Dreyfoos School of the Arts as a musical theatre major. She has her BFA degree in acting (Cum Laude) from Florida State University as well as a degree in American Sign Language Interpreting and Transliterating (inspired by her Deaf older sibling.) Pierre-Louis believes in everyone having equal access to education, including the arts. She is a polyglot currently learning Italian & Spanish while being actively involved within the Deaf and Haitian community.- Actress
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Tamela J. Mann was born on 9 June 1966 in Limestone County, Texas, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Madea Goes to Jail (2009), Diary of a Mad Black Woman (2005) and Meet the Browns (2008). She has been married to David Mann since 9 June 1988. They have four children.- Actress
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Denise Boutte was born on 19 January 1982 in Maurice, Louisiana, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Why Did I Get Married? (2007), Kombucha Cure (2023) and Extreme Movie (2008). She has been married to Kevin Boutte since 2003. They have one child.- Actress
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Annie Ilonzeh was born on 23 August 1983 in Grapevine, Texas, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Peppermint (2018), Person of Interest (2011) and He's Just Not That Into You (2009).- Actress
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Tika Sumpter was born in New York and graduated from Marymount Manhattan College. Sumpter began her career as model, before she landed the role of "Layla Williamson" in ABC's daytime soap opera, One Life to Live (1968) (2005-2010, 2011).
After she left the soap, Sumpter won a recurring role in the CW series, Gossip Girl (2007), and appeared in the BET sitcom, The Game (2006). After supporting roles in the films, Stomp the Yard 2: Homecoming (2010), Salt (2010), What's Your Number? (2011) and Think Like a Man (2012), she was cast alongside Jordin Sparks and Whitney Houston in the 2012 musical film, Sparkle (2012). In 2013, she was cast as vixen "Candace Young" in the OWN drama series, The Haves and the Have Nots (2013).- Actress
Indigo was born Alyssa Ashley Nichols in 1984, in Los Angeles, CA. Coming from an artistic family, she was exposed early on to various facets of the arts and attributes much of her interests in them to this.
She booked her first commercial for Armour Hot Dog at age 5, and spent the next several years doing various student films and industrials, while simultaneously building up a reputation among casting directors in the industry.
At age 10 she booked her first film role, playing opposite 'Louis Gossett Jr.', in the Showtime film, Zooman (1995); adapted from the play "Zooman and the Sign".
During her freshman year in high school she was accepted from among applicants nationwide into the prestigious summer arts program; the California State Summer School for the Arts, (better known as CSSSA). In honor of her acceptance into this program, she was also made a recipient of the Governor's Medallion award.
She auditioned and was accepted to the Los Angeles County High School of the Arts, (LACHSA), her junior year. It was during this time that she also decided to change her name to Indigo.
Just before her junior year in high school however, Indigo took the CHSPE, (California High School Proficiency Exam), passed, and received her high school diploma a semester into the school year, prompting her to graduate a year and a half ahead of schedule.
In recent years she's also established a name for herself on the voice-over scene, having done radio commercials for "McDonald's"; "U.S. Army"; "Nestle's Crunch" and "Geico", and having lent her voice to animation for the pilot episode of "Boondocks", where she played Huey; "Curious George" and several recurring gigs such as, "Oscar Meyer"; "McDonald's" and Family Guy (1999).
From the time spanning from junior high school until now, Indigo has had guest star appearances on such shows as: The Good Bad Guy (1997) Sister, Sister (1994); Chicago Hope (1994); NYPD Blue (1993); Crossing Jordan (2001); Judging Amy (1999); Girlfriends (2000); Strong Medicine (2000); Cold Case (2003); and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000). She's had recurring roles on: Minor Adjustments (1995); Any Day Now (1998); Boston Public (2000); Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997); and can be seen on Showtime's, Weeds (2005), which also earned her a SAG nomination for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series, at the 2007 SAG awards.
Her other interests include music and art.- Actress
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Hails from New York, where she studied Educational Theater at NYU while on a scholarship for spring board diving. She started her career dancing for icons like Michael Jackson, Prince, and many others in the States and internationally. Eventually she made the transition to Los Angeles where she has been successfully working in Film and Television.- Actress
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Nicole Beharie is an American actress.
Her critically acclaimed film debut was in the film American Violet (2008) alongside Alfre Woodard, Tim Blake Nelson and Will Patton. Beharie also played Ernie Davis' girlfriend in the movie The Express (2008). Her upcoming projects include My Last Day Without You (2011) and Steve McQueen's Shame (2011) opposite Michael Fassbender.
Beharie developed a passion for acting and performing as a child. She attended South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities in Greenville, SC. She was the first student from the Governor's school to be accepted into Juilliard Drama School in NYC.- Shannon Kane was born on 14 September 1986 in Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA. She is an actress, known for Brooklyn's Finest (2009), The Collection (2012) and Blood and Bone (2009).
- Freema Agyeman is a British actress who is known for playing Martha Jones in the BBC science fiction series Doctor Who (2007-2010), Alesha Phillips in crime procedural drama Law & Order: UK (2009-2011), Amanita Caplan in the Netflix science fiction drama Sense8 (2015-2018), and Dr. Helen Sharpe in the NBC medical procedural series New Amsterdam (2018-2022).
- Nicole Fiscella was born on 15 September 1979 in Rochester, New York, USA. She is an actress, known for Gossip Girl (2007) and Luxury Unveiled (2006).
- Actress
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Jasika Nicole grew up in Birmingham, AL and studied musical theatre, dance and studio art at Catawba College in Salisbury, NC before moving to NYC to work in theatre. There she performed in Off and Off-Off Broadway musicals and plays before starting her career in TV and film. Identifying as a queer, biracial and black woman, Nicole has been with her wife, Claire Savage, since 2006 and has most recently voiced the role of the queer, WOC narrator, Keisha Taylor, in the cult favorite Night Vale Presents podcast 'Alice Isn't Dead'. Outside of TV and film, Nicole is an avid craftsperson, penning essays and blog posts about intersectional feminism in the crafting world. She sews her own clothes, makes shoes, builds and reupholsters furniture, and draws and writes her own web comics.- Actress
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Lisa Tucker was born on 13 June 1989 in Newport Beach, California, USA. She is an actress, known for The Vampire Diaries (2009), Zoey 101 (2005) and The Following (2013).- Actress
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Gabrielle Dennis is a multi-hyphenated artist with a background as a trained dancer, actress, and singer stretching all the way back to age 4. Gabrielle always knew she would have a career in the arts and although she has appeared on stage and film she is best known for her work in television. Her first major recurring role was as Janay Brice on the hit series "The Game" (CW & BET) that was canceled after 3 seasons on the CW but later picked up by BET thanks to a campaign started by fans for the beloved show's return. Gabrielle left the show in 2012 and went on to star in 1 season of "Blue Mountain State" (Spike TV) and guest star on several series like Justified (FX), Bones (Fox), and Baby Daddy (ABC Family) to name a few before landing her first network series regular role on "Rosewood" (Fox) where she played the titular characters sister, Pippy Rosewood. Producers, aware of her abilities, introduced her singing as part of her character's storyline allowing Gabrielle to record several songs for the series and it's subsequent soundtrack. Rosewood was canceled after only 2 seasons but Gabrielle immediately landed her next series as Tilda Johnson aka Nightshade on the junior season of Marvel's Luke Cage where was once again able to showcase her singing talent with a song she performed and wrote entitled "Family First" for the series very climatic reveal. Unfortunately fans never got a chance to see her character fully develop as the show was canceled when Disney pulled all of its series from Netflix. Luckily though this made her available to portray Whitney Houston in "The Bobby Brown Story" a two part mini-series for BET that earned Gabrielle an NAACP Image Award nomination for her performance and an actual win for the series. Since that nomination Gabrielle has gone on to portray another icon, Tina Turner, for an episode of "American Soul" (BET) about the famed Soul Train series and recurred on two more shows: Insecure (HBO) and S.W.A.T (CBS).
In 2019 Gabrielle had the opportunity to go back to her comedy routes when Robin Thede, whom Gabrielle first met back in her stand-up comedy days, approached her to co-star in a series she created for HBO called "A Black Lady Sketch Show" that went on to earn three Emmy Nominations in its 1st season. Although Gabrielle has performed stand-up, toured with a sketch troop and was a series regular an another sketch comedy series, "The Underground" (Showtime), most fans were shocked to see Gabrielle portray over 2 dozen characters in the first 2 seasons of "A Black Lady Sketch Show" and look forward to seeing her do more on the heels of a season 3 pickup. In 2020 Gabrielle returned to Netflix as a recurring character on the new hit series "The Upshaws" as Tasha where fans have been able to experience even more of her comedic talents. In 2021 Gabrielle landed her first leading lady role for a network television pilot entitled "Someone Out There" (CBS) which is scheduled to film summer 2021.- Actress
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Shanti Lowry was born on 2 April 1982 in Boulder, Colorado, USA. She is an actress and director, known for The Game (2006), Bronx SIU (2018) and D.E.B.S. (2003). She has been married to Anthony Schubert since 2004.- Actress
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Yaya DaCosta was born and raised in New York City along with her sister and two brothers. She got her first acting gig at the age of eleven when her junior high school drama teacher, Ann Willis Ratray, encouraged her to audition for educational films. She continued to perform in school shows throughout high school and college and in 2005, She was the runner-up in Cycle 3 of America's Next Top Model made her feature film debut in Take the Lead. In 2008, she made her Off-Broadway debut in "The First Breeze of Summer" at The Signature Theater, for which she garnered rave reviews and won the Vivian Robinson/AUDELCO Recognition Award for Excellence in Black Theater. She has portrayed a range of characters, from Danny Glover's frail teenage daughter in John Sayles' Honeydripper, to Mark Ruffalo's voluptuous lover in Lisa Cholodenko's The Kids Are All Right. She has been tagged one of Hollywood's new "it girls" by many, including Lynn Hirschberg who featured her on the cover of W Magazine in September, 2010.- Actress
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Zoë Kravitz has captivated audiences in diverse group of acclaimed major motion picture films, notable independent releases and blockbuster franchises including The Batman, Mad Max and Fantastic Beasts, as well as the celebrated EMMY® Award-winning series Big Little Lies.
Following her role both starring in and Executive Producing the critically acclaimed series adaption of High Fidelity for Hulu, Kravitz most recently starred as Selina Kyle in Matt Reeves and Warner Bros.' acclaimed blockbuster film The Batman. In 2024, Kravitz will make her directorial debut with the original motion picture film, Blink Twice. Written by Kravitz and E.T. Feigenbaum, the film will star Naomi Ackie alongside Channing Tatum.
At the onset of this multi-talented entertainer's career, Variety touted her among its "10Actors to Watch," while Forbes spotlighted Kravitz on their coveted "30 Under 30 List." She has since gained global recognition and was recently named one of "the most influential people of 2022" by TIME.
Outside of her film endeavors, Kravitz is the global face of YSL Beauty and a brand ambassador for Saint Laurent, as well as the face of YSL's Black Opium fragrance.- Actress
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Erica Hubbard started her career in 1988 doing voice-overs and starring in commercials such as: McDonald's, MCI, Reebok and Sears. She has worked in many markets, including Chicago, New York and California.
Ms. Hubbard has performed in feature films distributed by Paramount, 20th Century Fox and TSIBILI Pictures. She has starred in television shows on various networks such as: CBS, NBC, MTV and the WB. In addition, she has graced the pages of many popular magazines, including Seventeen, Honey, Ebony and YM (as the Noxzema Girl).
Erica attended Columbia College and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in three years. After graduating, Erica already had her own television show on WPWR, a UPN affiliate in Chicago. Before Erica's third season was aired, she received a Regional Emmy and earned a Service To America Award from the National Association of Broadcasters. This was a result of hosting the children/teen show: Up'N Running (1997). Erica's dynamic resume includes credits such as Save the Last Dance (2001), A Cinderella Story (2004), Light It Up (1999) and The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005) (a New York Times Best Selling Novel). Erica just wrapped Akeelah and the Bee (2006) for Lions Gate Films. Erica is working as a Regular on the series, Lincoln Heights (2006), on ABC Family Channel and Erica's animated series, The Replacements (2006), is airing now on Disney.
As a unionized actress, she knows how important it is to be affiliated with organizations in her profession. Furthermore, she is a proud member of NATAS, IFP/West, AFI and WIF, and successfully continues her career, coast to coast.- Actress
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Sophie Okonedo is a British actress. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Tatiana Rusesabagina in Hotel Rwanda (2004).
Okonedo was born within London in 1968. Her parents were Henry Okonedo (1939-2009) and Joan Allman. Her father was British Nigerian employed as a government worker. Her mother was a British Jew employed as a Pilates teacher. Sophie's maternal grandparents were Yiddish-speaking emigrants to the United Kingdom, one from Poland and the other from Russia.
Henry Okonedo abandoned his family around 1973, when Sophie was 5. Joan raised her daughter as a single mother in the Chalkhill Estate, a large council estate within the Wembley Park district of the London Borough of Brent. The Chalkhill Estate consisted of "about 1900 houses and flats" and was located at a short distance from the Wembley Stadium. The Chalkhill Estate was often vandalized by football hooligans during during the 1970s and suffered from high crime rates from the 1970s to the 1990s. The Estate's buildings were eventually demolished in 2000.
Sophie was raised as a practicing Jew, and always had access to books despite her family's relative poverty. She chose to follow acting as a profession, and was trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, one of the oldest and most prestigious drama schools in the United Kingdom.
Okonedo made her film debut at 23, in the coming-of-age film "Young Soul Rebels" (1991). The film was a historical fiction work, examining the youth culture of London in the late 1970s, and the interactions between different culture movements: the skinheads, the punks, and the soul-boys. Sophie Okonedo played Tracy, the girlfriend of the main character Chris (Valentine Nonyela).
In 1995, Okonedo gained the role of Moira Levitt in the first season of the prison drama "The Governor" (1995-1996). The series primarily concerned the lives of a prison's staff members. Also in 1995, Okonedo played the role of the Wachati Princess, Ace Ventura's love interest in the comedy film "Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls". In the film, the virgin princess of an African tribe has been engaged to a heir from another tribe, but disagrees with the arranged marriage and attempts to seduce pet detective Ace Ventura (Jim Carrey) instead. Ace has recently become a Buddhist monk and has taken an oath of celibacy, but feels tempted by the offer.
From 1996 to 1997, Okonedo played the main role of Kelly Booth in the medical drama series "Staying Alive". In 2000, Okonedo played a main role in the legal drama mini-series "In Defence". While originally planned to be a multi-season television series, the series was cut short due to poor ratings.
In 2000, Okonedo co-stared in the dramatic television film "Never Never". She was nominated for a "Royal Television Society Award for Best Actor - Female", for her role in the film. In 2002, Okonedo played the role of the prostitute Juliette in the social thriller film "Dirty Pretty Things", which depicted the lives of impoverished immigrants in London.
In 2003, Okonedo voiced the role of Alison Cheney in the flash-animated series "Scream of the Shalka", a spin-off of "Doctor Who". In the series, Alison is a barmaid at a Lancashire village who becomes the newest time-traveling companion of the Doctor (played by Richard E. Grant). Alison also befriends the Master (played by Derek Jacobi), an arch-enemy-turned-assistant of the Doctor who is permanently trapped within the time machine known as the Tardis.
In 2004, 36-year-old Okonedo had her breakthrough role as the co-star of the historical drama film "Hotel Rwanda", depicting the Rwandan genocide (1994). Okonedo played the historical figure Tatiana Rusesabagina (1958-), a professional nurse from the Tutsi ethnic group who helped over a 1000 individuals to escape the massacre. Okonedo won a Black Reel Award for Best Actress for her role. She was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, but the Award for that year was won by rival actress Cate Blanchett (1969-).
In 2005, Okonedo had the role of Sithandra in the science fiction film "Æon Flux". The film was set in the 25th century, within the fictional city-state of Bregna. The characters Æon Flux (played by Charlize Theron) and Sithandra are female assassins, tasked with assassinating Trevor Goodchild, the local head-of-state. But in the process, Æon finds out that the city-state's main rebel-organization is actually a tool for a coup d'état orchestrated by other politicians. And also discovers some dark secrets about the city's past. The film gained a worldwide box office total of 52 million dollars, smaller than its actual budget,
In 2006, Okonedo played the intelligence agent "Mrs. Jones" in the spy film "Stormbreaker", an adaptation of the "Alex Rider" novel series by Anthony Horowitz (1955-). In the film, Mrs. Jones (full name "Tulip Jones" in the novels) is an an agent of the Special Operations Division of MI6, and the de facto second-in-command of MI6. When subordinate agent Ian Rider gets assassinated by enemy agents, Mrs. Jones recruits Ian's nephew and surrogate son Alex Rider as a replacement agent. Blackmailing the boy by threatening to deport his housekeeper and primary caretaker Jack Starbright (played by Alicia Silverstone) if he refuses to serve the agency. The film gained about 24 million dollars at the international box office, receiving only a limited release in the United States.
Also in 2006, Okonedo played the role of Anna in the British comedy-drama film "Scenes of a Sexual Nature", an anthology film depicting seven loosely connected stories, all set in the nature reserve of Hampstead Heath within Greater London. Anna was depicted as a woman suffering from extreme mood swings, which convince her boyfriend to leave her alone in the nature reserve. The depressed Anna is approached by the weirdly-acting stranger Noel (played by Tom Hardy) who attempts to cheer her up and befriend her. Anna is at turns amused and annoyed by Noel, attempts to have sex with him, and then abruptly abandons him due to another sudden change in her mood. The film opened in niche cinemas.
Also in 2006, Okonedo played the role of Susie Carter in the mini-series "Tsunami: The Aftermath", which depicted the aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami. In the film, Susie is a young mother who is searching for her daughter Martha Carter (Jazmyn Maraso). Martha was swept away by the tsunami, and her whereabouts are unknown for most of the series. Okonedo won an "NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special" for this role, and was nominated for a Golden Globe.
Okonedo's next films were the comedy-drama "Martian Child" (2007), the drama film "The Secret Life of Bees" (2008), and the biographical film "Skin" (2008). The last two films allowed Okonedo to be nominated for several Black Reel Awards, NAACP Image Awards, Satellite Awards, and British Independent Film Award. Despite the critical acclaim for her acting roles, Okonedo never actually won these awards.
In 2010, 42-year-old Okonedo was appointed an officer of the Order of the British Empire, a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences. The Order was established in 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom (reigned 1910-1936) and counts among its members several actors.
In 2010, Okonedo returned to the Doctor Who franchise, playing another character in the most recent "Doctor Who" television series. She was cast as Elizabeth X (nicknaned "Liz Ten"), a Queen regnant of the United Kingdom in the 29th century. In the series, Elizabeth is immortal, but has limited access to her own memories due to a series of mind-wipes. She was depicted as still alive and reigning in an episode set in the 52nd century, at which point she was over 2300 years old.
Okonedo was limited to television roles for much of the early 2010s, but returned to theatrical films with the post-apocalyptic science fiction film "After Earth" (2013). The film is set in the 31st century, when the planet Earth has long been abandoned by humanity. Most humans live in the colony world Nova Prime, which is protected from alien threats by the Ranger Corps. Okonedo was cast in the role of Faia Raige, wife of the General Cypher Raige (Will Smith), the commanding officer of the Rangers. Early in the film, Faia convinces Cypher to take their son Kitai Raige (Jaden Smith) with him in mission, as a bonding experience. Young Kitai's application to become a Ranger has already being rejected due to reckless behavior, Kitai suffers from survivor's guilt for playing a part in his sister's death, and his father sees him as a failure. Faia's request for a bonding experience results in father and son being left stranded on planet Earth, the only two humans alive on the planet. The film was poorly received by critics, but earned about 244 million dollars at the worldwide box office. Becoming the commercially most successful film in Okonedo's entire career at this point.
Okonedo's next film was the political drama "War Book" (2014). The film depicts British civil servants who participate in a war-game, concerning government reactions in a potential nuclear war. In 2016, Okonedo had a major role in the mini-series "The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses", depicting the historical Wars of the Roses (1455-1487), a series of English civil wars involving rival branches of the royal family. Okonedo was cast in the role of Queen consort Margaret of Anjou (1430-1482, terms as Queen 1445-1461, 1470-1471). The historical Margaret was the wife and consort of Henry VI of England (1421-1471, reigned 1422-1461, 1470-1471), the mother of Edward of Westminster, Prince of Wales (1453-1471), and the mother-in-law of Anne Neville (1456-1485). Due to Henry's health problems and Edward's underage status, Margaret served as the de facto head of the House of Lancaster and the Lancastrian military faction in early phases of the war. The defeat of her army at the Battle of Tewkesbury (1471) caused the deaths of both her husband and her son, and allowed the rival House of York to dominate the English throne until 1485.
In 2018, Okonedo returned to voice acting. She voiced Kanga the kangaroo of the Hundred Acre Wood in the fantasy film "Christopher Robin", a sequel to the Winnie-the-Pooh novels of Alan Alexander Milne (1882-1956). The film depicts an adult Christopher Robin as a World War II veteran and aging businessman. He thinks that his childhood friends from the Hundred Acre Wood were imaginary, until said friends come searching for him. He has aged, but they have not. The film earned about 198 million dollars at the worldwide box office, becoming the highest-grossing film in Disney's Winnie the Pooh franchise.
In 2019, Okonedo played the seer Lady Hatton in the superhero film "Hellboy", the first superhero film of her career. The film earned about 40 million dollars at the worldwide box office, lower than its own budget. The film was criticized for its excessive gore, including an opening scene where King Arthur mutilates the corpse of his enemy Nimue.
Also in 2019, Okonedo was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2010, and Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2019., for her services in drama. She is living with her only daughter Aoife Okonedo Martin in Muswell Hill, a suburban district of north London. Aoife is employed as a Personal Trainer. At 51, Okonedo continues to work regularly in her chosen field.- Actress
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Shareeka Epps was born on 11 July 1989 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Half Nelson (2006), Mother and Child (2009) and My Soul to Take (2010).- Actress
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Actress, youth advocate and educator, Sandi McCree, known for her edgy, street-tough performance as "Delonda Brice" on HBO's The Wire, has been on the front line of arts education and media literacy for over 21 years years.
McCree began acting at age 4 growing up in Washington, D.C. where she gained love for storytelling. She went on to pursue a Bachelor of Arts degree in Radio, Film and Television from the University of Maryland and her Master's in acting from Case Western Reserve University. McCree furthered her dramatic studies at the National Shakespeare Conservatory in New York and the British American Drama Academy in Oxford, England.
It was during her time at Case Western where McCree developed her approach of Multimedia Arts Focused Prevention Education through the formation of her organization The Thought Provoking Arts Company (TPAC). TPAC was commissioned by Case Western Reserve University to develop original arts based programs aimed at providing prevention awareness activities for the student body with an emphasis on freshmen residents. TPAC's mission to provide comprehensive arts education and art focused prevention programming to children was fulfilled in McCree's work with multiple Ohio Public School Districts, Cuyahoga Community College, the Center for Families and Children in Cleveland Ohio and Pin Points Theatre, a national educational touring company in Washington, DC, where she served as Eastern Regional Director.
Meanwhile McCree's professional career took two mutually beneficial tracks as actress and arts educator. While performing across the country in stage productions such as The Exonerated, Fires in the Mirror and the one woman show The Gimmick, McCree was simultaneously writing and presenting on childhood education. She co-authored Artful Strategies for Prevention Education Group Work with Adolescent African-American Girls at the 23rd International Symposium on Social Work with Groups and in 1999 presented Using a Psychosocial Network to Empower Parents of Children with Sickle Cell Anemia to Maximize Life's Opportunities for the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America. McCree's work on stage and in education led to her serving as Media Liaison for the National Black Media Coalition.
Her TV credits include The Closer Cold Case and Criminal Minds yet it is her work on HBO's The Wire that embodies the marriage of her passion for acting/storytelling with youth advocacy. Against type, McCree portrays "Delonda Brice," a villainous, misguided mother who would rather see her son selling drugs on the streets in order to support her ghetto fabulous lifestyle than attend and excel at school. Such a character couldn't be further from McCree's own and she's been able to use this deviant role as a platform for her dedication to the supportive development of young minds.
McCree was a Producer of "BeBop to Hip-Hop" an educational performance at the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz were she holds the position of Special Projects Coordinator. She recently appeared in the award winning documentary "Keep On Keepin On" produced by the legendary Quincy Jones.
Sandi performs weekly with several improv troupes including Most Humble. She can be seen weekly at such venues as: The Groundlings Theater, Second City, iO West, The Clubhouse, Asylum Lab, Danger Room and Neon Venus. In November 2013, Most Humble is the 8-time defending champion of Second City Hollywood's Thunderdome Improv Cagematch show. In the Summer of 2015, Sandi McCree was invited to join the prestigious Sunday Company at The Groundlings.
Sandi McCree is has taught and directed students at the San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts and she teaches theatre arts at the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts.- Demetria Dyan McKinney (born August 27, 1979) is an American actress and singer. From 2006 to 2012 she starred in the TBS sitcom Tyler Perry's House of Payne. Her other series regular roles include Tv One sitcom The Rickey Smiley Show, Bounce TV prime time soap opera Saints & Sinners and Syfy horror drama Superstition.
Her stage credits include playing Coretta Scott King in the Rhythm and Blues Opera I Dream (2010), and well as role of Deena Jones in Dreamgirls (2012). In 2017, McKinney played Whitney Houston in the TV One film Bobbi Kristina. She released her debut album Officially Yours in 2017. Plays Cedric's mother in the BET series The Quad.
McKinney starred as Janine Shelton-Payne on the TBS comedy series Tyler Perry's House of Payne from 2006 to 2012. She was nominated for a 2009 National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications Vision Award for Best Performance in a Comedy, in recognition of her work on House of Payne. She set to return for her in the House of Payne spin-off The Paynes in 2018. McKinney also guest starred on Necessary Roughness, Drop Dead Diva,Devious Maids, Chicago Med, and Being Mary Jane. She has been a guest star on The Real Housewives of Atlanta airing on the Bravo Television Network since its 7th season premiere on November 9, 2014.
From 2012 to 2014, McKinney had series regular role on the TV One comedy series, The Rickey Smiley Show. In 2016, she was cast as Tamara Austin in the Bounce TV prime time television soap opera Saints & Sinners. In 2017, she was cast opposite Mario Van Peebles and Robinne Lee in the Syfy horror drama Superstition. Also in 2017, McKinney starred in the TV One movie Bobbi Kristina as Whitney Houston, the late icon and mother to Bobbi Kristina.
In 2017, McKinney released her debut album Officially Yours. She received nomination for NAACP Image Award for Outstanding New Artist. - Actress
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Fantasia Barrino was born on 30 June 1984 in High Point, North Carolina, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for The Color Purple (2023), The Butler (2013) and American Idol (2002). She has been married to Kendall Taylor since 19 July 2015. They have one child.- Actress
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Lauren London first appeared in the film, ATL, opposite actor and recording artist, Tip "TI" Harris. Due to London's breakout success in ATL, she received an offer to star in the film, This Christmas, with Loretta Devine, Idris Elba and Regina King. Her next film role was in the teen romantic comedy, I Love You, Beth Cooper, opposite Hayden Panettiere. London made her television debut on Everybody Hates Chris. Her other television credits include a recurring guest star role on HBO's Entourage, a recurring guest star role on CW's 90210 and a special guest star role in the VH1 series, Singles Ladies, executive produced by Queen Latifah. London's next feature film is Madea's Big Happy Family, directed by Tyler Perry. She is a Los Angeles native.- Music Artist
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Jennifer Kate Hudson was born on September 12, 1981 in Chicago, Illinois to Darnell Donerson (née Hudson) & Samuel Simpson. She is an Academy Award-winning actress, Grammy Award-winning recording artist and best-selling author. This bright, beautiful and booming-voiced talent is a perfect example of how NOT winning the title of American Idol (2002) can still be a superstar boon to your career and not the disappointment of a life time.
She earned minor attention as one of the twelve finalists on the third season of the FOX TV series in 2004, but finished an underwhelming sixth runner-up. Hudson grew up singing in gospel choirs, acting in community theater productions, singing on cruise ships and touring for in Disney's "Hercules: The Musical." With no formal musical training, her raw vocal power initially pleased the panel of Idol judges and she, Fantasia Barrino and La Toya London were initially promoted as the show's very own "Dreamgirls" and were expected to be the final three standing at the end of the competition. Surprisingly, all three were midway placed in the bottom group at one point, and Jennifer was cut from the pack. Fantasia eventually won the competition and, seemingly, all the glory and the fame.
Hudson appeared with the "American Idol" summer tour and performed on the road in concerts over the next two years. When it was time to audition for the coveted role of "Effie Melody White" in the long-awaited film version of the Broadway musical Dreamgirls (2006), among Jennifer's competition would be Fantasia herself. This time Jennifer was the winner and earned the right to play the coveted role. Immediately ordered to gain weight for the role, the film was loosely based on the real-life pursuits of The Supremes, with the character of Effie taking on the tragic form of the group's ill-fated co-founder Florence Ballard (1943-1976), but with a far less tragic ending.
Jennifer's performance became the most triumphant musical film debut since Barbra Streisand in Funny Girl (1968). Making the role her own, she delivered the same heart-breaking, gut-wrenching one-two punch that made Jennifer Holliday, who originated the role on stage, the toast of the Broadway scene in 1981. It was no easy task to outshine both Beyoncé and Eddie Murphy in one movie, but Jennifer was the movie's heart and soul and easily won over the critics. She went on to win not only the Oscar, Golden Globe, British Film, New York Film Critics and National Board of Review awards for "Best Supporting Actress," she picked up nearly every film critic's award there was to be had!
Hudson's meteoric rise made quite an impact in the world of music with the successful release of both her Sony/Arista Records albums. Her 2008 debut, self-titled record debuted at #2 on the "Billboard Hot 100" and won a Grammy Award for "Best R & B Album, and her sophomore album, "I Remember Me," also debuted at #2 and went on to win three awards at the 2009 NAACP Image Awards including "Best Album." Her third album, 2014's "JHUD," released by RCA, was a highly successful throwback to 70's inspired R&B.
Continuing to distinguish herself on the large screen, Jennifer began things off featured in the film version of Sex and the City (2008) with Sarah Jessica Parker. She then played the concerned daughter of compulsive gambler Forest Whitaker in the drama Winged Creatures (2008); earned a NAACP Image Award nomination for her moving effort in the tender drama The Secret Life of Bees (2008); portrayed Winnie Mandela opposite Terrence Howard's Nelson in the biopic Winnie Mandela (2011); co-starred with Whitaker again and Angela Bassett in the family Christmas drama Black Nativity (2013); co-starred as an amateur singer taken in by talent agent Adam Sandler in the romantic comedy Sandy Wexler (2017); appeared as Grizabella in the film version of the hit musical Cats (2019); and was given the opportunity to play the "Queen of Soul" herself, Aretha Franklin, in the biopic Respect (2021). Back in 2013, she was honored, at such a young stage, with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
On TV, Jennifer has played the recurring roles of Veronica Moore in the musical series Smash (2012) and Michelle White in the dramatic series Empire (2015). She also was given the distinction of playing and singing the role of Motormouth Maybelle in the live TV movie Hairspray Live! (2016).
As for other special live performances over the years, Jennifer was invited to sing the national anthem at the Super Bowl XLVIII in Tampa, Florida on February 1, 2009. It would be her first live performance since the October 24, 2008 family tragedy of losing mother Darnell and older brother Jason in a domestic shooting incident. In January of 2013, she was asked to perform at the Obama Presidential Inaugural Ball and in 2019, was invited to sing the nominated song "I'll Fight" from the movie RBG (2018), a documentary chronicling the life and career of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Honored at VH1's Do Something Awards for her charitable work and also the recipient of the Samsung Galaxy Impact Award at Variety's Power of Women luncheon with the Samsung Galaxy Impact Award, Jennifer, along with her sister Julia Hudson, founded The Julian D. King Gift Foundation in 2009, as a catalyst for change in children's health, education and welfare. The Foundation exists to provide stability, support and positive experiences for children of all backgrounds so that they will become productive, confident and happy adults.
Expanding her talents in the arts, Hudson added author to her list of accomplishments in January 2012 with the release her New York Times best-selling memoir, "I Got This: How I Changed My Ways, Found Myself and Lost Everything that Weighed Me Down."- Actress
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Eva Marcille was born on 30 October 1984 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for The Young and the Restless (1973), I Think I Love My Wife (2007) and Smallville (2001). She was previously married to Michael Sterling.- Deidrie Henry, was born in Barbados an is an award-winning actor and musician and much, much more. She came to the U.S. with her family in the late 1970s.. As a student at Atlanta's Avondale High School, the range of her talents was already on display, as she excelled academically as well as in music, drama, athletics, cheer-leading, student government, and more. She had an extraordinary capacity to be competitive AND collaborative, fierce AND friendly. She was like a powerful bomb made out of peppermint-flavored glitter: complex, potent, surprising, utterly delightful. Henry initially set out to apply her talents and dreams as a commercial airline pilot. She earned her degree in aeronautical science and a pilot's license at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, in Florida, with plans of a career in the skies. However, she graduated just as her anticipated employer, Eastern Airlines, was in chaos and eventually folded. Henry poured herself into a series of opportunities in theatre, first in Atlanta and then based in New York, Oregon, Paris, and finally Los Angeles. In New York, among other things, she won the Backstage Bistro Award as the city's Outstanding Vocalist and Cabaret Debut for her Cabaret entitled "What a Day For a Daydream". In Oregon, among other things, she made a living performing Shakespeare, August Wilson, Chekhov, to name a few. In Paris, she sang in a cabaret, toured and recorded with an African Band, Yeou Terre Foulbe, among other things, she was in freakin' Paris (how dope is that?!?). Since moving to LA, in 2004, however, Henry has been busy, fulfilled, and thoroughly appreciated at the highest levels of her crafts, starring on stage and screen. From that base she has toured the country with award-winning shows and been cast in some of the most memorable television shows ever. On stage she has played lead roles in "Raisin in the Sun," "Streetcar Named Desire," "Yellowman," "Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill," "The Ballad of Emmett Till," and many others. She has won multiple awards, including the LA Tony for Best Actress and the NAACP Image Award. She has also been honored with an Ovation Award, Backstage Garland Award and the Los Angeles Drama Critic Circle Award. Perhaps best of all, when she was recently cast as Billie Holiday, everyone just said, "That's gonna be awesome." And it was. If you've ever heard her sing, you'd understand. It takes a legend to be a legend. Deidrie brought Billie back to life. Her screen credits include MacGyver, Game of Silence, Criminal Minds, Justified, CSI, Bones, Ghost Whisperer, The Riches, Brothers and Sisters, E.R., Shark, Without A Trace, and NCIS. Also fun: you may know this brilliant, multi-talented, award-winning singer and actor and civil rights activist as "Annie," the longtime TV spokesperson for Popeye's Chicken. #myBHM
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Jaime Lee Kirchner was born in Germany to a white father of German descent and a black mother. She considers herself "mixed". Jaime began performing at The Roxy Regional Theater in Tennessee at the age of 8. Kirchner's first big break came when she was was just 17-years-old and still in high school. She went to an open-call audition for the musical "Rent" in Nashville where she and only one other person were chosen for callbacks in New York City. After auditioning for "Rent" for over four years, Kirchner eventually landed the role of "Mimi" on tour in the U.S. and Japan. Soon after the tour, she was offered the incredible opportunity to appear in the Broadway production, but put that on hold, to appear on the series "Just Legal" with Don Johnson. Kirchner is a graduate of the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University.- Actress
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Kellee Stewart was born on 31 March 1976 in Norristown, Pennsylvania, USA. She is an actress and writer, known for Guess Who (2005), Hot Tub Time Machine (2010) and Hot Tub Time Machine 2 (2015).- Actress
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The actress Tessa Lynn Thompson was born on October 3, 1983 in Los Angeles, California. She is the daughter of singer-songwriter Marc Anthony Thompson and the granddaughter of actor-musician Bobby Ramos. She was raised in Los Angeles before moving to Brooklyn, New York. Her father is of Afro-Panamanian ancestry and her mother is of Mexican and British Isles ancestry. Thompson attended Santa Monica High School, where she was featured in numerous theatre productions. After graduation, she enrolled at Santa Monica College, where she obtained a degree in cultural anthropology.
She starred as Juliet in William Shakespeare's drama "Romeo and Juliet" in a production held at the Boston Court Theatre in Pasadena, California. Her performance from earned her the NAACP Theatre nomination the same year. Away from the theatre stage, In 2005, Tessa made her first television appearance when she starred in the CBS series Cold Case (2003). Talented like her father Marc, Tessa's versatility extends to music, as a member of Electro Band, through which she has produced many songs, including one used in her film Dear White People (2017).
Since her acting career began in 2002, Tessa has played remarkable roles in popular television series and movies including Murder on the 13th Floor (2012), Make It Happen (2008), Red & Blue Marbles (2011), Selma (2014), Creed (2015), Creed II (2018), War on Everyone (2016), Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Sorry to Bother You (2018), Annihilation (2018), Avengers: Endgame (2019), Men in Black: International (2019), Lady and the Tramp (2019) and Sylvie's Love (2020).- Actress
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Sophina Brown was born in Saginaw, Michigan, USA. She is an actress, known for Because I Said So (2007), Shark (2006) and Numb3rs (2005). She has been married to Henry Simmons since May 2010.- Actress
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Tony Award winner Anika Noni Rose recently finished filming the lead role of the pilot episode Beast Mode (TBS / Macro), which is based on life of legendary boxing trainer Ann Wolfe. Anika is also serving as Co-Executive Producer.
In 2018, Anika starred in the title role of 'Carmen Jones' in John Doyle's production at the Classic Stage Company in NYC. She was also seen in the film Assassination Nation (dir. Sam Levinson) alongside Bill Skarsgard, Bella Thorne, Suki Waterhouse, Maud Apatow and Joel McHale, and the film Everything, Everything, based on the popular young adult novel by Nicola Yoon, opposite Amandla Stenberg.
Anika starred as the lead of the television series The Quad, which ran for two seasons on BET (2017-2018). Anika also starred in The History Channel's adaption of Roots as Kizzy (NAACP Image Award nom for Outstanding Actress).
Other television credits include the Starz series Power, CBS's The Good Wife, ABC's Private Practice, CBS's Elementary and FOX's The Simpsons; the A&E mini-series Stephen King's Bag of Bones opposite Pierce Brosnan; and starring in The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency for HBO opposite Jill Scott and directed by Anthony Minghella.
Anika's many film credits include: Dreamgirls, The Princess and The Frog (voice of Princess Tiana), A Day Late and a Dollar Short, Half of a Yellow Sun, Imperial Dreams, and For Colored Girls.
Anika has won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her role in Caroline, or Change and has also starred in Broadway productions such as A Raisin in the Sun (Tony Award nomination and Outer Critics Circle nomination), and Cat On A Hot Tin Roof.
Additionally, Anika has received The Theater World Award, The Clarence Derwent Award, a Drama Desk nomination, the Los Angeles Critics' Circle Award, an Ovation Award, an Obie Award and four NAACP Image nominations, including the NAACP Lifetime Achievement Award for Theater.
Anika was the youngest performer to be honored as a Disney Legend when she received the honor in 2011.
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Houston, Texas native Chandra Wilson began performing in musicals at the age of five with Theatre Under the Stars. She attended Houston's High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, and later went on to acquire her BFA in Drama from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts through which she spent four years at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute. Chandra's first series regular job was on ABC's Bob Patterson (2001) in the role of Claudia Hopper. She has made numerous other television appearances including guest-starring and recurring roles. She has also appeared in national television commercials for Blockbuster Video, Burger King, Scope, and the United Negro College Fund as well as numerous radio commercials.
Aside from film and television, she has several New York stage credits. Her portrayal of Bonna Willis in the production of "The Good Times are Killing Me" by Lynda Barry (both at the Second Stage and Minetta Lane Theatres) won her a Theatre World Award for Outstanding Debut Performance.
Some of her other stage credits include "Paper Moon: The Musical" at the Papermill Playhouse, "The Family of Mann" by Theresa Rebeck, "Believing" for the Young Playwright's Festival and the Broadway production of "On the Town" directed by George C. Wolfe.- Actress
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Gugu Mbatha-Raw was born Gugulethu Sophia Mbatha in the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, England. Her father, Patrick Mbatha, is a Black South African doctor, and her mother, Anne Raw, is a Caucasian English nurse. Her parents separated when she was a year old, and she was brought up by her mother in the town of Witney, Oxfordshire (she is still close to her father). She joined the local acting group Dramascope and, from the age of eleven, appeared in the pantomime at Oxford Playhouse every year. A talented singer and dancer as well as playing the saxophone, she joined the Oxford Youth Music Theatre in her teens.
In 2001, she won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London. Since graduation in 2004, she has appeared in all media, including as an acclaimed Juliet Capulet in "Romeo and Juliet" at Manchester's Royal Exchange Theatre in 2005, opposite Andrew Garfield as Romeo Montague. Mbatha-Raw was nominated for Best Actress in the Manchester Evening News Theatre Awards for her portrayal of Juliet Capulet. She also appeared as Octavia in "Antony and Cleopatra" at the same theatre in 2005. In 2009, she was cast as Ophelia in "Hamlet" on London's West End and Broadway, opposite Jude Law as the title role.
Mbatha-Raw appeared on such varied television series as Bad Girls (1999), Doctor Who (2005), Marple (2004) and Touch (2012). She had a supporting role in the romantic comedy Larry Crowne (2011), written and directed by Tom Hanks, who also played the title role. She was acclaimed for her performance of Dido Elizabeth Belle in Amma Asante's Belle (2013), which earned her a British Independent Film Award for Best Actress, and a nomination as Most Promising Newcomer. She was also nominated for a Satellite Award for Best Actress.
She starred in the romantic drama Beyond the Lights (2014) and was nominated for a Gotham Award for Best Actress for her performance. In 2015, she was nominated for a BAFTA Rising Star Award. That same year, she had a supporting role in Jupiter Ascending (2015), played Prema Mutiso, the wife of Dr. Bennet Omalu (played by Will Smith) in the biopic Concussion (2015), and the title role in Jessica Swale's play "Nell Gwynn", playing the actress who became the mistress of King Charles II of England. She was nominated for an Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Actress for her performance in the play.
She played Rachel in Newton Knight's biopic Free State of Jones (2016), directed by Gary Ross, playing Knight's common-law wife, a freedwoman he had a family with after the Civil War. She also played Esme Manucharian in Miss Sloane (2016), Sophie on Netflix's series Easy (2016), and played Kelly, one of the leads in "San Junipero", the fourth episode of Season 3 of Black Mirror (2011). Her other films are the live-action remake Beauty and the Beast (2017), playing Plumette, A Wrinkle in Time (2018), directed by Ava DuVernay, and The Cloverfield Paradox (2018).
Gugu Mbatha-Raw was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) by Queen Elizabeth II in the 2017 Birthday Honours for her services to drama.- Actress
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Paula Patton was born in Los Angeles, California, to Joyce (Vanraden) and Charles Patton. Her father is African-American and her mother, who is caucasian, has German, English, and Dutch ancestry. Her family lived across the street from the 20th Century Fox lot when she was growing up and she was a fan of films from her earliest years. Her mother, who also appreciated good films, was a schoolteacher, and her father was a lawyer. Paula claims that as a girl she would escape by "pretending to be someone else" so it was not a surprise that she acted in high school plays at Hamilton Magnet Arts High School. Her favorite role was that of "Abigail" in "The Crucible". However, she went on to study film at the University of Southern California in a summer program, and won a 3-month assignment making documentaries for PBS. This led to her working as a production assistant for TV documentaries, and also for Howie Mandel's talk show. She progressed to actually producing documentary segments for Medical Diaries (2000) airing on Discovery Health Channel. Paula now professes that she liked what she was doing, but her dream remained the same as when she was small so she took acting lessons and shifted gears to become a performer. She was almost immediately successful and, within three years, had played parts in major features, Hitch (2005) and Idlewild (2006) and the female lead in Deja Vu (2006) opposite Denzel Washington.- Rose Rollins was raised in Yonkers, New York, growing up with five brothers. She is an accomplished actress who has garnered attention on both the big and small screens.
Rollins now stars in ABC's The Catch opposite Mireille Enos. The series centers on a gutsy female forensic accountant who exposes fraud for a living and has finally found fulfillment both at work and in love until a case comes along that threatens to turn her world upside down. The Catch is produced by Shonda Rhimes.
Prior to The Catch, Rollins most recently guest starred in an eight-episode arc on Amazon Studios crime drama Bosch and starred in the TNT pilot Guilt By Association.
Rollins has built her body of work with numerous roles on prominent television series including the critically acclaimed Showtime series The L Word, the Jerry Bruckheimer produced NBC drama Chase, NBC's The West Wing co-starring Allison Janney , Southland, ABC's In Justice opposite Kyle MacLachlan, The CW's Nikita and CBS's NCIS and CSI: NY, among many others.
On the big screen, the actress' voice can be heard as the White House press secretary in the 2015 Adam Sandler/Kevin James action sci-fi comedy Pixels. Additional film credits include Mission: Impossible III directed by J.J. Abrams, Undisputed opposite Ving Rhames and Wesley Snipes, the romantic comedy Something New and 13 Moons starring Steve Buscemi, Jennifer Beals, and Peter Dinklage. - Actress
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Tiffany Hines was born on 2 September 1983 in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. She is an actress, known for Magnum P.I. (2018), 24: Legacy (2016) and Bones (2005).- Actress
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Chrystee Pharris was born on 7 March 1976 in Middletown, Ohio, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Scrubs (2001), Passions (1999) and Monogamy (2018). She was previously married to Tron Larkins.- Actress
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Victoria Gabrielle Platt is an actress, singer and producer, known for Star-Crossed (2013), The Gates (2010), All My Children, Guiding Light (1952), 'Round Midnight (1986) and Winchell (1998). She was born to a West Indian mother and Polish father in Queens, NY. Victoria and Terrell Tilford have been married since September 29, 2001.- Actress
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Marlyne Barrett was born on 13 September 1978 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Night Call (2017), Chicago Med (2015) and Heist (2001). She has been married to Gavin Barrett since 15 May 2009. They have two children.- Actress
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Faune Chambers Watkins was born on 23 September 1976 in Florida, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Epic Movie (2007), White Chicks (2004) and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008). She has been married to Fonzworth Bentley since 10 July 2010. They have two children.- Among her studies, Tawny Cypress has done stints at Boston University; Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey; and Mason Gross at Rutgers University. She is also a former student of Barbara Marchant and The William Esper Studio in New York City.
- British actress Naomie Harris was born in London, England, the only child of television scriptwriter Lisselle Kayla. Her father is from Trinidad and her mother is from Jamaica. They separated before she was born, and Harris was raised by her mother and has no relationship with her father. She showed an interest in acting from an early age and attended the prestigious Anna Scher Theatre School. From here, Harris won roles in various projects, such as Simon and the Witch (1987) and The Tomorrow People (1992). She went on to study social and political sciences at Pembroke College, Cambridge University, an experience Harris did not enjoy.
After graduating from the University, Harris trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. Acting success soon followed and her breakthrough film role came in Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later (2002). Other notable projects include Miami Vice (2006) and Small Island (2009) (for which she was named best female actor by the Royal Television Society). Harris also won fans for her role as voodoo witch Tia Dalma in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006) and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007), and further international attention came her way when she played field agent Eve Moneypenny in the James Bond film Skyfall (2012).
Naomie was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the drama Moonlight (2016), which won the Best Picture Oscar that year.
Naomie Harris was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Queen Elizabeth II in the 2017 New Years Honours for her services to drama. - Chelsea Tavares is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her role as 'Patience' on CW's All American. Other recent credits include 'Nora' in the long-anticipated video game The Last of Us Part II and a six episode recurring arc on USA's Queen of the South as 'Birdie.' Tavares starred in the indie feature Solace which premiered at the LA Film Festival 2018 and won the Muse Award for 'Best Ensemble Cast.' Directed by Tchaiko Omawale, the film was also a recipient of the Tribeca All-Access Grant toward financing. Tavares was born in Panorama City, Los Angeles, California and is of Cape Verdean descent. Other previous credits include SMILF, Lethal Weapon, Make It or Break It, Ringer, Bones, The Middle, and the Dreamworks' feature film Fright Night. She first broke out on Nickelodeon's Unfabulous as 'Cranberry St. Claire' and also played 'Autumn' in Just Jordan.
- Born and raised in Columbus, Ohio, Nicole knew from a very young age that she wanted to pursue a career as a performer. To that end, she participated in several school productions while growing up, and completed numerous acting classes throughout her life. She started out slowly by taking on modeling and commercial gigs in her native Ohio, and eventually worked up the courage to move out to Hollywood. Living bi-coastal between NYC and LA, Nicole began the tedious process of auditioning. She quickly landed small roles in films and television and has been a working actress ever since.
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Dana Davis was born on 4 October 1978 in Davenport, Iowa, USA. She is an actress, known for Prom Night (2008), Raise Your Voice (2004) and 10 Things I Hate About You (2009).- Actress
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Ebubennem Megalyn Ann Echikunwoke was born May 28, in Spokane, Washington. Her father was Nigerian and her mother is of English and Scots-Irish descent. Her last name, "Echikunwoke", means "leader of men" and Megalyn is the granddaughter of a Nigerian tribal leader of the Igbo, which technically makes her African royalty. She is known for playing "Nicole Palmer" in the first season of 24 (2001), "Angie Barnett" (Kelso's girlfriend) in the seventh season of That '70s Show (1998) and "Isabelle Tyler" in The 4400 (2004). She was raised on a Navajo Indian Reservation in Chinle, Arizona. In early 2008, she starred opposite Alessandro Nivola in an independent movie, directed by Jerry Zaks, titled Who Do You Love (2008) where she played a heroin-addicted lounge singer. She did all of her own singing in the movie.- Actress
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TANYA WRIGHT BIO Tanya is a two time winner of the Screen Actor's Guild (SAG) Award, Best Acting Ensemble for her portrayal of Crystal Burset in Orange is the New Black. She appears as NSA Adviser of the United Staes in Season 5 (2018) of CBS' Madame Secretary and starred for 7 seasons as Deputy Kenya Jones on HBO's True Blood.
An entrepreneur, Tanya is also founder of a story-driven haircare line called HAIRiette.
Tanya Wright was born to a 15 year old mother in the South Bronx, NY. The eldest of 4, Tanya was a shy, creative child who won the "best writer" award in the 5th grade for an imaginative story she wrote about a family and their beautiful Christmas tree, despite the fact her family could not afford one that Christmas. She starred in the play The Little Birch Tree and played the title role of The Birch Tree where she stood, center stage, for 45 minutes without uttering a word. Tanya went on to attend George School (a Quaker boarding school in Newtown, PA) along with her sister. Upon graduation, she went to Vassar College where she received a degree in Independent Studies/Comparative Literature. While at Vassar, she auditioned and landed a role of Theo's girlfriend--Tanya Simpson-- on The Cosby Show. Uncomfortable with the attention she garnered as an actress, she focused on a quieter, more solitary career as a writer -though, she admits, there was something about the craft of acting she was inexplicably drawn to. Nevertheless, she accepted a job as a news clerk at the New York Times and, after 9 months, quit to pursue the craft of acting to "get it out of her system." After a stint at the prestigious Williamstown Theater Festival, she went to Los Angeles with the intention of staying for 6 weeks she ended up staying permanently after appearing in some of the most critically acclaimed shows in the history of television including ER, "24", The Good Wife and countless others.
Tanya wrote, directed, produced and starred in the independent feature film Butterfly Rising and wrote the book of the same name. The music score for Butterfly Rising was named a finalist in the Jerry Goldsmith Music Film Festival Awards; the film was also a finalist for the HBO Best Feature Film award at the Martha's Vineyard African-American Film Festival. Wright's "A Turn to Grace," a script set against the Harlem Renaissance, was a semi-finalist in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' annual Nicholl's Screenwriting Competition (the Oscars). Likewise, the Mark Taper Forum's Blacksmyth's Playwriting Program performed her "Prelude to a Revolution."
Wright is diligent about maintaining both physical and spiritual balance in her life and greatly enjoys playing fetch with her 12 year old Black Lab, Macarena, who appears in many of Tanya's creations. She speaks at colleges, universities and corporations on topics ranging from artists and entrepreneurship, New Media and her experiences in Hollywood as an actor/writer/ director. Tanya has taught her BUA class (on creativity/ entrepreneurship) at The New School in NYC and she is a lifetime member of the Edwin Forrest Society of the Actor's Fund of America.
Tanya Wright is the recipient of SOBRO's "Most innovative Business" Award for HAIRiette and is a micro-grant recipient of Lehigh Valley LaunchBox for Entrepreneurs and the Goodwill Ambassador for Peacekeepers Corp., a 20 year old United Nations NGO.- Actress
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Three-time Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter, New York Times best-selling poet, and critically acclaimed actor are only a few titles held by Jill Scott. Before having the #1 album in the country with "The Light of The Sun", performing at The White House, being named People Magazine's Top TV Breakout Star of 2010 and appearing on VH1 Divas alongside Aretha Franklin, the triple threat began her career collaborating with musical icons, The Roots, Will Smith, and Common in the late 90s. In 2000, she released her much anticipated debut record, Who is Jill Scott? Words & Sounds, Vol. 1, a double platinum album that earned Scott several Grammy nominations, including Best New Artist. Two more critically acclaimed albums followed, Beautifully Human: Words & Sounds, Vol. 2 and The Real Thing: Words & Sounds, Vol. 3 which garnered two more Grammy Awards and spawned multiple worldwide tours.
Never limited to music, Jill Scott is a true multimedia brand across books, clothing, TV and film. Most recently, Jill starred in Get On Up: A James Brown Biopic, as DeeDee, the wife of James Brown. She also starred alongside Tyler Perry & Janet Jackson in the #1 national movie series Why Did I Get Married? (Pt. 1 and 2), Baggage Claim, Steel Magnolias and Sins of the Mother which aired on Lifetime and became the second-most watched premiere in the network's history. Jill was also casted as the lead character in the HBO/BBC mini-series filmed on location in Botswana, The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency, a Peabody Award-winning show directed by the late Oscar Award-winning director Anthony Minghella. In 2017, Jill Scott was casted as "Nayyirah Shariff" in the original Lifetime film Flint, a drama based on the Flint water crisis in Flint, Michigan - also starring Betsy Brandy, Marin Ireland and Queen Latifah.
A consummate writer at heart, she penned The Moments, The Minutes, The Hours, a compilation of poems that instantly became a New York Times bestseller. Scott also developed an intimates line for Ashley Stewart and founded Blues Babe, a registered 501(c)3 foundation that has raised over hundreds of thousands dollars to support minority students pursuing college degrees.
Jill released her highly anticipated 5th studio album Woman on July 24, 2015 which opened on the music charts at #1 giving Jill her 2nd consecutive number one album. In January of 2017, Jill Scott marked her brand's expansion into stationary, releasing an exclusive "Jill Scott" greeting card collection in partnership with Hallmark Mahogany. Jill Scott received a 2017 Grammy nomination in the "Best Traditional R&B Performance" category for her single, "Can't Wait." Jill's most recent endeavor - find her taking on the role of "Hazel" in the BET + remake of the 1996 romantic comedy, The First Wives Club.- Actress
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Kiely Williams was born on 9 July 1986 in Alexandria, Virginia, USA. She is an actress and director, known for The House Bunny (2008), The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 (2008) and The Cheetah Girls: One World (2008). She has been married to Brandon Cox since 17 December 2016. They have two children.- Actress
Warren's parents - her father is a policeman, her mother is an administrator at the Tuskegee Institute - steeped her in literature and theater when she was growing up. After leaving Auburn University, she decided to pursue acting. For a couple of months, she had to live in a car. Then she got her breakthrough role as Ray Charles' mother, Aretha, in Ray (2004). Before Oscar nominations were announced, Entertainment Weekly fought for Warren to be recognized as Best Supporting Actress, assuming she would be overshadowed by her co-stars, Kerry Washington and Regina King. Unfortunately, none of the actresses were nominated, and Warren has remained under the radar. Nevertheless, she's comfortable with her anonymity.- Actress
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Rashida Jones was born in Los Angeles, California, the younger daughter of media mogul, producer, and musician Quincy Jones and actress Peggy Lipton. She has an older sister, Kidada Jones, and five half-siblings by her father's other relationships. Her father is African-American and her mother is Ashkenazi Jewish (a descendant of emigrants from Russia and Latvia). Rashida was raised in Reform Judaism. She grew up in Bel Air, Los Angeles, California. Jones has stated of her mixed race parentage, "It was the 1970s and still not that acceptable for them to be together." Jones made her professional acting debut in The Last Don, a 1997 mini-series based on the novel by Mario Puzo. Also in 1997, Rashida graduated from Harvard University.- Actress
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Yvette Nicole Brown is an Emmy-nominated actress, writer, producer and host best known for her series-regular and Special Guest Star* roles on the television shows: "Community", "The Mayor", "Drake and Josh", "The Odd Couple", Disney Plus' "Big Shot" and "Act Your Age"* on Bounce TV.
And films as varied as "Dreamgirls""Tropic Thunder", "Avengers: Endgame" and Disney's "Disenchanted"
She has guest co-hosted "The View", "The Talk", "The Real", "Access Hollywood", "The Talking Dead", and has moderated numerous panels in the famed Hall H at San Diego Comic Con.
She's produced Disney's "The Big Fib", SyFy's "Cosplay Melee" and she is also a 2020 NAACP Image Award Nominated writer for "Always A Bridesmaid" - the Romantic Comedy she penned and Executive Produced that is streaming on Netflix and BET+.
Yvette believes in philanthropy and civic engagement and she proudly sits on the National Boards of Donors Choose (where she is Vice-Chair), EMILY's List, MPTF Next Gen and SAG-AFTRA.- Actress
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Rochelle Aytes was born in New York City. She attended LaGuardia High School and graduated with a Bachelor's of Fine Arts degree in Dance from SUNY Purchase College Conservatory for Dance in 1998. She is best-known for her role in White Chicks (2004) as Denise Porter; her role in Left 4 Dead 2 (2009) as a news producer; and more recently in the TV series The Forgotten (2009) as Detective Grace Russell, who teams up with a volunteer group, including a former Chicago police detective played by Christian Slater, to solve cases of missing or unidentified homicide victims. Rochelle also played Lisa Breaux in Tyler Perry's Madea's Family Reunion (2006), in which she plays a woman who is caught in a relationship because of which which her fiancé (Blair Underwood) beats and threatens her.
In 2006, She played Nicole Jamieson in the pilot episode of Tyler Perry's House of Payne (2006). In 2007 she guest-starred in the hit Fox series Bones (2005) as Felicia Saroyan, the sister of lab supervisor Cam. She also played Leigh Barnthouse in the Fox series Drive (2007). In 2009 she played Tara Kole in the CBS TV show NCIS (2003) and had a role in the independent film Trick 'r Treat (2007). In 2010 she played Eva in the hit TNT series Dark Blue (2009). In 2011 she had a recurring role in the ABC series Detroit 1-8-7 (2010) as prosecutor Alice Williams, until her character was murdered in the 1-11-2011 episode "Key to the City." She also plays the part of Amber James, the former girlfriend of Keith Watson, on ABC's Desperate Housewives (2004).
She is represented by Ryan Daly of Zero Gravity Management.- Actress
- Producer
- Executive
Joy Bryant was born in a modest home in The Bronx, New York and as a young woman, was enrolled in an inner-city outreach organization called "A Better Chance," designed to encourage minority talent. Joy was also blessed with brains as well beauty and remained an excellent student throughout her high school years. As a result, she was awarded a full academic scholarship to Yale University.
While enrolled as a full-time student at Yale, Joy was discovered by a modeling scout from Next Models Management and subsequently pursued a career as a fashion model in Paris. Her slender yet classic beauty got her an exclusive contract with prestigious brand names such as Tommy Hilfiger and the Victoria's Secret lingerie catalogue.
Joy's acting debut came about in 2001 in Robert Townsend's Carmen: A Hip Hopera (2001). An MTV production, the film also starred Beyoncé and Mekhi Phifer, along with several hip-hop superstars. After a small role in the Eddie Murphy action comedy Showtime (2002), she made her big breakthrough in Denzel Washington's directorial debut, Antwone Fisher. Bryant played Cheryl, the beautiful and supportive girlfriend of Antwone (Derek Luke). In 2003, she co-starred with Jessica Alba in Bille Woodruff's romantic drama Honey (2003). That same year, she appeared in Mario Van Peebles' _Baadasssss! (2003)_, based on his father Melvin Van Peebles' autobiographical novel. Projects for 2004 included the crime drama Three Way (2004) with Gina Gershon.
The year 2005 turned out to be an even better year for the actress. Joy appeared in high-profile films such as The Skeleton Key (2005), London (2005), and Get Rich or Die Tryin' (2005). Her performances as the sassy Mallory in London (2005) and the strikingly pretty Charlene in Get Rich or Die Tryin' (2005) were critically acclaimed, and re-enforced her reputation as a versatile actress.- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Tracie Thoms has had wide-ranging success in film, television and theatre throughout her busy career.
Tracie's currently a series regular opposite Oscar winner Octavia Spencer on the Apple series, Truth Be Told, while at the same time recurring on Fox's 9-1-1 and ABC's Station 19.
Tracie realized a long-held dream when she starred as 'Joanne' in the final weeks of the historic Broadway run of the iconic musical, Rent. She played the same key role in Sony's film of Rent opposite Rosario Dawson and Idina Menzel. She was seen opposite Bruce Willis and Joseph Gordon-Levitt in Rian Johnson's Looper, and with Denzel Washington in Safe House. She starred with Kurt Russell in Quentin Tarantino's Grindhouse: Death Proof and opposite Anne Hathaway in David Frankel's The Devil Wears Prada. She was featured in Columbia's remake of Annie with Jamie Foxx and Quvenzhané Wallis. She's also been featured in dozens of indie films throughout her career.
Tracie starred on Broadway most recently in the acclaimed production of James Lapine's Falsettos. She also starred opposite Dulé Hill and Mekhi Phifer in Stick Fly, and opposite Alfre Woodard in Drowning Crow. She starred Off-Broadway in Working at Encores! Off-Center, with Oscar nominee John Hawkes in the world premiere of David Auburn's Lost Lake at Manhattan Theatre Club, and she was a lead in the acclaimed The Exonerated at The Culture Project. She's been featured in The 24 Hour Plays, The 24 Hour Musicals, and 10 Things To Do Before I Die at New York's Second Stage.
Tracie was a series regular for six years on CBS' Cold Case. She starred for Fox in Wonderfalls and recurred on Hulu's The First, WGN's Gone, Lifetime's UnREAL, Netflix's Love and NBC's Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector. She's guest starred on Veep, Person of Interest, Suits, The Shield, The Good Wife, The Mindy Project, Criminal Minds, The Affair, The Good Doctor, Grey's Anatomy, Mad About You, Run, Curb Your Enthusiasm and NCIS: Los Angeles.
Tracie began studying acting in her hometown of Baltimore at age 9. She attended high school at the prestigious Baltimore School for the Arts. Later, she received a bachelor of fine arts degree from Howard University and a graduate degree in acting from New York City's renowned Juilliard School.- Directly after graduating from Mountview Theatre School London in 1990, Rowena joined The Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford Upon Avon, working with renowned directors Danny Boyle, Roger Michell and Nicholas Hytner.
Rowena's first feature film appearance was in Hanif Kureishi's 1991 drama, London Kills Me, followed by John Duigan's 1993 adaptation of The Wide Sargasso Sea and Kenneth Branagh's 1996 four-hour screen version of Hamlet. She appeared in Taylor Hackford's Proof of Life in 2000. Rowena has become a frequent presence on British television with leading roles in the BBC'S critically acclaimed To Play the King, Black and Blue, ITV's Framed alongside Penelope Cruz.
In 2002 Rowena took her first TV lead for America for TNT'S television drama Breaking News. Multiple appearances on American networks followed including a succession of guest star appearances on Greys Anatomy, Criminal Minds, Numb3rs and Nip/Tuck. In 2007 acclaimed director Rob Reiner invited Rowena to join Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman in Bucket List where she played Angelica opposite Morgan Freeman.
In 2018 Rowena co-starred in ITV'S celebrated three-part drama Trauma alongside Adrian Lester and Jon Simm, and Maggie in Hulu's Shut Eye. Rowena also co-starred in the AMC/Skydance adaptation of Sarai Walker's book Dietland, a drama series starring Joy Nash and Julianna Margulies.
2020 Rowena is filming The Old Man for Fox/Hulu starring Jeff Bridges and John Lithgow. - Actress
- Producer
- Writer
Zoe Saldana was born on June 19, 1978 in Passaic, New Jersey, to Asalia Nazario and Aridio Saldaña. Her father was Dominican and her mother is Puerto Rican. She was raised in Queens, New York. When she was 10 years old, she and her family moved to the Dominican Republic, where they would live for the next seven years. While living there, Zoe discovered a keen interest in performance dance and began her training at the prestigious ECOS Espacio de Danza Dance Academy where she learned ballet as well as other dance forms. Not only did her training provide an excellent outlet for the enthusiastic and energetic youngster, it would also prove to be a fortunate precursor for the start of her professional acting career. At age 17, Zoe and her family moved back to the United States where her love for dance followed and an interest in theater performance became stronger.
She began performing with the Faces theater troupe which put on plays geared to provide positive messages for teens with themes dealing with issues such as substance abuse and sex. These performances not only gave her valuable experience but also a source of great pride knowing that she was making a difference in the lives of young people like herself. While performing with the Faces troupe and also the New York Youth Theater, Zoe was recruited for a talent agency and her dance training years before coupled with her acting experience greatly helped her land her first big screen role as Eva Rodriguez, the talented and headstrong ballet dancer in the film Center Stage (2000). Since her professional career began several years ago, Zoe's talent and determination have allowed her to be involved in blockbuster films and act with major actors, actresses and industry insiders at a pace that very few young professionals have experienced.
Zoe has not only held her own in major motion picture productions but gained the respect and praise from industry insiders such as Jerry Bruckheimer and Steven Spielberg and actors/actresses such as Tom Hanks, Bernie Mac, Keira Knightley, Ashton Kutcher, Kirsten Dunst and Orlando Bloom. According to many of her co-stars, producers and directors, the sky is no limit for this young star who has incredible range, intense concentration, and a steely determination to be involved with projects that challenge her professionally with wide-ranging subject matters and characters. Just to ask practically anyone who she has worked for or with about her, glowing comments abound and earned friendships and respect are readily revealed. A star has been born, and growing every day.- Actress
- Producer
Merrin Dungey was born on 6 August 1971 in Sacramento, California, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Alias (2001), The King of Queens (1998) and Big Little Lies (2017). She has been married to Kevin Ryder since 31 December 2023. She was previously married to Matthew Drake.- Actress
- Producer
- Director
Kerry Washington is an African-American actress, television show producer and film director who is known for her roles in Scandal, Ray, the Tim Story Fantastic Four film series, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Confirmation, Django Unchained, Little Fires Everywhere, Cars 3 and The Last King of Scotland. She had two children from Nnamdi Asomugha.- Actress
- Additional Crew
- Producer
Valarie Pettiford's career glitters like the lights on Broadway. An award-winning triple-threat, Valarie has worked with some of the biggest names in entertainment, but has never let her brushes with fame go to her head. Although some would argue that she is a celebrity in her own right, Valarie is still a humble girl from Queens.
On screen, at age 14, Pettiford starred in the chorus of the film The Wiz (1978). She has appeared in such films as The Cotton Club (1984), Glitter (2001), Stomp the Yard (2007), Why Did I Get Married Too? (2010), the short film musical Not Your Time (2010), the award-winning short film Response (2009) and Jumping the Broom (2011) from Sony Pictures. Her role in the acclaimed independent film Why Am I Doing This? (2009) earned her a glowing mention in the L.A. Times. Her role as Big Dee Dee Thorne on the hit sitcom Half & Half (2002) earned her three NAACP Image Award nominations. Valarie plays the recurring role of Sandra Lucas on Tyler Perry's House of Payne (2006). Other notable television appearances include guest-starring roles on Criminal Minds (2005), CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000), CSI: Miami (2002), The District (2000), The West Wing (1999), Frasier (1993), One Life to Live (1968), Bones (2005), The Cape (1996) and The Finder (2012). She had a recurring guest star on the hit HBO series Treme (2010).
Valarie's theatre credits read like a prestigious shopping list, with numerous accolades for the execution of her craft. Valarie won NAACP Theatre and Garland Awards for Best Actress in "The Wild Party." She was honored with NAACP, Robby and Reader's Choice Awardsfor for her role in "Show Boat." Both performances were nominated for Ovation Awards. Valarie was a member of the original casts of "Sophisticated Ladies", understudying Judith Jamison, and "Fosse", for which she was recognized by the Drama League and nominated for Outer Critics Circle, Dora Mavor Moore and Tony Awards.
Valarie performed alongside Chita Rivera in the West End debut of "Chicago", and subsequently performed "All That Jazz" as a tribute to Rivera at the Kennedy Center Honors. However, her self-proclaimed career highlight was the fulfillment of a life-long dream; she recorded her first album, "Hear My Soul". An accomplished stage performer, Valarie has performed her successful one-woman shows to sold-out audiences coast to coast. She has performed with Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz in New York and Miami in the musical tribute to their father, called "Babalu". Valarie enjoyed stellar reviews in both cities. Proving that her voice ad presence are both Broadway bold, she is a regular guest soloist with the Pasadena Symphony for their annual Pops program.
In the traditional sense of the word, Valarie Pettiford is a diva, a master of her craft who has the ability to command attention. Whether she would agree, or try to harness that power, is anyone's guess.- Actress
- Producer
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Monique Coleman was born in Orangeburg, South Carolina, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for High School Musical (2006), A Christmas Dance Reunion (2021) and Greed: A Seven Deadly Sins Story (2022). She was previously married to Walter Jordan.- Actress
- Writer
- Production Designer
When Aisha Hinds' junior high school tap dance instructor observed that she needed an outlet for expression that surpassed her tap shoes, she was guided to the High School of Performing Arts in New York - where her formal acting training began.
Hinds' numerous television credits include a supporting role on Detroit 1-8-7 (2010), recurring roles on Hawthorne (2009) and The Shield (2002) and guest appearances on Boston Legal (2004), Medium (2005), CSI: NY (2004), Judging Amy (1999), Crossing Jordan (2001), ER (1994), and NYPD Blue (1993). She also starred opposite Marcia Gay Harden in the pilot Hate (2005). Her feature film roles include Assault on Precinct 13 (2005), Neo Ned (2005), and Love Aquarium (2004).
On stage, her theatre credits include August Wilson's "Fences" and "'Night, Mother" at the American Theatre of Harlem; "Tartuffe," "Anything Goes" and "Mame" at the Jerry Herman Ring Theatre; and George C. Wolfe's "The Colored Museum" and "A Piece of My Heart" at the Alvin Sherman Stage.- Actress
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- Director
Merle was born in Okinawa, Japan to a mother of Korean and Japanese descent and an African-American father serving in the U.S. Air Force. After graduating high school in Papillion, Nebraska, she attended the Theatre Conservatory at Roosevelt University in Chicago on a full-ride scholarship and graduated with a BFA in Theatre. She starred on Broadway as The Lady of the Lake in the Mike Nichols-directed Spamalot, as Aida in Aida, Kala in Tarzan, Joanne in Rent and in Jesus Christ Superstar. She has toured the U.S. and Europe 5 times. And regionally, she has appeared at Williamstown Theatre Festival, La Jolla Playhouse, Geffen Playhouse, and Pasadena Playhouse.- Actress
- Producer
- Composer
Eve was born on 10 November 1978 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Barbershop (2002), xXx (2002) and Whip It (2009). She has been married to Maximillion Cooper since 14 June 2014. They have one child.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Tamyra Gray was born on 26 July 1979 in Takoma Park, Maryland, USA. She is an actress, known for Rachel Getting Married (2008), Boston Public (2000) and Obsessed (2009). She has been married to Sam Watters since 2 September 2006. They have one child.- Actress
- Producer
Sydney Tamiia Poitier (born November 15, 1973) is a Bahamian-American television and film actress.
Born in Los Angeles, Poitier is the daughter of Bahamian actor Sir Sidney Poitier and Canadian actress Joanna Shimkus. Her mother is of Lithuanian Jewish and Irish descent. She has an older sister, Anika. She also has four older half-sisters, Beverly, Pamela, Sherri, and Gina, from her father's first marriage. Poitier's great-uncle has claimed that the Poitier ancestors on her grandfather's side had migrated from Haiti and were probably part of the runaway slaves who had established maroon communities throughout the Bahamas, including Cat Island. He mentions that the surname Poitier is a French name, and there were no white Poitiers from the Bahamas.
Poitier attended NYU's Tisch School of the Arts where she earned a bachelor's degree in acting. She also studied at Stella Adler Studio of Acting.
Poitier began her career of acting in the late 1990s. In 2001, she landed her first role on television in the NBC drama series First Years. The series was canceled after three episodes. In 2003, she starred in the UPN sitcom Abby. That series was also canceled during its first season. Later that same year, she had a recurring role in Joan of Arcadia, where she played Rebecca Askew, the love interest of Joan's older brother, Kevin (Jason Ritter). She was also a regular on the first season of Veronica Mars. However, she left the show after only appearing in four episodes because of budget cuts.
In 2007, Poitier starred in Death Proof, director Quentin Tarantino's segment of the movie Grindhouse, as radio DJ Jungle Julia. The next year, she had a co-starring role in the new Knight Rider series, as FBI Agent Carrie Rivai. In 2011, she guest-starred on two episodes of Private Practice.- Actress
- Producer
- Casting Department
Shondrella Avery was born in South Central Los Angeles, California, USA. Before her career in Hollywood, Shondrella was the youngest Senior Executive in Hospitality at HHC in BH, CA; while making a name for herself as a part-time model and a stand-up comic. She is a college graduate studying acting and went on to become an accomplished actress, producer, motivational speaker, and sickle cell disease advocate. Avery's, philanthropic SCD efforts elevated her to become a 2015 "Iconic Women," for Women's History Month appointed by Fendi and SCDA on behalf of her chapter www.scdfc.org. Avery is notably known for her character "LaFawnduh," in the indie cult classic Napoleon Dynamite (2004), End of Watch (2012), Deja Vu (2006), The Secret Lives of Bees (2008) and T.V. Shows Girls Behaving Badly (2003) and One on One & Cuts (2003-2006). Avery has used her voice to narrate children's books for cancer patients and has had a national commercial as the voice of a Giraffe for Lowes. Avery has an accomplished list of indie Produced features and in 2021 she Co-Executive Produced the True Story of Bob Zellner a KKK's Grandson turned Civil Rights Activist under the lead Executive Producer's Frank Barwah and Oscar Winner Spike Lee, Directed by Barry Alexander Brown.- Actress
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- Producer
Sonja Sohn was born on 9 May 1964 in Fort Benning, Georgia, USA. She is an actress and director, known for Slam (1998), The Wire (2002) and Bringing Out the Dead (1999). She was previously married to Adam Plack.- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Drew Sidora was born on 1 May 1985 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Step Up (2006), Wild Hogs (2007) and White Chicks (2004). She has been married to Ralph Pittman since 21 August 2014. They have two children.- Actress
- Director
- Writer
Award-nominated actress, writer, and director Keesha Sharp has become known in the entertainment industry for her innate ability to bring complex characters to life on screen, her steadfast professionalism, and her irrefutable beauty, inside and out. Keesha can be seen on season 3 of "Power Book II: Ghost" . Recently, Sharp starred as Trish Murtaugh in the international hit series "Lethal Weapon" for FOX, rebooting the hit movie franchise of the same name. Sharp stood out as Trish, a lawyer and devoted wife and confidante to Roger (Damon Wayans). "Lethal Weapon" became an instant hit in the US and overseas. Sharp was nominated for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series at the 2017 NAACP Image Awards for her work on the show. She also recently recurred on the hit FOX series "Empire" and the acclaimed "The Good Fight" (Paramount+).
On the film front this year, Sharp stars in the Psychological thriller "Dark My Light" (2023) with Albert Jones and Tom Lipinski. In addition, she stars in "Heist 88" (2023) with Courtney B. Vance and Keith David for Paramount+. This reunites her with her co-star from "The People Vs O.J. Simpson" (Vance) and August Wilson's "Seven Guitars" (David).
Sharp is also well known for her role as Dale Cochran, wife of defense attorney Johnnie Cochran (Courtney B. Vance), in the Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winning limited series "The People V. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story," her series regular role as Gigi on the TBS/Syndicated comedy "Are We There Yet," and as Monica Charles Brooks on the hit CW series "Girlfriends," for which she was nominated for her first NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.
In addition to her diverse acting credits, Keesha Sharp has become a force as a Director as well. Known for her preparation, meticulous dedication to the story and talent for communicating with actors, Sharp is a Director for different genres of television. After making her directorial debut on the multi-cam comedy "Are We There Yet" (TBS), she has gone on to direct dramatic action series "Lethal Weapon" (FOX) and "Black Lightning" (CW), the comedy "The Last OG" (TBS), dramas "Bel Air" (Peacock), "Found" (NBC), "All American: Homecoming" (CW), "Our Kind of People" (FOX) and sci-fi "Charmed" (CW).
Acting film credits include: "Marshall" starring opposite Chadwick Boseman in which Keesha earned an NAACP Image Award in the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture category for her standout role as Buster Marshall in the film. Other credits include "Why Did I Get Married?," indie films "Frozen Peas" and "Born Guilty," "The 636," for which she won Best Actress at the 2014 NYLA International Film Festival, "Shattered!", "Never Die Alone", and "American Adobo." Other television credits include: NBC's "The Player," The CW's "Significant Mother," CBS' "Bad Teacher," ABC Family's "Melissa & Joey," UPN's "Everybody Hates Chris," TV Land's "The Exes," CBS' "Elementary," "Cold Case," and many more.
Born in Rochester, New York, Sharp was immersed in music and studied the clarinet, piano, and cello at the prestigious Hochstein School of Music. Her enthusiasm for school theatre led her to apply to The Boston Conservatory, where she received a scholarship. After graduating Cum Laude with a B.F.A. from the Conservatory, Sharp set her sights on the stage. She performed in the Broadway National Tour of Carousel, debuted Off-Broadway in Michael Bradford's Living in the Wind and played eight different roles in the interactive comedy Eat the Runt. Other theatre performances include: Abyssinia, Aida, Thunder Knockin', Jitney, The Producers, Big Street, Suburb and Joe Turner's Come and Gone, in which Sharp read alongside playwright August Wilson himself.
In addition to her work on the screen and stage, Sharp has several other original projects in the works she has written or co-written. She continues to sing, and has a full-length album in production. When she isn't working in front of or behind the camera, or in the studio recording music, Sharp has a love for fitness and stays in shape boxing and studying Krav Maga.. She also enjoys playing piano, hiking and long road trips. Sharp resides in Los Angeles with family.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Born in England of Jamaican parents (her mother Vera an art historian and museologist and her father Charles Hyatt an actor/broadcaster/comedian), Michael received her earliest education and what she considers her most formative years abroad. At the age of ten she migrated to the United States with her mother and two siblings. Living in Maryland and later Washington, DC, Michael slowly adjusted to the American way of life. She went on to study acting at Howard University for her undergraduate degree and continued at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts for her Masters.
Before Michael's work in film and television she enjoyed memorable performances on stages throughout the country, most notably is her experience on Broadway in the critically acclaimed Ragtime.
Although Michael is automatically considered an African-American, because of her international background she eagerly acknowledges that she is more specifically an African/British/Jamaican/American and any attempt to exclude any part of that reality would be an incorrect representation of who she truly is.- Music Artist
- Actress
- Music Department
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles was born on September 4, 1981 in Houston, Texas. Her mom, Tina Knowles designs their glittering costumes & her dad, Mathew Knowles manages Destiny's Child. Solange, her sister (they're 4 years apart) has released her debut album. She dances with her big sister during DC-3 concerts. Beyoncé's of Louisiana Creole & African descent.
She and her group were discovered by Whitney Houston. One of her favorite songs is "Lovefool" by The Cardigans. Her favorite item of clothing is a pair of path work metallic boots. She writes & produces many of the group's songs, including smash hits "Jumpin Jumpin", "Bootylicious", "Nasty Girl", "Independent Women", "Happy Face" and "Apple Pie a la mode".- Actress
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Taraji Penda Henson is an American actress and singer. She studied acting at Howard University and began her Hollywood career in guest roles on several television shows before making her breakthrough in Baby Boy (2001). She played a prostitute in Hustle & Flow (2005), for which she received a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture nomination; and a single mother of a disabled child in David Fincher's The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), for which she received Academy Award, SAG Award and Critics Choice Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress. In 2010, she appeared in the action comedy Date Night, and co-starred in the remake of The Karate Kid.- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Sharon Leal is a military brat. She was born in Tucson, Arizona. Sharon then moved with her parents to the Philippines, till she was 6 years old. She went to prayer-school there. Then, her parents packed up to move back to the US and settled in Fresno, California. Her mother, Angelita, who is Filipino, is a homemaker, and her father is African-American. She has a step-father, Elmer Manankil. Elmer and Angelita have a daughter, together. So, Sharon has a younger sister, Kristina Manankil.
How she got started with the desire for performing. At the age of two, Sharon sang into a microphone, and her parents taped her. This later led to acting, which she began doing in community theater productions as a teen. Sharon graduated from "Roosevelt High School of the Arts" in Fresno. In 1993, she won a vocal scholarship at the "Santa Cruz Jazz Festival", which enabled her to study with Seth Riggs (Michael Jackson's voice coach). Sharon has also performed in various rap and R&B music videos. She has sung in cabaret productions at B. Smith's, The Violet, and Steve McGraw's, all in New York City, and played teenager "Dahlia Creed" on the daytime soap opera, Guiding Light (1952), in the mid-90s. At New York Theatre Workshop: "Bright Lights, Big City". Regional credits include "Little Shop of Horrors"-Arizona Theatre Co., "Into the Woods"-Theatre Works CA and other shows like "Ain't Misbehavin", "West Side Story", "Me and My Girl" and "Nunsense", to name a few. Last performed on Broadway as "Mimi" in "Rent".- Erica Tazel was born on 31 March 1977 in Dallas, Texas, USA. She is an actress, known for Justified (2010), Roots (2016) and Mafia III (2016).
- Actress
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Brooklyn Sudano was born on 5 January 1981 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She is an actress and director, known for Cruel Summer (2021), Taken (2017) and 11.22.63 (2016). She has been married to Mike McGlaflin since 8 October 2006. They have one child.