Audra Ann McDonald (born July 3, 1970) is an American actress and singer. Primarily known for her work on the Broadway stage, she has won six Tony Awards, more performance wins than any other actor, and is the only person to win in all four acting categories. She has performed in musicals, operas, and dramas such as A Moon for the Misbegotten, 110 in the Shade, Carousel, Ragtime, Master Class, and Porgy and Bess. In addition to her six Tony Awards she's received numerous accolades including two Grammy Awards, and an Emmy Award. She was honored with the National Medal of Arts in 2016 from President Barack Obama and was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 2017.
On television, McDonald portrayed Dr. Naomi Bennett in the ABC series Private Practice from 2007 to 2011. She has twice been nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie, for her portrayals of Susie Monahan in Wit (2001) and Ruth Younger in A Raisin in the Sun (2008). In 2016, she was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie and a Screen Actors Guild Award for her role as Billie Holiday in the HBO film Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill (2016). She won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Class Program in 2015 for her work hosting the program Live from Lincoln Center.
On film, McDonald is best known for her portrayals of Maureen in Ricki and the Flash (2015), Madame de Garderobe in Disney's Beauty and the Beast (2017), and Barbara Siggers Franklin in Respect (2021). She has been nominated seven times for the NAACP Image Awards for her work in television and film.
She portrayed Liz Lawrence on CBS series The Good Wife and on Paramount+ series The Good Fight for which she received three Critics Choice Award nominations.
Trivia[]
- Audra also appears with her co-star Christine Baranski in HBO/Max series The Gilded Age.
External links[]
- Audra McDonald on Wikipedia.
- Audra McDonald on The Internet Movie Database