Anika Noni Rose Biography
Summary
"Anika Noni Rose" (born September 6, 1973 in Bloomfield, Connecticut) is a Tony Award-winning American singer and actress.
Early life
Anika Noni Rose was born in Bloomfield, Connecticut. When Rose was young she always wanted to be a vet. In her freshman year in high school, she appeared in a school production and caught the acting bug. 'That's also when I started singing--I didn't know I could sing at all before. I was in the school chorus, but who wasn't in that? You could be tone deaf and be in that chorus. So it was really a delight when I found out that this was something I not only could do, but could do well and really love.' She then attended Florida A&M University where she earned a Bachelor's Degree in Theatre. Then after studying drama at the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco, CA, Rose moved to New York without a job. After three months she secured the role of Rusty in Broadway's "Footloose". 'I had one more unemployment check coming, period,' she states. 'I got "Footloose" the week before that check came. It was a fabulous introduction to Broadway. It was a big showcase role. People like to hate on "Footloose", but I am telling you, it was so much fun.'
Broadway career
Rose followed Footloose up with numerous workshops and two musicals using pre-existing song catalogs, Eli's Comin' off-Broadway and Me and Mrs. Jones with Lou Rawls in Philadelphia. Both of the full-scale tuners were rumored for transfers, but neither made it anywhere after their limited engagements ended. She was down to $20 in the bank before she landed her next gig, a movie musical. Rose's big Broadway break was getting cast as Tonya Pinkins' daughter in "Caroline, or Change". In 2004, Rose was awarded the Theatre World Award, Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Featured Actress and the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical, for "Caroline, or Change".
Movie career
Rose began her movie career in 1999 in the movie 'King of the Bingo Game' as Film Noir Female. After her debut, she was later featured in From Justin to Kelly as Kaya in 2003. In 2004, Rose made her third movie 'Temptation' and later appeared in 'Surviving Christmas' as the choir. In 2006, Rose starred in Dreamgirls as Lorrell Robinson with Beyoncé Knowles, Jennifer Hudson, Jamie Foxx, and Eddie Murphy. Rose recently appeared in the TV miniseries "The Starter Wife". Rose is scheduled to appear in the upcoming films "One Part Sugar", "Razor", and in Disney's upcoming animated feature "The Princess and the Frog" as the voice of the lead character Tiana, the first black Disney Princess. She will also star alongside Jill Scott in "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" which will be directed by Anthony Minghella.
Awards and Nominations
Image Award
*2007, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture: Dreamgirls (Nominated)
Screen Actors Guild
*2007, Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture: Dreamgirls (Nominated)
External links
Credit
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article about Anika Noni Rose.
