Anika Noni Rose Biography

Anika Noni Rose (born September 6, 1972) is an American singer and actress known for her Tony Award-winning performance in the Broadway production of Caroline, or Change and her starring roles in the films Dreamgirls, The Princess and the Frog, and the film version of For Colored Girls.

Early life

Rose was born in Bloomfield, Connecticut. In her freshman year in high school, she appeared in a school production and caught the acting bug. She then attended Florida A&M University where she earned a Bachelor's Degree in theatre, and started studying drama at the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco, California.

Career

Rose moved to New York without a job. After three months, she secured the role of Rusty in Broadway's Footloose. She followed Footloose 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. Rose's big Broadway break was getting cast as Emmie Thibodeaux in Caroline, or Change. In 2004, she was awarded the Theatre World Award, the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Featured Actress, and the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for Caroline, or Change.

After her film debut, King of the Bingo Game, she played the role of Kaya in From Justin to Kelly in 2003 and she performed in Temptation in 2004, followed by Surviving Christmas as a singer in the choir. In 2006, Rose starred in Dreamgirls as Lorrell Robinson with Beyoncé Knowles, Jennifer Hudson, Jamie Foxx and Eddie Murphy. Rose appeared in the films Just Add Water, Razor, and Disney's 2009 animated feature The Princess and the Frog, as the voice of the lead character Tiana; the character is Disney's first African-American princess. Rose hosted a hometown screening of The Princess and the Frog for children from the Charter Oak Cultural Center, a non-profit multi-cultural arts center that provides free after-school programs in Hartford, Connecticut. Rose also stars alongside Jill Scott in The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency directed by Anthony Minghella.

In 2010, she played the role of Yasmine in the movie For Colored Girls. One critic described Rose's performance as "especially fierce" and played the role of Sara Tidwell in the A&E miniseries Bag of Bones in 2011, based on the Stephen King novel of the same name.

Rose was named a Disney Legend on August 19, 2011. In 2012, she guest-starred in "Gone Abie Gone", episode 3, season 24 of The Simpsons, voicing Abe Simpson's second wife, Rita LaFleur. The episode originally aired November 11.

Awards and nominations

Awards

• 1998: Dean Goodman Choice Award " Valley Song
• 1998: Garland/Drama Logue Award " Valley Song
• 1999: S.F. Bay Guardian Upstage/Downstage Award " Valley Song and Threepenny Opera
• 2001: OBIE Award " Eli's Comin'
• 2004: Clarence Derwent Award " Caroline, or Change
• 2004: Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Featured Actress " Caroline, or Change
• 2004: Theatre World Award " Caroline, or Change
• 2004: Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical " Caroline, or Change
• 2010: Black Reel Award " Best Voice Performance " The Princess and the Frog
• 2010: Black Reel Award " Best Song (Original or Adapted) "Almost There" " The Princess and the Frog
• 2011: Black Reel Award " Outstanding Ensemble " For Colored Girls
• 2011: Disney Legend Award " Animation (voice) " The Princess and the Frog

Nominations

• 2004: Drama Desk Award Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical " Caroline, or Change
• 2007: Image Award Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture " Dreamgirls
• 2007: Screen Actors Guild for Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture " Dreamgirls
• 2008: Image Award Outstanding Actress in a Mini-Series/ Television Movie " The Starter Wife
• 2008: Grammy Award Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media - Dreamgirls
• 2009: Satellite Award Best Supporting Actress in a Drama, Comedy or Television-Movie or Mini-Series - The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency
• 2010: Image Award Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture - The Princess and the Frog
• 2010: Black Reel Award- Best Ensemble- The Princess and the Frog
• 2010: Image Award- Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series - The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency
• 2011: Black Reel Award- Best Ensemble - For Colored Girls
• 2011: Black Reel Award- Best Supporting Actress - For Colored Girls
• 2011: Image Award- Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture - For Colored Girls
• 2012: Image Award - Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series - Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

Works

Stage

Year	Show	Role
1998	Valley Song	Veronica Jonkers
	Hydriotaphia, or the Death of Dr. Browne	His Soul
1999	Tartuffe	Marianne
	Threepenny Opera	Polly Peachum
2000	Footloose	Rusty
	Aida	Amneris
2001	Carmen Jones [The York Theatre Company]	Cindy Lou
	Eli's Comin'	The Woman
	Me and Mrs. Jones	Cookie
2003"2004	Caroline, or Change [Eugene O'Neill Theater, Broadway, NYC]	Emmie Thibodeaux
2008	Cat on a Hot Tin Roof [Broadhurst Theater, Broadway, NYC]	Maggie "The Cat"
2011	Company	Marta

Films

Year	Movie	Character
1999	King of the Bingo Game	Film Noir Female
2000	Leonard Bernstein's Mass at Vatican City	Ensemble
2003	From Justin to Kelly	Kaya
2004	Temptation	Fog
	Surviving Christmas	Choir
2006	Dreamgirls	Lorrell Maya Robinson
2008	Just Add Water	R'ch'lle
2009	The Princess and the Frog	Princess Tiana (voice)
2010	For Colored Girls	Yasmine
2012	As Cool As I Am	Frances
2013	Khumba	Khumba's Mother (voice)
2013	Half of a Yellow Sun

Television

Year	Show	Role
2001	100 Centre Street (1 episode)
2002	Third Watch (1 episode)	Monay
2007	The Starter Wife (miniseries)	Lavender
2008"2009	The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency	Grace Makutsi
2010"2013	The Good Wife	Wendy Scott-Carr
2011	Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1 episode)	Miriam Deng
2011	Bag of Bones	Sara Tidwell
2012	Private Practice	Corrine
2012	Elementary	Dr. Carrie Dwyer
2012	The Simpsons	Rita LaFleur (voice)

Video games

Year	Show	Role
2011	Kinect Disneyland Adventures	Princess Tiana (voice)