Anika Noni Rose is an American singer and actress known for her Tony Award-winning performance
in the Broadway production of Caroline, or Change and her starring role as Lorrell Robinson
in the 2006 film Dreamgirls.
She also starred as Tiana, an African American princess in the 2009 film The Princess and
the Frog.
In 2014 Rose played the role of Beneatha Younger in the Broadway revival of A Raisin in the
Sun, for which she was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play.
She was named a Disney Legend in 2011.
Early life Rose was born in Bloomfield, Connecticut.
In her high school freshman year, 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.
In 2014, Rose returned to Broadway in a revival of A Raisin in the Sun and later received
a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play.
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".
She 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 "Almost
There" – The Princess and the Frog 2011: Black Reel Award – Outstanding Ensemble
– For Colored Girls 2011: Disney Legend Award – Animation – 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 2014 Tony Award - Best Featured Actress in
a Play - A Raisin in the Sun Works
Stage Films
Television Video games
References
External links Anika Noni Rose at the Internet Broadway Database
Anika Noni Rose at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
Anika Noni Rose at the Internet Movie Database Anika Noni Rose at the Disney Legends Website