Renée Elise Goldsberry

Renée Elise Goldsberry
Born (1971-01-02) January 2, 1971[1]
San Jose, California, U.S.
Other names Renée Goldsberry
Alma mater Carnegie Mellon University
University of Southern California
Occupation
  • Actress
  • singer
  • songwriter
Years active 1996–present
Spouse(s)
Alexis Johnson (m. 2002)
Children 2

Renée Elise Goldsberry (born January 2, 1971[1]) is an American actress, singer and songwriter, known for originating the role of Angelica Schuyler in the Broadway musical Hamilton, for which she won the 2016 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. Her other Broadway credits include Nettie Harris in the original Broadway cast of The Color Purple, Mimi Márquez in Rent, and Nala in The Lion King. She has portrayed many roles on television, including Geneva Pine on The Good Wife, and Evangeline Williamson on One Life to Live, for which she received two Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series nominations.

Early life

Goldsberry was born in San Jose, California and raised in both Houston, Texas and Detroit, Michigan.[2] After graduating from Cranbrook Kingswood School in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, she attended Carnegie Mellon University, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in theater, in 1993.[3][4] She subsequently attended graduate school at the University of Southern California's Thornton School of Music, where she received a Master of Music in jazz studies, graduating in 1997.[5]

Career

Television

Between 1997 and 2002, Goldsberry had a recurring role on the Fox legal comedy-drama Ally McBeal, as one of the back-up singers who frequently accompanied Vonda Shepard's performances. She appeared in a total of 43 episodes prior to the series' cancellation. Goldsberry also carried the role over into a three-episode guest appearance on the spin-off series Ally.

Goldsberry portrayed attorney Evangeline Williamson on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live from 2003 until 2007. She was nominated for an NAACP Image Award in 2004 for Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series, and won a Soap Opera Digest Award in 2005 with co-stars Michael Easton and Melissa Archer. Goldsberry was nominated for the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in both 2006 and 2007 for the role.[6] After she left One Life to Live, Goldsberry held a recurring role as assistant state attorney Geneva Pine on the CBS political drama The Good Wife, appearing multiple times every season throughout its run. She ultimately appeared in 23 episodes between 2010 and the series end in 2016. Goldsberry has also made guest appearances on series such as Star Trek: Enterprise, Royal Pains, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Younger, Masters of Sex, and That 80's Show.

In 2017, Goldsberry starred as Henrietta Lacks in the HBO television film adaptation of Rebecca Skloot's nonfiction work, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.[7] In 2018, she appeared in the Netflix science fiction series Altered Carbon as Quellcrist Falconer.[8] She also performed the Johnny Cash song Ain't No Grave for the end credits to the final episode.

Film

In 2001, Goldsberry had the lead role of Nicole Taylor in the romantic comedy All About You, for which her performance was praised. She also portrayed Drea Smalls in the 2008 action film Pistol Whipped, and small supporting roles as Cynthia Barnes in the crime drama Every Secret Thing (2014) and Kim in the comedy Sisters (2015).

Theatre

Goldsberry (right) with co-star Javier Muñoz in costume for Hamilton

Goldsberry played a replacement Nala in the Broadway production of The Lion King,[6] and was in the cast of the United States national tour of Dreamgirls.

She was nominated for a Drama League Award for Distinguished Performance, and won a New York magazine Best of 2005 Award, for her performance as Sylvia in the 2005 Shakespeare in the Park revival of Two Gentlemen of Verona.[6] Goldsberry later originated the role of Nettie Harris in The Color Purple, the Broadway musical adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning 1982 novel of the same name.[6] She starred in the production from November 2005 to January 2006.

Goldsberry returned to the Off-Broadway stage in The Baker's Wife in 2007, before taking over the role of Mimi Márquez in the Broadway musical Rent, making her the final actress to play the role on Broadway.[6] Rent's last performance was filmed and made into a DVD, Rent: Filmed Live on Broadway, which also aired as a television film. In 2011, she was nominated for an Outer Critics Circle Award for her portrayal of Kate Dillon in the Broadway production of David Lindsay-Abaire's play Good People.[9] She went on to appear in off-Broadway productions of Love's Labour's Lost and As You Like It, and appeared in I'm Getting My Act Together and Taking It on the Road at Encores!.

Goldsberry originated the role of Angelica Schuyler in Hamilton,[10] playing her last performance in the role on September 3, 2016.[11] For her work in the production, she won a 2015 Drama Desk Award, the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical, and the 2016 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. In addition, as a member of the principal cast, she also received a Grammy Award after the original cast album won Best Musical Theater Album at the 2016 Grammy Awards.[12]

Music

Goldsberry has had a lengthy singing and songwriting career, co-writing and performing more than half the soundtrack to the 2001 film All About You, including the title song. She was also the grand prize winner of the 1997 John Lennon Songwriting Contest for her rock music. Goldsberry wrote and recorded an album titled Everything But the Kitchen Sink (2001) and an EP titled Beautiful (2006).

In October 2015, she appeared at the BET Hip Hop Awards, where she was one of two women to rap in the Cypher.[13]

Personal life

In 2002, Goldsberry married New York attorney Alexis Johnson.[2] In May 2009, she gave birth to their first child, a son named Benjamin Johnson. In 2014, she and her husband adopted a second child, a daughter from Africa. Her name is Brielle.[14]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2001 Palco & Hirsch Jessica
2001 All About You Nicole Taylor Also composer and lyricist
2002 Turnaround Rachel
2008 Pistol Whipped Drea Smalls
2009 Jump the Broom: A Musical Ayana Short film
2014 Every Secret Thing Cynthia Barnes
2015 Sisters Kim
2018 The House with a Clock in Its Walls Selena Izard

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1997–2002 Ally McBeal Singer 43 episodes
1999 Ally 3 episodes
2002 Providence Clare Episode: "The Start of Something Big"
2002 Any Day Now Beverly Morris Episode: "The Real Thing"
2002 That '80s Show Spokesmodel #2 Episode: "Road Trip"
2002 Star Trek: Enterprise Crewman Kelly Episode: "Vox Sola"
2002 One on One Paulette Episode: "Fatal Attractions"
2003–07 One Life to Live Evangeline Williamson 272 episodes
2008 The Return of Jezebel James Paget Kaufman 2 episodes
2008 Rent: Filmed Live on Broadway Mimi Marquez TV film
2008 Life on Mars Denise Watkins Episode: "Things to Do in New York When You Think You're Dead"
2010 Royal Pains Mrs. Phillips Episode: "Big Whoop"
2010 White Collar Ellen Samuel Episode: "Company Man"
2010–16 The Good Wife Geneva Pine 23 episodes
2013 The Following Olivia Warren 3 episodes
2013 Save Me Mary Episode: "The Book of Beth"
2013–14 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Martha Marron 3 episodes
2014 Masters of Sex Morgan Hogue Episode: "Blackbird"
2015 Younger Courtney Ostin Episode: "Hedonism"
2016 I Shudder Lucy Wainscott TV film
2017 The Get Down Misty Holloway Episode: "Gamble Everything"
2017 The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks Henrietta Lacks TV film
2018 The Lion Guard Dhahabu (voice) Episode: "The Golden Zebra"
2018 Altered Carbon Quellcrist Falconer Series regular

Stage

Year Title Role Location Category
1997 Dreamgirls Michelle Morris N/A National Tour
2002 The Lion King Nala New Amsterdam Theatre Broadway
2005 Two Gentlemen of Verona Silvia Delacorte Theater Off-Broadway
2005–06 The Color Purple Nettie Harris Broadway Theatre Broadway
2007 The Baker's Wife Genevieve Castagnet York Theatre Off-Broadway
2008 Rent Mimi Márquez Nederlander Theatre Broadway
2011 Good People Kate Dillon Samuel J. Friedman Theatre Broadway
Love's Labour's Lost Princess of France The Public Theater Off-Broadway
2012 As You Like It Celia Delacorte Theater Off-Broadway
2013 I'm Getting My Act Together and Taking It on the Road Heather Jones New York City Center Encores!
2015 Hamilton Angelica Schuyler The Public Theater Off-Broadway
2015–16 Richard Rodgers Theatre Broadway

Discography

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Nominated work Result
2004 NAACP Image Award Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series One Life to Live Nominated
2005 Soap Opera Digest Award Favorite Triangle Won
Drama League Award Distinguished Performance Two Gentlemen of Verona Nominated
2006 Daytime Emmy Award Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series One Life to Live Nominated
2007 Nominated
Image Award Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series Nominated
2011 Outer Critics Circle Award Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play Good People Nominated
2015 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical Hamilton Won
Lucille Lortel Award Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical Won
2016 Tony Award Best Featured Actress in a Musical Won
Grammy Award Best Musical Theater Album Won
Broadway.com Audience Award Favorite Featured Actress in a Musical Won

References

  1. 1 2 "This day in history - The Boston Globe". Boston Globe. 2 January 2018. Retrieved 20 September 2018. Jan. 2, the second day of 2018... Birthdays... Actress Renee Elise Goldsberry is 47.
  2. 1 2 Kaufman, Joanne (October 9, 2015). "A Night Out With Renée Elise Goldsberry of 'Hamilton'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
  3. ↑ Rickwald, Bethany (October 2, 2015). "Renée Elise Goldsberry's Path From Middle School Class Clown to Hamilton Class Act". TheatreMania. Retrieved July 25, 2016.
  4. ↑ "Hip-hop "Hamilton"". Carnegie Mellon University. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
  5. ↑ "Alumna Renée Elise Goldsberry wins Tony for "Hamilton"". USC Thornton School of Music. June 13, 2016. Retrieved July 25, 2016.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 "Headlines: Renée Elise Goldsberry to Join Broadway's Rent as Mimi". Broadway.com. May 15, 2008. Retrieved January 5, 2009.
  7. ↑ Petski, Denise (July 25, 2016). "Renée Elise Goldsberry Cast In HBO Films' The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks". Deadline Hollywood.
  8. ↑ Lee, Ashley (July 13, 2016). "Renée Elise Goldsberry to Exit Hamilton for Netflix's Altered Carbon". The Hollywood Reporter.
  9. ↑ "Outer Critics Circle Announce 2010–11 Season Nominees". OuterCritics.org. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
  10. ↑ Schulman, Michael (August 6, 2015). "The Women of "Hamilton"". The New Yorker. Retrieved August 12, 2015.
  11. ↑ "Renée Elise Goldsberry sets Hamilton leaving date". New York Theatre Guide. August 25, 2016. Retrieved September 8, 2016.
  12. ↑ "All Past Winners. GRAMMY Search". Grammy Awards. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
  13. ↑ "The Cypher Revealed: Hamilton Cypher [Explicit]". BET.com. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
  14. ↑ Jacobs, Pamela. "Hamilton's Renée Elise Goldsberry". Resident.com. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
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