Renée Elise Goldsberry
Renée Elise Goldsberry | |
|---|---|
 Goldsberry at Broadway.com Audience Choice Awards | |
| Born | January 2, 1971 San Jose, California, U.S. |
| Education | Carnegie Mellon University (BFA) University of Southern California (MM) |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1997–present |
| Spouse |
Alexis Johnson (m. 2002) |
| Children | 2 |
Renée Elise Goldsberry (born January 2, 1971)[1] is an American actress and singer 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, and Mimi Marquez in Rent. 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 Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. Since 2021, she has starred in the Netflix musical comedy Girls5eva.[2] Also that year, she received a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Actress in a Supporting Role in a Limited Series or Movie for her performance in the Disney+ live stage recording of Hamilton, which was released in 2020.
Early life and education[edit]
Goldsberry was born in San Jose, California and raised in both Houston, Texas and Detroit, Michigan.[3] She is the daughter of Betty Sanders, an industrial psychologist, and her father was an automotive industry executive in Michigan.[4][5] Goldsberry has one older brother and two younger brothers.[5] Goldsberry was introduced to theater in summer camp when she was 8 years old. Renée's younger brother was shy, and their mother enrolled both of them in camp at the HITS Theatre in Houston taught by Carolyn Franklin.[4]
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. This is also where she became a member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority through the Theta Beta chapter.[6][7] 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.[8]
Career[edit]
Television[edit]
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.[9] 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 Evil (2019 TV series from the same creators of The Good Wife), Star Trek: Enterprise, Royal Pains, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Younger, Masters of Sex, and That '80s 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.[10] In 2018, she appeared in the Netflix science fiction series Altered Carbon as Quellcrist Falconer, and reprised the role in season 2.[11] She also performed the Johnny Cash song "Ain't No Grave" for the end credits to the final episode. Goldsberry currently stars on Girls5eva in the role of Wickie Roy, a member of a one-hit wonder early 2000’s girl band group Girls5eva. Girls5eva chronicles their reunion and attempts to reignite their stardom. The series premiered on May 6, 2021, on the Peacock streaming service. Reviewing the third season, Saloni Gajjar of The A.V. Club called Goldsberry the show's scene-stealer and MVP, writing, "It shouldn’t be this easy to root for a selfish Wickie, who spins things out of control by being extra, but Goldsberry pulls off that feat".[12]
Film[edit]
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). In 2019 she starred in Waves (2019) with co-star Sterling K. Brown.
Theatre[edit]
Goldsberry played a replacement Nala in the Broadway production of The Lion King,[9] 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.[9] 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.[9] 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.[9] 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.[13] 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!.
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Goldsberry originated the role of Angelica Schuyler in Hamilton,[14] playing her last performance in the role on September 3, 2016.[15] 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.[16]
Music[edit]
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.[17]
Personal life[edit]
In 2002, Goldsberry married New York attorney Alexis Johnson.[3] 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 named Brielle.[18]
Filmography[edit]
Film[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Palco & Hirsch | Jessica | |
| 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 | |
| 2019 | Waves | Catherine | |
| 2020 | Hamilton | Angelica Schuyler | Filmed recording of 2016 Broadway musical |
| 2021 | Tick, Tick... Boom! | "Sunday" Legend | |
| 2022 | Anything's Possible | Selene | |
| 2024 | Big City Greens The Movie: Spacecation | Colleen Voyd | [19] |
Television[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997–2002 | Ally McBeal | Singer | 43 episodes |
| 1999 | Ally | 3 episodes | |
| 2002 | Providence | Clare | Episode: "The Start of Something Big" |
| Any Day Now | Beverly Morris | Episode: "The Real Thing" | |
| That '80s Show | Spokesmodel #2 | Episode: "Road Trip" | |
| Star Trek: Enterprise | Crewman Kelly | Episode: "Vox Sola" | |
| 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 |
| Rent: Filmed Live on Broadway | Mimi Marquez | TV film | |
| 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" |
| White Collar | Ellen Samuel | Episode: "Company Man" | |
| 2010–16 | The Good Wife | Geneva Pine | 23 episodes |
| 2013 | The Following | Olivia Warren | 3 episodes |
| Save Me | Mary | Episode: "The Book of Beth" | |
| 2013–14 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Defense Attorney 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" |
| The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks | Henrietta Lacks | TV film | |
| 2018–19 | The Lion Guard | Dhahabu (voice) | 2 episodes |
| 2018–20 | Altered Carbon | Quellcrist Falconer | Series regular |
| 2019 | Documentary Now! | Dee Dee | Episode: "Original Cast Album: Co-Op" |
| 2019–21 | Evil | Renée Harris | 3 episodes |
| Fast & Furious: Spy Racers | Ms. Nowhere (voice) | Main role | |
| 2020 | Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist | Ava Price | 3 episodes |
| Dragons: Rescue Riders: Secrets of the Songwing | Melodia (voice) | TV special | |
| 2021 | Centaurworld | Waterbaby (voice) | 7 episodes |
| 2021–present | Girls5eva | Wickie Roy | Main role |
| 2022 | Eureka! | Roxy (voice) | Main role |
| 2022 | She-Hulk: Attorney at Law | Mallory Book | Main role; 5 episodes |
Stage[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Location | Category |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Dreamgirls | Michelle Morris | — | 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! |
| 2014 | Hamilton | Angelica Schuyler | The 52nd Street Project | Workshop |
| 2015 | The Public Theater | Off-Broadway | ||
| 2015–16 | Richard Rodgers Theatre | Broadway | ||
| 2023 | The Tempest | Prospero | Delacorte Theatre | Central Park |
Discography[edit]
- Everything But the Kitchen Sink (2001, out of print)
- A Holiday Affair (2006, sings "The Christmas Song")
- Beautiful (2006, EP; out of print)
- The Color Purple (2006, original Broadway cast recording)
- Hamilton (2015, original Broadway cast recording)
- Original Cast Album: Co-Op (2019, Lakeshore Records)
- Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist (2020, Season 1 Soundtrack)
- Girls5eva (2021, soundtrack)
Awards and nominations[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ "This day in history – The Boston Globe". Boston Globe. January 2, 2018. Retrieved September 20, 2018.
Jan. 2, the second day of 2018... Birthdays... Actress Renee Elise Goldsberry is 47.
- ^ "Watch Girls5eva Streaming | Peacock". @peacocktv. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
- ^ a b 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.
- ^ a b Dansby, Andrew (June 11, 2016). "Tony nominee bitten by acting bug as child in Houston". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved October 26, 2019.
- ^ a b Weber, Mia (September 2, 2016). "Telling Her Story". New York Family. Retrieved October 26, 2019.
- ^ Rickwald, Bethany (October 2, 2015). "Renée Elise Goldsberry's Path From Middle School Class Clown to Hamilton Class Act". TheatreMania. Retrieved July 25, 2016.
- ^ "Hip-hop "Hamilton"". Carnegie Mellon University. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
- ^ "Alumna Renée Elise Goldsberry wins Tony for "Hamilton"". USC Thornton School of Music. June 13, 2016. Retrieved July 25, 2016.
- ^ a b c d e "Headlines: Renée Elise Goldsberry to Join Broadway's Rent as Mimi". Broadway.com. May 15, 2008. Retrieved January 5, 2009.
- ^ Petski, Denise (July 25, 2016). "Renée Elise Goldsberry Cast In HBO Films' The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks". Deadline Hollywood.
- ^ Lee, Ashley (July 13, 2016). "Renée Elise Goldsberry to Exit Hamilton for Netflix's Altered Carbon". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ Gajjar, Saloni (March 14, 2024). "Girls5eva season 3 review: Netflix brings back an insanely fun show". The A.V. Club. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
- ^ "Outer Critics Circle Announce 2010–11 Season Nominees". OuterCritics.org. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
- ^ Schulman, Michael (August 6, 2015). "The Women of "Hamilton"". The New Yorker. Retrieved August 12, 2015.
- ^ "Renée Elise Goldsberry sets Hamilton leaving date". New York Theatre Guide. August 25, 2016. Retrieved September 8, 2016.
- ^ "All Past Winners. GRAMMY Search". Grammy Awards. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
- ^ "The Cypher Revealed: Hamilton Cypher [Explicit]". BET.com. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
- ^ Jacobs, Pamela (August 31, 2015). "Hamilton's Renée Elise Goldsberry". Resident.com. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
- ^ "Disney Branded Television's 'Big City Greens the Movie: Spacecation' Blasts Off Thursday, June 6, on Disney Channel and Friday, June 7, on Disney+". Retrieved March 8, 2024.
External links[edit]
- Renée Elise Goldsberry at IMDb
- Renée Elise Goldsberry at the Internet Broadway Database
- Renée Elise Goldsberry at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
- 1971 births
- 21st-century American actresses
- Actresses from Detroit
- Actresses from Houston
- African-American actresses
- American film actresses
- American musical theatre actresses
- American soap opera actresses
- American stage actresses
- American television actresses
- Carnegie Mellon University College of Fine Arts alumni
- Cranbrook Educational Community alumni
- Drama Desk Award winners
- Grammy Award winners
- Living people
- USC Thornton School of Music alumni
- Tony Award winners
- 21st-century African-American singers
- 21st-century African-American women singers
- 21st-century American women singers
- 21st-century American singers