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Tonya Pinkins
Born
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
EducationCarnegie Mellon University
Columbia College Chicago (BA)
California Western School of Law
Occupations
  • Actress
  • filmmaker
Years active1980–present
Websitetonyapinkins.com

Tonya Pinkins is an American actress and filmmaker. Her award-winning debut feature film RED PILL was an official selection at the 2021 Pan African Film Festival, won the Best Black Lives Matter Feature and Best First Feature at The Mykonos International Film Festival, Best First Feature at the Luléa Film Festival, and is nominated for awards in numerous festivals around the globe. Her web-series The RED PILLING of AMERICA can be heard on her podcast "You Can't Say That!" at BPN.fm/ycst

She is known for her portrayal of Livia Frye on the soap opera All My Children and for her roles on Broadway. She has been nominated for three Tony Awards (winning one), and has won Obie, Lortel, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, AUDLECO, Garland, L.A. Drama Critics Circle, Clarence Derwent, and NAACP Theater Awards. She has been nominated for the Olivier, Helen Hayes, Noel, Joseph Jefferson, NAACP Image, Soap Opera Digest, and Ovation Awards. She won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for Jelly's Last Jam.

Early life and education

Pinkins was born in Chicago, Illinois. Her father was a police officer and insurance salesman, and her mother is a former postal worker. She has two brothers, Eric and Thomas Swoope, and a sister Tamera Swoope.[citation needed]

Pinkins was interested in the arts from a young age. At Whitney Young Magnet High School, she participated in the theater program and also studied acting at the Goodman Theatre Young People's Program. She attended Carnegie Mellon University's BFA Musical Theatre program, but was cast in Merrily We Roll Along and decided to pursue her career, instead.[1]

Pinkins later returned to college, earning an undergraduate degree in creative writing from Columbia College Chicago in 1996, followed by a year at California Western School of Law in San Diego.[citation needed]

Career

Pinkins won a Tony Award for her performance as Sweet Anita in Jelly's Last Jam. She was nominated for her roles in Play On! and in Caroline, or Change, where she played the title role. Her additional Broadway credits include Merrily We Roll Along, Chronicle of a Death Foretold, The Wild Party, House of Flowers, Radio Golf, A Time To Kill,[2] and Holler If Ya Hear Me.

Pinkins has performed in several off-Broadway productions, including the comic role of Mopsa, the Shepherdess, in The Winter's Tale produced by the Riverside Shakespeare Company at The Shakespeare Center in 1983.[3]

In 2011, Pinkins starred in the world premiere of Kirsten Greenidge's Milk Like Sugar at La Jolla Playhouse, and received a 2012 Craig Noel nomination for Best featured Actress in a Play. She reprised her role in the Playwrights Horizons in the Peter Jay Sharp Theater,[4] and garnered a 2012 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play.

In 2012, Pinkins starred in Katori Hall's play Hurt Village, the gritty drama about life and change in a Memphis housing project made its world-premiere at Off-Broadway's Signature Theatre Company as part of the theatre's inaugural season.[5]

In 2014, she appeared in New Federal Theatre's revival of Ed Bullins' The Fabulous Miss Marie opposite Roscoe Orman; in the Broadway production of Holler If Ya Hear Me; and the world premiere of Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' War at Yale Repertory. She also made guest appearances on such television shows as Army Wives, 24, Law & Order, The Cosby Show, Cold Case, Criminal Minds, and The Guardian among others.

During the mid-1980s Pinkins created the character of "Heather Dalton" on the CBS soap As the World Turns. In 1991, she was cast as Livia Frye in All My Children. Pinkins left All My Children in 1995 but returned to her role in 2003. She was later put on contract with the show from March 2004 until June 2006, when she was downgraded to recurring status.[citation needed]

She played Amala Motobo on 24. Pinkins played Ethel Peabody on the television show Gotham. In 2016, she played Mimi Corcoran on the Hulu science fiction limited series 11.22.63, based on the Stephen King book of the same name, and starring James Franco and Sarah Gadon. On March 16, 2017, she portrayed Sandra in the ABC television series Scandal.[citation needed]

Pinkins has appeared in several films in supporting roles, including Newlyweeds, Home, Fading Gigolo opposite Woody Allen, Enchanted, Premium, Romance & Cigarettes, Noah's Arc: Jumping The Broom and Above the Rim among others.

Pinkins has performed in several cabaret shows including Bring On The Men with Brad Simmons, Tonya Pinkins UnPlugged at The National Black Theater Festival and Hurricane Ethel.[citation needed]

Pinkins wrote, directed, and starred as Cassandra in Red Pill, to be released in 2020.[6]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1980 Growing Up Young Carol Short
1984 Beat Street Angela
1986 Rage of Angels: The Story Continues Sharon TV movie
Hotshot -
1989 See No Evil, Hear No Evil Leslie
1993 Strapped A.T.F. Officer TV movie
1994 Above the Rim Mailika Watson
Against Their Will: Women in Prison Sondra TV movie
2000 Redemption Dr. Jones Short
2002 Love Hurts Auntie V
2004 Love, Mom Mom Short
2005 Romance & Cigarettes Female Medic
2006 Premium Marva
True Grits Woman #1 Short
2007 Kuriocity Ruby Riggs
Enchanted Phoebe Banks
2008 Noah's Arc: Jumping the Broom Mrs. Robinson
2013 Newlyweeds Patrice
Fading Gigolo Othella
Home Esmin
2015 Ori Inu: In Search of Self Mama Lola Short
For Justice Marian Horn TV movie
2016 Collective: Unconscious Ripa
Fearless Love Det. Cambridge Short
2017 Aardvark Abigail
The Book of Henry Principal Wilder
My Days of Mercy Agatha
An Act of Terror Mary Church Terrell Short
2018 Write When You Get Work Roberta Simmons
Paris Blues in Harlem Shirley Short
Mr. Talented Valerie Brown Short
2019 The Artist's Wife Liza Caldwell
2020 The Surrogate Karen Weatherston-Harris
Black Lady Goddess Professor Davis TV movie
Red Pill Cassandra
2021 Better Than My Last Mrs. Carter TV movie

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1981 American Dream - Episode: "American Dream"
1984–86 As the World Turns Heather Dalton Regular Cast
1987 Crime Story Junkie Prostitute Episode: "Justice Hits the Skids"
1990 The Cosby Show Iris Episode: "Elvin Pays for Dinner"
Guiding Light Alanon Woman 2 Episode: "Episode #1.11039"
Law & Order Woman Episode: "Subterranean Homeboy Blues"
1991–94 All My Children Livia Frye Regular Cast
1995 University Hospital Nurse Mary Jenkins Main cast
2000 Great Performances - Episode: "Play On!"
2002 The Guardian Melinda Tralins Episode: "In Loco Parentis"
2004–09 All My Children Livia Frye Regular Cast
2005 Sleeper Cell Anita Al-Sayeed Episode: "Family"
2006 Criminal Minds Det. Nora Bennett Episode: "A Real Rain"
Cold Case Dina Miller Episode: "The River"
Law & Order Angela Young Episode: "Hindsight"
2007 Unfabulous Ms. Best Episode: "The Toot"
2008 The Closer Donna Taft Episode: "Split Ends"
2009 24 Alama Matobo Recurring cast: season 7
Army Wives Viola Crawford Recurring cast: season 3
2013 Hostages Beth Nix Episode: "2:45 PM"
2015 Nurse Jackie Charlane Episode: "Deal" & "Nice Ladies"
2015–16 Gotham Ethel Peabody Recurring cast: Season 2, guest: Season 3
2016 11.22.63 Mia Mimi Corcoran Recurring cast
2016–19 Madam Secretary Susan Thompson Recurring cast: season 3-6
2017 Scandal Sandra Episode: "Extinction" & "A Traitor Among Us"
The Strain Francis Episode: "Belly of the Beast"
2018 Random Acts of Flyness Ripa The Reaper Recurring cast
Elementary Judge Marilyn Whitfield Episode: "Fit to Be Tied"
Fear the Walking Dead Martha Recurring cast: Season 4
Adventures in New America Sam Episode: "Love in the First Degree"
2019 NCIS: New Orleans Julie Episode: "Reckoning"
Bull Judge Maynard Episode: "When the Rains Came"
Wu-Tang: An American Saga Burgess Episode: "Impossible"
The Two Princes Upendo Recurring cast
2020 Katy Keene Busker Episode: "Pilot"
God Friended Me Marsha Recurring cast: season 2
2021 Run the World Gwen Greene Episode: "Plus Ones"
Women of the Movement Alma Carthan Main cast

Stage

Year Title Role(s) Venue(s) Notes Ref
1981 Merrily We Roll Along Gwen Wilson Alvin Theater, Broadway Broadway debut [7][8]
1988 Just Say No Eustacia Vye WPA Theater, Off-Broadway [9]
1991 Approximating Mother Ellie, Sylvia and Grace Judith Anderson Theater, Off-Broadway [10]
1992 Jelly's Last Jam Anita Virginia Theater, Broadway Tony Award
Drama Desk Award 		[11]
1994 The Merry Wives of Windsor Mistress Ford Delacorte Theater, Off-Broadway [12]
1995 Chronicle of a Death Foretold Clotilde Plymouth Theater, Broadway [13]
1997 Play On! Lady Liv Brooks Atkinson Theater, Broadway Tony Award nomination [14]
1998 Play On! Lady Liv Goodman Theatre, Chicago
Seattle Repertory Theatre 		[15][16]
2000 The Wild Party Kate Virginia Theater, Broadway [17]
2000 The Vagina Monologues performer Westside Theater, Off-Broadway [18]
2000 Thoroughly Modern Millie Muzzy La Jolla Playhouse world premiere [19]
2003 House of Flowers Madame Fleur New York City Center [20]
2003 Caroline or Change Caroline Thibodeaux The Public Theater, Off-Broadway [21]
2004 Caroline or Change Caroline Thibodeaux Eugene O'Neill Theatre, Broadway Tony Award nomination
Drama Desk Award nomination 		[22]
2006 Caroline or Change Caroline Thibodeaux Royal National Theatre, London Olivier Award nomination [23]
2007 Radio Golf Mame Wilkins McCarter Theatre Center, Princeton
Cort Theater, Broadway 		[24][25]
2008 And Her Hair Went With Her Jasmine The Fountain Theatre, Los Angeles [26]
2009 Black Pearl Sings! Alberta 'Pearl' Johnson Ford's Theatre, Washington, D.C. [27][28]
2011 All's Well That Ends Well Countess of Rousillon Delacorte Theater, Off-Broadway [29]
2011 Measure for Measure Mistress Overdone Delacorte Theater, Off-Broadway [30]
2011 Milk Like Sugar Myrna La Jolla Playhouse
Playwrights Horizons, Off-Broadway 		[31][32]
2012 Hurt Village Big Mama Signature Theatre Company, Off-Broadway [33]
2012 Storefront Church Jessie Cortez Atlantic Theater Company, Off-Broadway [34]
2013 A Time to Kill Gwen Lee John Golden Theatre, Broadway [35]
2014 Holler If Ya Hear Me Mrs. Weston Palace Theater, Broadway [36]
2014 The Fabulous Miss Marie Miss Marie Castillo Theater, Off-Broadway [37]
2014 War Roberta Yale Repertory Theatre, New Haven [38]
2015 Rasheeda Speaking Jaclyn Signature Theatre Company, Off-Broadway Drama Desk Award nomination [39]
2015 Mother Courage and Her Children Mother Courage The Public Theater, Off-Broadway [40]
2017 Time Alone Anna Jackson Los Angeles Theatre Center [41]
2022 A Raisin in the Sun Lena The Public Theater, Off-Broadway [42]

References

  1. ^ Tonya Pinkins: A Diva, Absolutely!, edgemedianetwork.com; accessed March 31, 2018.
  2. ^ Playbill News: Her Shining Hour: Tonya Pinkins Sings Arlen Archived July 19, 2012, at archive.today
  3. ^ For a photo of Tonya Pinkins in the role of Mopsa in The Winter's Tale, see Riverside Shakespeare Company
  4. ^ "Tony Winner Tonya Pinkins to Star in Milk Like Sugar at Playwrights Horizons". Broadway.com, September 23, 2011.
  5. ^ Blank, Matthew (February 23, 2012). "PHOTO CALL: Tonya Pinkins, Saycon Sengbloh and More in Katori Hall's Hurt Village". Playbill.com.
  6. ^ Ramos, Dino-Ray (July 7, 2020). "Tonya Pinkins' Thriller 'Red Pill' Puts A Frightening Lens On The 2020 Election". Deadline. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
  7. ^ Rich, Frank (November 17, 1981). "STAGE: A NEW SONDHEIM, 'MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG'". New York Times. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  8. ^ "Tonya Pinkins – Broadway Cast & Staff". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League.
  9. ^ Gussow, Mel (October 21, 1988). "Reviews/Theater; Skewers for the Political in Kramer's 'Just Say No'". New York Times. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  10. ^ Gussow, Mel (November 7, 1991). "Review/Theater; Of Childbearing and Ticking Clocks". New York Times. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  11. ^ Gerard, Jeremy (April 27, 1992). "Jelly's Last Jam". Variety. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  12. ^ Richards, David (July 8, 1994). "THEATER REVIEW; The Wives Are Merry but Far From Windsor". New York Times. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  13. ^ Canby, Vincent (June 16, 1995). "THEATER REVIEW: CHRONICLE OF A DEATH FORETOLD; A Tale of Fate And Magic, Told Back to Front". New York Times.
  14. ^ Brantley, Ben (March 21, 1997). "Swinging Shakespeare Gets Aboard the A Train". New York Times.
  15. ^ Simonson, Robert (August 14, 1998). "Last Chance: Play On! Plays Only Through Aug. 16 at IL's Goodman". Playbill. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  16. ^ Simonson, Robert (September 20, 1998). "Play On! Tour w/Pinkins & De Shields Starts in Seattle, Sept. 21". Playbill. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  17. ^ Isherwood, Charles (April 14, 2000). "The Wild Party". Variety.
  18. ^ Simonson, Robert (August 20, 2000). "Butler, Williams, Pinkins Deliver Last Monologues, Aug. 20". Playbill. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  19. ^ Oxman, Steven (October 30, 2000). "Thoroughly Modern Millie". Variety. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  20. ^ Brantley, Ben (February 15, 2003). "THEATER REVIEW; Those Sunny Brothels Where Sin Has No Sting". New York Times. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  21. ^ Brantley, Ben (December 1, 2003). "THEATER REVIEW; Outsiders Bond in a South of Roiling Change". New York Times. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  22. ^ Isherwood, Charles (May 2, 2004). "Caroline, or Change". Variety. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  23. ^ Billington, Michael (October 20, 2006). "Review: Caroline, or Change". The Guardian. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  24. ^ "Photo Flash: Radio Golf at the McCarter Theatre". Broadway World. Wisdom Digital Media. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  25. ^ Rooney, David (May 11, 2007). "Radio Golf". Variety. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  26. ^ Stoudt, Charlotte (May 16, 2008). "Theater Beat: 'And Her Hair Went With Her,' 'Blue Night in the Heart of the West,' '1001' and 'I'd Rather Be Right.'". LA Times. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  27. ^ "'Black Pearl Sings!' 10/5/09". Talkin' Broadway. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  28. ^ "Black Pearl Sings". Ford's Theatre. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  29. ^ Brantley, Ben (June 26, 2011). "Flawed Man Draws a Good Woman". New York Times. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  30. ^ Stasio, Marilyn (July 1, 2011). "Measure for Measure". Variety. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  31. ^ Verini, Bob (September 12, 2011). "Milk Like Sugar". Variety.
  32. ^ Isherwood, Charles (November 1, 2011). "Teenage Motherhood Is Serious, Especially With Baby Bling at Play". New York Times. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  33. ^ Feldman, Adam (February 27, 2012). "Review: Hurt Village". Time Out. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  34. ^ Stasio, Marilyn (June 11, 2012). "Storefront Church". Variety. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  35. ^ Brown, Scott (October 21, 2013). "Theater Review: A Time to Kill". Vulture. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  36. ^ Isherwood, Charles (June 19, 2014). "To Be Young, Besieged and Black". New York Times. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  37. ^ Soloski, Alexis (May 7, 2014). "Infidelity Runs Amok, but the Party Never Stops". New York Times. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  38. ^ Brown, Donald (December 3, 2014). "Guess Who's Coming to Hospital". New Haven Review. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  39. ^ Isherwood, Charles (February 11, 2015). "Review: 'Rasheeda Speaking' Finds a Chilling Place to Work". New York Times. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  40. ^ Gans, Andrew; Villegas, Robert (December 31, 2015). "Exclusive: Tonya Pinkins Issues Unedited, Full Statement Detailing Abrupt Departure from CSC's Mother Courage". Playbill. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  41. ^ Riefe, Jordan (October 9, 2017). "'Time Alone': Theater Review". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  42. ^ Green, Jesse (October 25, 2022). "Review: This Time, 'A Raisin in the Sun' Really Does Explode". New York Times. Retrieved January 16, 2024.

External links

Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical
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