Anika Noni Rose

Anika Noni Rose was born on September 6, 1972, in Bloomfield, Connecticut. She developed an early interest in theatre, appearing in a school production during her freshman year at Bloomfield High School. Rose further pursued her passion by earning a bachelor’s degree in theatre from Florida A&M University, followed by advanced drama studies at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, California. Her career began on the stage, where she made her Broadway debut as Rusty in “Footloose.” Her significant breakthrough came in 2004 when she won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her role as Emmie Thibodeaux in “Caroline, or Change.” This early success established her as a prominent theatrical talent, also earning her the Theatre World Award and the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Featured Actress.

Rose transitioned to film with notable roles, overcoming an inauspicious debut in “From Justin to Kelly” (2003). She gained wider recognition for her role as Lorrell Robinson in the 2006 film “Dreamgirls,” which also earned her a Grammy Award nomination for her contribution to the soundtrack. A pivotal moment in her career was voicing Princess Tiana in Disney’s 2009 animated feature “The Princess and the Frog,” making her Disney’s first African-American princess. For this groundbreaking role, she was honored as a Disney Legend in 2011. Her filmography includes a variety of genres and roles, from “For Colored Girls” (2010), directed by Tyler Perry, to “Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey” (2020) and “Everything, Everything” (2017).

Her television work includes the lead role in TBS/Macro’s pilot episode “Beast Mode,” where she also served as a Co-Executive Producer. She starred in “The Quad” (2017-2018) on BET and received an NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Actress for her role as Kizzy in The History Channel’s “Roots” adaptation. Other television credits include “Power,” “The Good Wife,” “Private Practice,” “Elementary,” “The Simpsons” (voice role), and the mini-series “Stephen King’s Bag of Bones.” In 2014, she received a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her role as Beneatha Younger in the Broadway revival of “A Raisin in the Sun.” She has also lent her voice to video games such as “Disney Dreamlight Valley” (2022) and theme park attractions like Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, which opened in 2024.