Audra McDonald facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Audra McDonald
McDonald at the 74th Tony Awards in 2021
Born	(1970-07-03) July 3, 1970 (age 54) West Berlin, West Germany (now Berlin, Germany)
Education	Juilliard School (BM)
Occupation	Actress singer
Years active	1994–present
Spouse(s)	Peter Donovan ​ ​ (m. 2000; div. 2009)​ Will Swenson ​ (m. 2012)​
Children	2
Awards	Full list

Audra Ann McDonald (born July 3, 1970) is a famous American singer and actress. She is best known for her amazing work on the Broadway stage. Audra has won six Tony Awards, which is more than any other actor has won for performances. She is also the only person to win a Tony Award in all four acting categories. Besides her Tony Awards, she has also won two Grammy Awards and an Emmy Award. In 2016, President Barack Obama gave her the National Medal of Arts. In 2017, she was added to the American Theater Hall of Fame.

Audra McDonald has performed in musicals, operas, and plays. She won Tony Awards for her roles in Carousel (1994), Master Class (1996), and Ragtime (1998). She also won for A Raisin in the Sun (2004), Porgy and Bess (2012), and Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill (2014). She was also nominated for Tony Awards for other roles, including Marie Christine (2000) and Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune (2020).

On television, she played Dr. Naomi Bennett in the ABC series Private Practice from 2007 to 2011. She also played Liz Lawrence in The Good Wife and its spin-off series The Good Fight. She won an Emmy Award for hosting Live from Lincoln Center in 2015. In movies, she has appeared in Ricki and the Flash (2015), Beauty and the Beast (2017), and Respect (2021).

As a classical singer, she has performed in operas with the Houston Grand Opera and the Los Angeles Opera. She has also sung with famous orchestras like the Berlin Philharmonic and New York Philharmonic. Her recording of Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny (2008) won two Grammy Awards. She continues to perform concerts and record music, singing everything from jazz to musical theatre songs.

Early Life and Education

Audra McDonald was born in West Berlin, Germany, in 1970. Her parents were American. Her father was in the United States Army at the time. She grew up in Fresno, California, where her father was from. She has one younger sister, Alison, who writes and directs for TV and movies.

Audra went to the Roosevelt School of the Arts program in Fresno. She started acting with the Good Company Players' junior group. She knew she wanted to be in theater after her first performance with them. She also said her director, Dan Pessano, and her mother had the biggest impact on her life. Audra studied classical singing at the Juilliard School and graduated in 1993.

Amazing Career on Broadway

McDonald in 1998

Audra McDonald made her Broadway debut in 1992. She was a replacement in the musical The Secret Garden. In 1994, she won her first Tony Award for her role as Carrie Pipperidge in Carousel. The next year, she won her second Tony Award for playing Sharon Graham in the play Master Class. From 1997 to 1999, she played Sarah in the musical Ragtime. She won her third Tony Award for this role. By age 28, Audra had already won three Tony Awards.

She was nominated for another Tony Award for her role in Marie Christine. In 2004, she won her fourth Tony Award for her part in A Raisin in the Sun. She later played this role again in a 2008 TV movie. On June 10, 2012, Audra won her fifth Tony Award for playing Bess in The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess. This tied her with another famous actress, Angela Lansbury.

Her performance as Billie Holiday in Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill in 2014 earned her a sixth Tony Award. This made her the first person to win a Tony Award in all four acting categories. In her acceptance speech, she thanked her parents for encouraging her. She also thanked the "strong and brave" African-American women who came before her, like Lena Horne and Billie Holiday.

Breaking Barriers in Theatre

Audra McDonald is known for taking on roles that were not traditionally played by Black actresses. For example, she was the first Black woman to play Carrie Pipperidge in Carousel and Lizzie Curry in 110 in the Shade on Broadway. She also plans to play Rose in Gypsy, another role usually played by white actresses.

She told The New York Times that she refuses to be put into a box. She tries out for any role she feels is right for her. She believes in putting herself out there, even if she can't control what producers decide. Her work has helped encourage more diversity in musical theatre.

Beyond Broadway: TV, Film, and Opera

Audra McDonald has also appeared in many TV shows and movies. In 1999, she was in the TV movie Annie as Miss Farrell. In 2001, she was nominated for an Emmy Award for her role in the HBO film Wit. From 2007 to 2013, she played Dr. Naomi Bennett in the popular TV series Private Practice.

She has also performed in operas. In 2006, she made her opera debut at the Houston Grand Opera. She performed in La voix humaine and a new opera called Send (who are you? I love you). In 2007, she played Jenny Smith in Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny at the Los Angeles Opera. The recording of this performance won a Grammy Award in 2009.

In 2017, Audra starred in Walt Disney Pictures' live-action movie Beauty and the Beast. She played Madame de Garderobe. She also joined the cast of The Good Fight in 2017, playing Liz Lawrence. In 2021, she played Barbara Siggers Franklin in the movie Respect, which was about the singer Aretha Franklin. In 2023, she played civil rights activist Ella Baker in the Netflix movie Rustin.

Music and Concerts

McDonald performing at the Wright Center in 2011

Audra McDonald often performs concerts across the United States. She has sung with the New York Philharmonic and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. In 2004, Carnegie Hall asked her to perform a special group of songs called The Seven Deadly Sins: A Song Cycle.

She has recorded six solo albums. Her first album, Way Back to Paradise (1998), featured songs by new musical theatre composers. Her other albums, like How Glory Goes (2000) and Happy Songs (2002), included a mix of old and new songs, from jazz to pop. In 2013, she released Go Back Home, which was her first solo album in seven years.

Audra has also been featured on many other recordings. She sang on the cast recordings for many of her Broadway shows, including Carousel, Ragtime, and Porgy and Bess. She also appeared in concert versions of musicals like Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street with the New York Philharmonic.

McDonald in the East Room of the White House, 2013

Personal Life

Audra McDonald married bassist Peter Donovan in 2000. They have one daughter, Zoe Madeline. They later divorced in 2009.

In 2012, she married actor Will Swenson. They have a daughter named Sally James, born in 2016. Audra is also a stepmother to Will Swenson's two sons from his previous marriage. As of 2014, Audra and her family live in Croton-on-Hudson, New York.

Helping Others

Audra McDonald is also involved in many good causes. In 2020, she joined other Broadway stars to help people learn about voting rules. In June 2020, Audra helped start Black Theatre United. This group works to fight racism in the theatre world and across the country. They focus on raising awareness, holding people accountable, speaking up, and taking action.

In 2018, Audra joined other Broadway stars like Lin-Manuel Miranda and Josh Groban to record a children's album called Singing You Home. The money from this album helps organizations that support families separated at the border. Audra also joined the board of directors for Covenant House in 2014. Covenant House helps young people who are homeless in many cities around the world. She received their Beacon of Hope Award in 2018.

Acting Credits

Key

Denotes works that have not yet been released

Film

Television

Theatre

Accolades and Achievements

Audra McDonald has received many awards throughout her career. She has won six Tony Awards from ten nominations. She also has two Grammy Awards from three nominations, and one Emmy Award from five nominations. She has also been nominated for two Screen Actors Guild Awards.

In 2016, President Barack Obama gave her the National Medal of Arts. This award recognized her as one of Broadway's brightest stars. It praised her "rich, soulful voice" in musicals, concerts, operas, and recordings. In 2017, she was added to the American Theater Hall of Fame. In 2024, Audra McDonald was the grand marshal of the famous Tournament of Roses Parade.

Discography

Solo Recordings

• Way Back to Paradise (Nonesuch, 1998)
• How Glory Goes (2000)
• Happy Songs (2002)
• Build a Bridge (2006)
• Go Back Home (2013)
• Sing Happy (2018)

Featured Recordings

• Dawn Upshaw Sings Rodgers & Hart – duet on "Why Can't I?" (1996)
• Leonard Bernstein's New York – duet with Mandy Patinkin on "A Little Bit in Love" and "Tonight" (1996)
• George and Ira Gershwin: Standards and Gems – sings "How Long Has This Been Going On?" (1998)
• George Gershwin: The 100th Birthday Celebration – sings Porgy and Bess selections (1998)
• Myths and Hymns – sings "Pegasus" (1999)
• My Favorite Broadway: The Leading Ladies – sings "The Webber Love Trio" (1999)
• Broadway In Love – sings "You Were Meant For Me" from The Object of My Affection (2000)
• Broadway Cares: Home for the Holidays – sings "White Christmas" (2001)
• Bright Eyed Joy: The Songs Of Ricky Ian Gordon – sings "Daybreak in Alabama" (2001)
• Zeitgeist – sings "Think Twice" (2005)
• The Wonder of Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir (2004)
• Barbara Cook at the Met – sings "When Did I Fall In Love?" and "Blue Skies" (2006)
• Jule Styne in Hollywood – sings "10,432 Sheep" (2006)
• Sondheim: The Birthday Concert – sings "Too Many Mornings" and "The Glamorous Life" (2010)
• Stages – duet on "If I Loved You", 2014

Cast Recordings

• Carousel (1994 Broadway Revival Cast Recording) (1994)
• Ragtime (Original Cast Recording) (1998)
• I Was Looking at the Ceiling and Then I Saw the Sky by John Adams (Studio Cast Recording) (1998)
• Wonderful Town (Berlin Cast Recording) (1999)
• Marie Christine (Original Cast Recording) (1999)
• Sweeney Todd Live at the New York Philharmonic (2000)
• Dreamgirls in Concert (2001 Concert Cast Recording) (released February 2002)
• Wonderful Town (Studio Recording) (2005)
• 110 in the Shade (2007 Broadway Revival Cast Recording) (2007)
• Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny (Concert Cast Recording) (2007)
• Rodgers and Hammerstein's Allegro (First Complete Recording) (2009)
• The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess (New Broadway Cast Recording) (2012)
• Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill (Original Broadway Cast Recording) (2014)

Video Recordings

• Audra McDonald – Live at the Donmar London, VHS (1999)
• My Favorite Broadway: The Leading Ladies ("The Webber Love Trio"), DVD & CD (1999)
• Bernstein – Wonderful Town with Kim Criswell, Thomas Hampson, Wayne Marshall, Simon Rattle, and Berlin Philharmonic, DVD (2005)
• The Wonder of Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square, DVD (2005)
• Weill – Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny, DVD (2007)
• Sondheim! The Birthday Concert, Blu-ray DVD (2010)

Audio Books

• Alice Walker, By the Light of My Father's Smile (1998)
• Connie Briscoe, A Long Way from Home (1999)
• Rita Dove, "Second-Hand Man", part of the Selected Shorts story anthology Getting There from Here (2004)
• Jodi Picoult, Small Great Things (2016)
• Emily Wilson, The Iliad (2023)

See Also

In Spanish: Audra McDonald para niños