Lorraine Toussaint facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lorraine Toussaint
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Toussaint at the Paley Center for Media's PaleyFest 2014 honoring Orange Is the New Black
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| Born | April 4, 1960 |
| Education | Juilliard School (BFA) |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1981–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Michael Tomlinson
(m. 2017; div. 2019) |
| Children | 1 |
Lorraine Toussaint (pronounced too-SAHNT; born April 4, 1960) is an actress from Trinidad and Tobago who now lives in the United States. She has won several awards for her acting. These include a Black Reel Award, a Critics' Choice Television Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award.
Lorraine started her acting journey in theater plays. She then appeared in movies like Breaking In (1989), Hudson Hawk (1991), and Dangerous Minds (1995). She became well-known for her main role as Rene Jackson in the TV show Any Day Now from 1998 to 2002. She also had a regular role as lawyer Shambala Green in the TV show Law & Order.
Later, she was a regular on the police show Crossing Jordan (2002–03). She also starred in the crime drama Saving Grace (2007–10). In 2012, she was praised for her role in the movie Middle of Nowhere. In 2014, she played Yvonne "Vee" Parker in the Netflix series Orange Is the New Black. This role brought her a lot of attention and awards. She also played Amelia Boynton Robinson in the movie Selma (2014).
More recently, Lorraine has appeared in many TV shows. These include Forever (2014–15), Rosewood (2015–17), and Into the Badlands (2018–19). She also starred in The Village (2019) and The Equalizer (2021–present). Her recent movies include Fast Color (2018), Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (2019), and Concrete Cowboy (2020).
Contents
Early Life and Education
Lorraine Toussaint was born in Trinidad and Tobago. When she was young, she moved to Brooklyn, New York, with her mother. Her mother was a teacher.
Lorraine went to the High School of Performing Arts in Manhattan. She graduated from there in 1978. After high school, she studied drama at the Juilliard School. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1982. She started her acting career in Shakespeare plays. Soon after, she began acting in television and movies.
Acting Career
Early Roles
Lorraine Toussaint first appeared on screen in 1983. In 1986, she acted in the TV movie A Case of Deadly Force. She also had a recurring role in the soap opera One Life to Live. She appeared in other TV shows like 227 and Law & Order. In Law & Order, she played the defense lawyer Shambala Green.
Her first main movie role was with Burt Reynolds in Breaking In (1989). She also appeared with Bruce Willis in Hudson Hawk (1991). Later, she co-starred with Michelle Pfeiffer in Dangerous Minds (1995). She had roles in other films too, such as Point of No Return (1993) and Black Dog (1998). On TV, she had regular roles in shows like Where I Live (1993) and Amazing Grace (1995).
Becoming a Star
Lorraine got her biggest role in the TV drama Any Day Now. She starred as Rene Jackson, a successful African-American lawyer. The show was praised by critics. Lorraine was nominated for many awards for her role, including five NAACP Image Awards. The show ran for four seasons.
From 2002 to 2004, Lorraine played Dr. Elaine Duchamps in the TV show Crossing Jordan. She also made guest appearances on popular shows like Frasier, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and ER. From 2007 to 2010, she was a main cast member in Saving Grace. She also had recurring roles in Ugly Betty (2006) and Friday Night Lights (2009–11).
Recent Successes
In 2012, Lorraine received great reviews for her role in the movie Middle of Nowhere. She played a mother who supports her daughter's difficult choices. This role earned her a nomination for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female.
She also appeared in Shonda Rhimes' shows Grey's Anatomy and Scandal in 2012. In 2013, she joined the cast of The Fosters.
In 2014, Lorraine starred in the second season of Orange Is the New Black on Netflix. She played Yvonne "Vee" Parker, a challenging character. Her performance was highly praised. She won a Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series and a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series for this role.
Also in 2014, Lorraine co-starred in the historical movie Selma. She played Amelia Boynton Robinson, an important civil rights activist. That same year, she joined the TV show Forever. From 2015 to 2017, she was a main cast member in the TV show Rosewood.
In 2016, she returned to her role as defense attorney Shambala Green in Chicago P.D.. From 2018 to 2019, she was a regular on Into the Badlands. In 2019, she starred in the TV series The Village. She also appeared in the horror movie Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. In 2020, she played activist Florynce Kennedy in the movie The Glorias. She also co-starred with Idris Elba in Concrete Cowboy. Since 2021, she has been a main cast member in the CBS show The Equalizer, playing Viola "Aunt Vi" Lascombe.
Personal Life
Lorraine Toussaint has one daughter named Samara. She was married to Michael Tomlinson from 2017 to 2019. Lorraine was raised Catholic. She has also explored other religions like Hinduism and Buddhism.
Notable Works
Lorraine Toussaint has had a long and successful career in both film and television. Here are some of her most well-known roles:
- Movies: Breaking In (1989), Dangerous Minds (1995), Middle of Nowhere (2012), Selma (2014), The Night Before (2015), Fast Color (2018), Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (2019), The Glorias (2020), Concrete Cowboy (2020), and Nimona (2023, voice role).
- Television Shows: Law & Order (recurring), Any Day Now (1998–2002), Crossing Jordan (2002–03), Saving Grace (2007–10), Orange Is the New Black (2014), Forever (2014–15), Rosewood (2015–17), Into the Badlands (2018–19), She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018–20, voice role), The Village (2019), and The Equalizer (2021–present).
Awards and Nominations
Lorraine Toussaint has won and been nominated for many awards throughout her career. Some of her notable awards include:
- National Bar Association Award (2000) - Wiley A. Branton Award for Any Day Now
- LA Femme Filmmaker Award (2008) - Visionary Award
- Black Film Critics Circle Award (2014) - Best Ensemble for Selma
- Screen Actors Guild Award (2015) - Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series for Orange is the New Black
- Essence Black Women in Hollywood Award (2015) - Vanguard Award for Orange is the New Black
- Black Reel Award (2015) - Best Ensemble for Selma
- Critics' Choice Television Award (2015) - Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for Orange is the New Black
- Chlotrudis Award (2020) - Best Supporting Actress for Fast Color
She has also received multiple nominations for the NAACP Image Award and the Black Reel Award.
Images for kids
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Toussaint at the Paley Center for Media's PaleyFest 2014 honoring Orange Is the New Black
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Toussaint with Emayatzy Corinealdi and Sharon Lawrence at a promotional event for Middle of Nowhere in 2012
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Toussaint in 2012
See also
In Spanish: Lorraine Toussaint para niños
