This page uses content from the Anna Deavere Smith biography page on the English version of Wikipedia and is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. This list of authors can be seen in the page history. Rotten Tomatoes disclaims any and all warranties as to the accuracy or reliability of the content.

Anna Deavere Smith (born September 18, 1950, in Baltimore, Maryland) is an American actress, playwright, and professor in the Department of Performance Studies at the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. She formerly taught in the drama department at Stanford University. She may best be known as the author of Fires in the Mirror, which dealt with the 1991 Crown Heights Riot, and Twilight: Los Angeles 1992, which dealt with the 1992 Los Angeles riots, both of which featured Smith as the sole performer. In 1993 Newsweek declared her as "The most exciting individual in American theater." Smith is the author of Talk to me: Listening between the lines published in 2000. Smith has appeared in several films, such as Philadelphia, The American President, and has recurring roles on The West Wing and The Practice.

Smith was one of the 1996 recipients of the MacArthur Fellowship, often referred to as the "genius grant."

Smith is an alumna of Beaver College (now Arcadia University), and has received honorary degrees from Bryn Mawr, Smith College, Skidmore College, Macalester College, Occidental College, Pratt Institute, Holy Cross College, Wesleyan University, School of Visual Arts, Northwestern University, Colgate University, California State University at Sacramento, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Wheelock College, and the Cooper Union.

Selected Filmography

• All My Children 1983 - Hazel
• Dave 1993 - Mrs. Travis
• Fires In The Mirror 1993 - Citizens of Crown Heights
• The American President 1995 - Robin McCall
• The Practice 2000 - District Attorney Kate Brunner
• Presidio Med 2002 TV Series - Dr. Letty Jordan
• The West Wing 2000-2004 - National Security Advisor Nancy McNally
• Rent 2005 - Mrs. Jefferson

References

• Internet Broadway Database
• Royce Carlton Incorporated

Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify the biographical information on this page under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation.