Smith, Anna Deavere 1950–

SMITH, Anna Deavere 1950–

PERSONAL

Middle name is pronounced "Duh–veer"; born September 18, 1950, in Baltimore, MD; daughter of Deavere Young (a coffee merchant) and Anna (an elementary school principal; maiden name, Young) Smith. Education: Beaver College, B.A., 1971; American Conservatory Theatre, M.F.A., 1976.

Addresses: Agent— Creative Artists Agency, 9830 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90212.

Career: Actress, producer, and writer. American Conservatory Theatre, San Francisco, CA, member of company, 1974–76; Carnegie–Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, assistant professor of theatre, 1978–79; Yale University, New Haven, CT, visiting artist, 1982; New York University, New York City, teacher of acting, 1983–84; National Theatre Institute, visiting teacher, 1984–85; American Conservatory Theatre, master teacher of acting, 1986, member of company, 1988–89; Stanford University, Stanford, CA, professor of theatre, 1990—, Ann O'Day Maples Professor of the Arts, c. 2003; University of Southern California, assistant professor; Lincoln Center Institute, teaching artist; Harvard University, director of Institute on the Arts and Civic Dialogue, 1998; previously worked at KLM Airlines as a customer service representative, 1976.

Member: Directors Guild of America, Dramatists Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, Screen Actors Guild, Actors' Equity Association.

Awards, Honors: Drama–Logue Award, Obie Award, Village Voice, Drama Desk Award, Lucille Lortel Award, George and Elisabeth Marton Award, Kesselring Prize, and Pulitzer Prize nomination, drama, all 1992, for Fires in the Mirror: Crown Heights, Brooklyn, and Other Identities; Antoinette Perry Award, best play, Antoinette Perry Award nomination, best actress, Obie Award, Drama Desk Award, and Special Achievement Award, Outer Critics Circle, Theatre World Award, 1994, all for Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992; Theatre World Award, outstanding new talent, 1993–94; Special Award, New York Drama Critics Circle, 1994, for Three Tall Women; honorary degree from Wheelock College, 1995; grant from John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, 1996; Ford Foundation grant, 1997; Colgate University, honorary degree, 1997; School for Visual Arts, honorary degree, 1997; Wesleyan University, honorary degree, 1997; Northwestern University, honorary degree, 1997; College of the Holy Cross, honorary degree, 1997; Helen Hayes Award, outstanding lead actress—non–resident production, 1998, for Twilight: Los Angeles; Image Award nomination, outstanding supporting actress in a drama series, 2003, for The West Wing; grants from National Theatre Artist Residency Program; honorary degree from Beaver College; fellow of Bunting Institute, Radcliffe College.

CREDITS

Stage Appearances:

(Stage debut) The savage, Horatio, American Conservatory Theatre, San Francisco, CA, 1974.

(New York debut) Marie Laveau, Alma, the Ghost of Spring Street, La Mama Experimental Theatre Club, 1976.

Mother Courage, New York Shakespeare Festival, New York City, 1980.

On the Road, Clear Space Theatre, New York City, 1982, then Berkeley Repertory Co., Berkeley, CA, 1983.

A Birthday Party and Aunt Julia's Shoes (original poems), Ward Nasse Gallery, New York City, 1983.

Doreen, Tartuffe, GeVa Theatre, Rochester, NY, 1983.

Charlayne Hunter Gault, Ward Nasse Gallery, 1984.

Aye, Aye, Aye, I'm Integrated, American Place Theatre, New York City, 1984.

Building Bridges, Not Walls, National Conference of Women and the Law, New York City, 1985.

On the Road: ACT, American Conservatory Theatre, 1986.

Voices of Bay Area Women, Phoenix Theatre, San Francisco, CA, 1988.

Chlorophyll Post–Modernism and the Mother Goddess: A Convers/Ation, Hahn Cosmopolitan Theatre, San Diego, CA, 1988.

Gender Bending: On the Road Princeton University, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 1989.

Piano, Los Angeles Theatre Center, Los Angeles, 1989–1990.

Gender Bending: On the Road University of Pennsylvania, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, 1990.

On Black Identity and Black Theatre, Crossroads Theatre Company, New Brunswick, NJ, 1990.

From the Outside Looking In, Eureka Theatre, San Francisco, CA, 1990.

Fragments, Conference on Intercultural Performance, Bellagio, Italy, 1991.

Identities, Mirrors, and Distortions I, Calistoga Arts Festival, Calistoga, CA, 1991.

Identities, Mirrors, and Distortions II, Bay Area Playwrights Festival, San Francisco, CA, 1991.

Identities, Mirrors, and Distortions III, Global Communities Conference, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 1991.

Identities, Mirrors, and Distortions IV, Festival of New Voices, Joseph Papp Public Theatre, New York City, 1991.

Dream (workshop), Crossroads Theatre Company, 1992.

Fires in the Mirror: Crown Heights, Brooklyn, and Other Identities (solo show), Joseph Papp Public Theatre, 1992, then Royal Court Theatre, London, 1993.

Hymn (ballet), Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, City Center Theatre, New York City, 1993.

Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 (solo show), Mark Taper Forum, Los Angeles, 1993, then Joseph Papp Public Theatre, later Cort Theatre, New York City, both 1994.

Three Tall Women, New York City production, 1994.

House Arrest: First Edition (two–act), Kreeger Theatre, Washington, DC, 1997.

House Arrest, Joseph Papp Public Theatre/Newman Theatre, 2000.

Stage Work:

Artistic advisor, Nickel and Dimed, Intiman Theater, Seattle, WA, 2002.

Film Appearances:

(Film debut) Deborah, Soup for One, Warner Bros., 1982.

Anna, Unfinished Business ... , American Film Institute, 1987.

Mrs. Travis, Dave, Warner Bros., 1993.

Anthea Burton, Philadelphia, TriStar, 1993.

Robin McCall, The American President, Columbia, 1995.

Herself, Twilight: Los Angeles (documentary), Offline Releasing, 2000.

Mrs. Silk, The Human Stain, Miramax, 2003.

Film Work:

Producer, Twilight: Los Angeles, Offline Releasing, 2000.

Television Appearances; Series:

(Television debut) Hazel, All My Children, ABC, 1983.

Nancy McNally, a recurring role, The West Wing, NBC, 2000—.

Dr. Letty Jordan, Presidio Med, CBS, 2002.

Television Appearances; Pilots:

Expert Witness, CBS, 2003.

Television Appearances: Specials:

The Issue Is Race, PBS, 1992.

"Fires in the Mirror," American Playhouse, PBS, 1993.

Narrator, Hawaii's Last Queen, PBS, 1997.

A Hymn for Alvin Ailey, PBS, 1999.

Jessye Norman Sings for the Healing of AIDS, PBS, 2000.

Television Appearances; Episodic:

District Attorney Kate Brunner, "Summary Judgments, " The Practice, ABC, 2000.

District Attorney Kate Brunner, "Germ Warfare, " The Practice, ABC, 2000.

District Attorney Kate Brunner, "We Hold These Truths ... ," The Practice, ABC, 2000.

District Attorney Kate Brunner, "The Deal," The Practice, ABC, 2000.

Ms. Davis, "No Good Deed Goes Unpunished," 100 Centre Street, Arts and Entertainment, 2001.

Also appeared as correspondent, Life 360, PBS.

RECORDINGS

Taped Readings:

Hannah Crafts' The Bondswoman's Narrative, Time Warner Audiobooks, 2002.

WRITINGS

Plays:

On the Road, produced at Clear Space, New York City, 1982, then by Berkeley Repertory Co., Berkeley, CA, 1983.

A Birthday Party (original poems), performed at Ward Nasse Gallery, New York City, 1983.

Aunt Julia's Shoes (original poems), performed at Ward Nasse Gallery, 1983.

Charlayne Hunter Gault, performed at Ward Nasse Gallery, 1984.

Aye, Aye, Aye, I'm Integrated, produced at American Place Theatre, New York City, 1984.

Building Bridges, Not Walls, performed at National Conference of Women and the Law, New York City, 1985.

On the Road: ACT, produced by American Conservatory Theatre, San Francisco, CA, 1986.

Voices of Bay Area Women, produced at Phoenix Theatre, San Francisco, CA, 1988.

Chlorophyll Post–Modernism and the Mother Goddess: A Convers/Ation, produced at Hahn Cosmopolitan Theatre, 1988.

Gender Bending: On the Road Princeton University, produced at Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 1989.

Piano, produced at Los Angeles Theatre Center, Los Angeles, 1989–1990.

Gender Bending: On the Road University of Pennsylvania, produced at University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, 1990.

On Black Identity and Black Theatre, produced by Crossroads Theatre Company, New Brunswick, NJ, 1990.

From the Outside Looking In, produced at Eureka Theatre, San Francisco, CA, 1990.

Fragments, performed at Conference on Intercultural Performance, Bellagio, Italy, 1991.

Identities, Mirrors, and Distortions I, produced at Calistoga Arts Festival, Calistoga, CA, 1991.

Identities, Mirrors, and Distortions II, produced at Bay Area Playwrights Festival, San Francisco, CA, 1991.

Identities, Mirrors, and Distortions III, produced at Global Communities Conference, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 1991.

Identities, Mirrors, and Distortions IV, produced at Festival of New Voices, Joseph Papp Public Theatre, New York City, 1991.

Dream (workshop), produced by Crossroads Theatre Company, 1992.

Fires in the Mirror: Crown Heights, Brooklyn, and Other Identities (solo show), produced at Joseph Papp Public Theatre, 1992, then Royal Court Theatre, London, 1993, published by Anchor Books (New York), 1993.

(With Judith Jamison) Hymn (ballet), produced by Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, City Center Theatre, New York City, 1993.

Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 (solo show), produced at Mark Taper Forum, Los Angeles, 1993, then Joseph Papp Public Theatre, later Cort Theatre, both 1994, published as Twilight—Los Angeles, 1992 on the Road: A Search for American Character, Anchor Books, 1994.

Three Tall Women, New York City production, 1994.

House Arrest: First Edition (two–act), produced at Kreeger Theatre, Washington, DC, 1997.

House Arrest, produced at Public Theatre, New York City, 2000.

Screenplays:

Twilight: Los Angeles, 2000.

Television Specials:

"Fires in the Mirror" (based on her stage play), American Playhouse, PBS, 1993.

Books:

Talk to Me: Travels in Media and Politics, 2001.

OTHER SOURCES

Books:

Contemporary Authors, Volume 133, Gale, 1991.

Contemporary Black Biography, Volume 6, Gale Research, 1994.

Newsmakers, Issue 22, Gale Group, 2002.

Notable Black American Women, Book 3, Gale Group, 2002.

Periodicals:

American Theatre, October, 1996, p. 18; December, 1998, p. 68.

Interview, September, 1996, p. 46.

New York Times, June 10, 1992, pp. C1, C6; April 23, 1993, pp. B7, C2; January 29, 1997.

People Weekly, December 11, 2000, p. 187.

Publishers Weekly, September 18, 2000, p. 94.

Variety, February 3, 1997, p. 56.