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Cynda Williams | |
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| Born | Cindy Ann Williams Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
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| Alma mater | Ball State University |
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| Years active | 1989–present |
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| Children | 1 |
Cindy Ann Williams is an American actress. She is credited as Cynda Williams.
Williams was born Cindy Ann Williams [1] in Chicago, Illinois to Charles, a police officer [2] and Beverly, a medical lab technician. [2] She was raised in the Pullman neighborhood on the city's south side. She spent parts of her early childhood in Indiana, where she sang in her grandfather's church. [2] Williams attended Bennett Elementary School [3] before she moved with her mother to Muncie, Indiana, as a teenager. While in Indiana, Williams attended Northside High School; graduating in 1984. [1] After high school, Williams attended Ball State University, studying theater and was crowned Ms. Ball State in 1987. She graduated in 1989. [2]
In 1989, Williams changed her first name to "Cynda" to avoid conflicts with Laverne & Shirley actress Cindy Williams, who was also listed by the same name with the Screen Actors Guild. Williams has acted in films on both television and in the cinema. Her first appearance in a feature film was in Spike Lee's 1990 Mo' Better Blues . "In the Midwest, I was told by casting directors that I wasn’t the right type because I didn’t look black enough, and I didn’t look white," says Williams. "But everything changed when I moved to New York, because my look could cross different lines." [4] She was also in One False Move (1992) as well as the Tales of the City Channel 4/PBS miniseries.
Williams had a brief stint in the music industry in 1990 with her appearance on the soundtrack to Mo' Better Blues, on the song "Harlem Blues". The single was popular, reaching No. 9 on the R&B charts on November 17, 1990. With the success of the single, Williams had been lined up with Sony to produce her own album. While she was trained in a variety of genres, jazz became pressed on her after the success of "Harlem Blues". The album was shelved following internal disagreements at Sony.
Williams was married to actor Billy Bob Thornton, from 1990 to 1992. [5]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Mo' Better Blues | Clarke Bentancourt | |
| 1992 | One False Move | Lila "Fantasia" Walker | |
| 1993 | Ghost Brigade | Rebecca | |
| 1995 | Condition Red | Gidell Ryan | |
| The Tie That Binds | Lisa-Marie Chandler | ||
| 1996 | Sweeper | Diane | Direct-to-video |
| Spirit Lost | Arabella | ||
| Black Rose of Harlem | Georgia | ||
| Tales of Erotica | Davida Urked | ||
| 1998 | Caught Up | Vanessa Dietrich/Trish | |
| Relax...It's Just Sex | Sarina Classer | ||
| The Last Call | - | ||
| 2001 | MacArthur Park | Alicia | |
| March | Angela Walsh | ||
| 2003 | With or Without You | Cheri Fontenot | |
| 2004 | Shooter | Coach Mary | Short film |
| 2005 | When Do We Eat? | Grace | |
| 2007 | Frankie D | Barbara | |
| Divine Intervention | Sister Grier | ||
| 2008 | Tru Loved | Lisa | |
| Beautiful Loser | Dennice (Adult) | ||
| 2012 | Turning Point | Dede Johnson | |
| 2014 | Gangland | Tammy | |
| 2015 | 72 Hours | Liyah | |
| 2017 | The Hills | Miss Lee | |
| Ray Meets Helen | Doctor Harris | ||
| A Chance in the World | Ruby Dottin | mis-credited as Lynda Williams | |
| Wilted Rose | Tanya Sanchez | Short film | |
| Pieces of David | Detective Elaine | ||
| 2018 | Every 21 Seconds | Administrative Nurse Malone | |
| 2019 | A Sisterhood of Signatures | Mrs. Owens | Short film |
| Welfare Check | Jo | Short film | |
| Everyday But Christmas | Deanna's Mother | ||
| 2020 | Why Me | Ms. Black | |
| The Misadventures of Mistress Maneater | Deb | ||
| 2021 | Mad As Hell | Detective Briggs | |
| Untold: The Back & Forth Story | Chriss Murray | ||
| Finding Dawn | Dawn | Short film | |
| Life Ain't Like the Movies | Pat Mills |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Tales of the City | D'orothea Wilson | Recurring cast |
| 1995 | Marker | Pamela Austin | Episode: "Truth, Lies and Rock 'n' Roll" |
| Fallen Angels | Deletha | Episode: "Fearless" | |
| 1996 | Gang in Blue | Anita Boyard | TV movie |
| 1997 | New York Undercover | Erica Rockler | Episode: "Hubris" |
| 1998 | The Wedding | Liz Odis | TV movie |
| 1999 | Introducing Dorothy Dandridge | Vivian Dandridge | TV movie |
| 2000 | The Courage to Love | Cecelia Delille | TV movie |
| Hidden Blessings | Brandy Taylor | TV movie | |
| 2003 | Violation | Rita Washington | TV movie |
| 2006 | Our House | Nurse | TV movie |
| 2019 | Black Privilege | Alderwoman Tyrina | TV movie |
| Year | Award | Result | Category | Film or series |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Independent Spirit Award | Nominated | Best Female Lead | One False Move |
Muncie is an incorporated city and the seat of Delaware County, Indiana, United States. Previously known as Buckongahelas Town, named after the legendary Delaware Chief, it is located in East Central Indiana, about 50 miles (80 km) northeast of Indianapolis. At the 2020 United States Census, the city's population was 65,195, down from 70,085 in the 2010 Census. It is the principal city of the Muncie Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Delaware County. The city is also included in the Indianapolis–Carmel–Muncie, IN Combined Statistical Area.
Awakenings is a 1990 American drama film directed by Penny Marshall. It is written by Steven Zaillian, who based his screenplay on Oliver Sacks's 1973 memoir Awakenings. It tells the story of neurologist Dr. Malcolm Sayer, based on Sacks, who discovers the beneficial effects of the drug L-DOPA in 1969. He administers it to catatonic patients who survived the 1919–1930 epidemic of encephalitis lethargica. Leonard Lowe and the rest of the patients are awakened after decades and have to deal with a new life in a new time. Julie Kavner, Ruth Nelson, John Heard, Penelope Ann Miller, Peter Stormare, and Max von Sydow also star.
Willie Mae Thornton, better known as Big Mama Thornton, was an American singer and songwriter of the blues and R&B.
James Francis McHugh was an American composer. One of the most prolific songwriters from the 1920s to the 1950s, he is credited with over 500 songs. His songs were recorded by many artists, including Chet Baker, June Christy, Bing Crosby, Deanna Durbin, Ella Fitzgerald, Judy Garland, Adelaide Hall, Billie Holiday, Beverly Kenney, Bill Kenny, The Everly Brothers, Peggy Lee, Carmen Miranda, Nina Simone, Frank Sinatra, and Dinah Washington.
Mo' Better Blues is a 1990 American musical comedy-drama film starring Denzel Washington, Wesley Snipes, and Spike Lee, who also wrote, produced, and directed. It follows a period in the life of fictional jazz trumpeter Bleek Gilliam as a series of bad decisions result in his jeopardizing both his relationships and his playing career. The film focuses on themes of friendship, loyalty, honesty, cause-and-effect, and ultimately salvation. It features the music of the Branford Marsalis quartet and Terence Blanchard on trumpet. The film was released five months after the death of Robin Harris and is dedicated to his memory, being his final acting role.
Jasmine Chanel Guy is an Emmy-winning American actress, singer, dancer and director. She portrayed Dina in the 1988 film School Daze and as Whitley Gilbert-Wayne on the NBC The Cosby Show spin-off A Different World, which originally ran from 1987 to 1993. Guy won four consecutive NAACP Image Awards from 1990 through 1993 for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her role on the show. She played Roxy Harvey on Dead Like Me and as Sheila "Grams" Bennett on The Vampire Diaries. More recently, she played the role of Gemma, Richard Webber’s friend and potential love interest on Grey's Anatomy.
Nora Dunn is an American actress and comedian. Dunn first garnered widespread popularity during her tenure as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from 1985 to 1990. Following her departure from SNL, she played Dr. Reynolds in The Nanny from 1998 to 1999, and she has originated the role of Muriel in Home Economics since 2021.
Cynthia Jane Williams was an American actress and producer. She is best known for her role as Shirley Feeney on the television sitcoms Happy Days (1975–1979), and Laverne & Shirley (1976–1982). She also appeared in American Graffiti (1973), The Conversation (1974), Mr. Ricco (1975), and More American Graffiti (1979).
Alberta Hunter was an American jazz and blues singer and songwriter from the early 1920s to the late 1950s. After twenty years of working as a nurse, Hunter resumed her singing career in 1977.
William Goldwyn Nunn III was an American actor known for his roles as Radio Raheem in Spike Lee's film Do the Right Thing, Robbie Robertson in the Sam Raimi Spider-Man film trilogy and as Terrence "Pip" Phillips on The Job (2001–02).
Tracy Camilla Johns is an American film actress. She is known for her feature film debut in the leading role as Nola Darling in Spike Lee's 1986 film She's Gotta Have It. She was nominated for Best Female Lead for this role at the 1987 Independent Spirit Awards.
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William James Edwards Lee III was a jazz bassist and composer, known for his collaborations with Bob Dylan and Aretha Franklin, his compositions for jazz percussionist Max Roach, and his session work as a "first-call" musician and band leader to many of the twentieth-century's most significant musical artists, including Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, Harry Belafonte, Peter, Paul and Mary, Simon and Garfunkel, Judy Collins, Arlo Guthrie, Billy Strayhorn, Woody Guthrie, and Pete Seeger, among many others.
Charlie Cardinal is the mascot of Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. He is an anthropomorphic cardinal.
Robert Hurst is an American jazz bassist.
Lisa Victoria Chapman Jones is an American playwright, essayist, journalist, and memoirist.
Ilfenesh Hadera is an American actress.
Verna Hart was an African-American artist known for her expressionist painting focused on jazz music. She was born and raised in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City.
Music From "Mo' Better Blues" is a collaborative album by Branford Marsalis Quartet and Terence Blanchard. It was released in 1990 through Columbia/CBS Records as a soundtrack to Spike Lee's 1990 film Mo' Better Blues. Recording sessions took place at RCA Studios and Sound On Sound in New York. Production was handled by Bill Lee, Delfeayo Marsalis, Raymond Jones and DJ Premier, with Spike Lee serving as executive producer. It features contributions from film stars Cynda Williams, Denzel Washington and Wesley Snipes, and American hip hop duo Gang Starr.
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