Valarie Pettiford | |
|---|---|
 Pettiford in 2009 | |
| Born | July 8, 1960 New York City, U.S. |
| Education | High School of Performing Arts |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1978–present |
| Spouse | Tony Rader |
Valarie Pettiford (born July 8, 1960) [1] is an American stage and television actress, dancer, and jazz singer. She received a Tony Award nomination for her role in the broadway production Fosse . [2] She is also known for her role as Deirdre "Big Dee Dee" LaFontaine Thorne on the UPN television sitcom Half & Half .
Pettiford began her career as a dancer and choreographer in Bob Fosse productions on Broadway. [3] Alvin Klein of the New York Times wrote of her role in the 1983 musical revue Ladies and Gentlemen, Jerome Kern! that "You will not for a moment take your eyes off Valarie Pettiford, the show's standout: a sinewy dancer who can be sultry or sweet, measure for measure, as prescribed.... Miss Pettiford appears to be a superbly trained dancer, schooled in balletic finesse and Broadway-style razzmatazz - and a stunning presence." [4] Leah Frank, also in the NYT, wrote of Pettiford's appearance in West Side Story in 1987: "The mainstay of the supporting cast is Valarie Pettiford, whose Anita is spicy, sensual and full of fire. She is an exciting actress who has a special quality needed to ignite a number such as America." [5]
In 1994, she played lesbian Cassandra Keefer in The Naked Truth, [6] and from 1995 to 1996 starred as Julie in a touring production of Show Boat . [7]
Pettiford received a Tony nomination as Best Featured Actress in a Musical and a Dora Mavor Moore Award nomination for her role in the Broadway production Fosse from 1998 to 1999. [2] [8] Variety said Pettiford gave "a coolly elegant vocal rendition, [and she] is also a sultry, powerful dancer." [9] She left Fosse to appear as Velma Kelly in Chicago in the West End in London from August 1999 to February 2000, alongside Chita Rivera as Roxie Hart. [2] [8]
In 2007 Pettiford won the Backstage Bistro Award for her cabaret debut at the Metropolitan Room in New York City, [10] and won an NAACP Theatre Award for her lead role in The Wild Party . [11] In 2008, she starred in a solo show, Valarie Pettiford - Thankful that played in New York City and Los Angeles. [2] In 2009, she starred in the solo show Valarie Pettiford - The Concert in New York City. [12]
In 1978, at the age of 17 and enrolled at the High School of Performing Arts, Pettiford did her first-ever movie work as part of the large ensemble in the film The Wiz . [13] She starred as Mariah Carey's mother in the 2001 film Glitter , [14] had a role in Stomp the Yard in 2007, [15] and played Aunt Geneva in the 2011 film, Jumping the Broom .
In the 1990s, Pettiford appeared on daytime soap operas, [3] including Another World and One Life to Live (where she originated the role of Sheila Price). Her Half & Half role from 2002 to 2006 as Dee Dee Thorne gained her three NAACP Image Award nominations. [2] From 2008 to 2009, she played Sandra Lucas in the comedy-drama series Tyler Perry's House of Payne . [2] She also appeared in the HBO pilot Anatomy of Hope , directed by J. J. Abrams. [2] Pettiford plays a recurring role as the wife to Harold Cooper (Harry Lennix), Assistant Director of the FBI Counter-Terrorism Division, on the NBC drama The Blacklist. She has also starred in the TV series A Discovery of Witches as the witch Emily Mather.
In September 2024, it was announced Pettiford had joined the cast of The Young and the Restless in the role of Amy Lewis. [16]
While on Half & Half, Pettiford released a jazz album, Hear My Soul, in 2005. [3]
Pettiford was born in Queens, New York to Ralph and Blanch Pettiford, [17] and graduated from the High School of Performing Arts in 1978. [1] [18] She is married to her manager, actor and former Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Tony Rader. [1] [19] They got engaged in 1991. [20]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | The Wiz | Chorus Member | [13] |
| 1984 | The Cotton Club | Dancer | [17] |
| 1988 | Robots | Newscaster | Video |
| 1990 | Street Hunter | Denise | [17] |
| 2001 | Confidences | Sean | Short [17] |
| Glitter | Lillian Frank | [14] | |
| 2002 | Like Mike | Mrs Boyd | [17] |
| 2003 | Paris | Terry | [17] |
| 2007 | Stomp the Yard | Aunt Jackie | [15] |
| The Stolen Months of September | Counselor | ||
| 2009 | Why Am I Doing This? | Natalie | |
| Guys and Dolls at the Hollywood Bowl | Hot Box Girl | Video | |
| Anatomy of Hope | Deanna Rivers | TV movie | |
| 2010 | Why Did I Get Married Too? | Harriet | |
| Not Your Time | Angel of Death | Short | |
| 2011 | Jumping the Broom | Aunt Geneva | |
| Nurse Jackée | - | Short | |
| 2012 | Battlefield America | Ms. Williams | |
| Note to Self | Mildred 'Momma' King | ||
| Birth Mother | Olivia | Short | |
| 2013 | Love Will Keep Us Together | Paula | TV movie |
| The Dempsey Sisters | Elizabeth Dempsey | ||
| 2015 | My Favorite Five | Pamela Colburn | |
| Will to Love | Avyon Hawkins | TV movie | |
| Welcome to the Family | Angela | TV movie | |
| 2016 | The Secrets of Emily Blair | Detective Henson | |
| Boy Bye | Linda | ||
| A Moment | Dana | Short | |
| 2017 | The Preacher's Son | First Lady Charlene Wilson | |
| 2018 | The Choir Director | First Lady Charlene Wilson | |
| No More Mr Nice Guy | Lorna Monroe | ||
| We Belong Together | Diane | ||
| Jingle Belle | Faith Williams | TV movie | |
| 2019 | Blind Sight | Cheryl | Short |
| If Not Now, When? | Lorna | ||
| 2020 | Surviving in L.A. | Suzanne | |
| Love Is Love Is Love | Wendy | ||
| 2021 | Senior Moment | Judge Alice Miller | |
| Hip Hop Family Christmas | Nancy | TV movie | |
| Merry Switchmas | Colleen |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | The Equalizer | Jackie | Episode: "No Place Like Home" |
| 1988–90 | Another World | Detective Courtney Walker | Regular Cast |
| 1990–94 | One Life to Live | Dr. Sheila Price | Regular Cast |
| 1996 | The Sentinel | Angie Ferris | Episode: "Out of the Past" |
| 1997 | Silk Stalkings | Marnie | Episode: "Silent Witness" |
| Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show | Bianca Fleischer/Persephone | Episode: "Honey, You Got Nine Lives" & "Honey, I Got Duped" | |
| 1997–98 | Fame L.A. | Sylvia Williams | Recurring cast |
| 1998 | Walker, Texas Ranger | Angel Blake | Episode: "Angel" |
| Sliders | Dr. Grace Venable | Episode: "Asylum" | |
| 1999 | The X-Files | FBI Agent Ann Jones | Episode: "Two Fathers" |
| 2001 | Any Day Now | Valerie | Episode: "10 Days? Are You Crazy?" |
| Jack & Jill | Gabi | Episode: "Caution: Parents Crossing" | |
| Sabrina, The Teenage Witch | Calliope | Episode: "Sabrina, The Muse" | |
| Frasier | P.R. Woman | Episode: "Hooping Cranes" | |
| Men, Women & Dogs | Teri Forrester | Episode: "Top Dog" | |
| 2002 | State of Grace | - | Episode: "Fortunate Son" |
| The West Wing | White House Security Guard Janice Allen | Episode: "Enemies Foreign and Domestic" | |
| 2002–04 | The District | Gayle Noland | Guest: Season 2, Recurring cast: Season 3-4 |
| 2002–06 | Half & Half | Deirdre "Big Dee Dee" LaFontaine Thorne | Main Cast |
| 2006 | CSI: Miami | Dr. Lana Whitford | Episode: "Open Water" |
| 2007 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Susan Latham | Episode: "Fallen Idols" |
| Bones | Ellen Laskow | Episode: "The Bodies in the Book" | |
| 2008–11 | Tyler Perry's House of Payne | Sandra Lucas | Recurring cast: Season 4-7 |
| 2009 | Criminal Minds | Sharon Harris | Episode: "Soul Mates" |
| 2011 | The Cape | Judge Valerie Preston | Episode: "Scales on a train" |
| 2012 | The Finder | Chatney DuBois | Episode: "Bullets" |
| Hart of Dixie | Carolyn Hayes | Episode: "Snowflakes & Soulmates" | |
| Bunheads | Vi | Episode: "For Fanny" | |
| Treme | Victorine Fornerat-Williams | Episodes: "Knock with Me-Rock With Me" & "Saints" | |
| 2013 | Golden Boy | Maxine Owen | Recurring cast |
| True Blood | Mary Wright | Episodes: "In the Evening" & "Dead Meat" | |
| 2015–16 | Born Again Virgin | Beverly | Guest: Season 1, Recurring cast: Season 2 |
| 2015–21 | The Blacklist | Charlene Cooper | Recurring cast: Season 2-3 & 9, guest: Season 8 |
| 2016 | Black-ish | Donna Duckworth | Episode: "Johnson & Johnson" |
| 2017 | Being Mary Jane | Rhonda Sales | Recurring cast: Season 4 |
| 2017–18 | Valor | Simone Porter | Recurring cast |
| 2018–present | The Family Business | Charlotte Duncan | Main Cast |
| 2018–22 | A Discovery of Witches | Emily Mather | Main Cast |
| 2019 | The Baxters | Diane | Recurring cast: Season 3 |
| 2020 | BlackAF | Grandma | Episode: "yo, between you and me... this is because of slavery" |
| 2021 | Home Economics | Rachel | Episode: "Triple Scoop of Ice Cream, $6.39" |
| A Luv Tale: The Series | Diana | Recurring cast | |
| NCIS | Sonia Eberhart | Episode: "Road to Nowhere" & "Great Wide Open" | |
| 2022 | First Wives Club | Nancy | 2 episodes |
Gwyneth Evelyn "Gwen" Verdon was an American actress and dancer. She won four Tony Awards for her musical comedy performances, and she served as an uncredited choreographer's assistant and specialty dance coach for theater and film. Verdon was a critically acclaimed performer on Broadway in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, having originated many roles in musicals, including Lola in Damn Yankees, the title character in Sweet Charity, and Roxie Hart in Chicago.
Robert Louis Fosse was an American choreographer, dancer, filmmaker and stage director. Known for his work on stage and screen, he is arguably the most influential figure in the field of jazz dance in the twentieth century. He received numerous accolades including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, three Primetime Emmy Awards, nine Tony Awards, and the Palme d'Or.
Chicago is a 2002 American musical black crime comedy film based on the 1975 stage musical, which in turn originated in the 1926 play. It explores the themes of celebrity, scandal, and corruption in Chicago during the Jazz Age. The film stars an ensemble cast led by Renée Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Richard Gere. Chicago centers on Roxie Hart (Zellweger) and Velma Kelly (Zeta-Jones), two murderers who find themselves in jail together awaiting trial in 1920s Chicago. Roxie, a housewife, and Velma, a vaudevillian, fight for the fame that will keep them from the gallows. The film marks the feature directorial debut of Rob Marshall, who also choreographed the film, and was adapted by screenwriter Bill Condon, with music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb.
Chicago is a 1975 American musical with music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb, and book by Ebb and Bob Fosse. Set in Chicago in the Jazz Age, the musical is based on a 1926 play of the same title by Maurine Dallas Watkins about actual criminals and crimes on which she reported. The story is a satire on corruption in the administration of criminal justice and the concept of the "celebrity criminal".
Diahann Carroll was an American actress, singer, model, and activist. Carroll was the recipient of numerous nominations and awards for her stage and screen performances, including a Tony Award in 1962, Golden Globe Award in 1968, and five Emmy Award nominations.
Dolores Conchita Figueroa del Rivero, known professionally as Chita Rivera, was an American actress, singer, and dancer. Rivera received numerous accolades including two Tony Awards, two Drama Desk Awards, and a Drama League Award. She was the first Latina and the first Latino American to receive a Kennedy Center Honor in 2002, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009. She won the Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2018.
Audra Ann McDonald is an American singer and actress. Primarily known for her work on the Broadway stage, she has won six Tony Awards, more performance wins than any other actor, and is the only person to win in all four acting categories. In addition to her six Tony Awards she has received numerous accolades including two Grammy Awards, and an Emmy Award. She was honored with the National Medal of Arts in 2016 from President Barack Obama, and was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 2017.
Valentine Ruth Henshall, known professionally as Ruthie Henshall, is an English actress, singer and dancer, known for her work in musical theatre. She began her professional stage career in 1986, before making her West End debut in Cats in 1987. A five-time Olivier Award nominee, she won the 1995 Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her role as Amalia Balash in the London revival of She Loves Me (1994).
Ruby Dee was an American actress, poet, playwright, screenwriter, journalist, and civil rights activist. Dee was married to Ossie Davis, with whom she frequently performed until his death in 2005. She received numerous accolades, including an Emmy Award, a Grammy Award, an Obie Award, and a Drama Desk Award, as well as a nomination for an Academy Award. She was honored with the National Medal of Arts in 1995, the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 2000, and the Kennedy Center Honors in 2004.
Essence Uhura Atkins is an American actress. She began her career appearing on television sitcoms, before her regular role on the African-American prime-time drama Under One Roof.
Ann Reinking was an American dancer, actress, choreographer, and singer. She worked predominantly in musical theater, starring in Broadway productions such as Coco (1969), Over Here! (1974), Goodtime Charley (1975), Chicago (1977), Dancin' (1978), and Sweet Charity (1986).
Fosse is a three-act musical revue showcasing the choreography of Bob Fosse. The musical was conceived by Richard Maltby Jr., Chet Walker, and Ann Reinking.
Sheryl Lee Ralph is an American actress and singer. Known for her performances on stage and screen, she earned acclaim for her role as Deena Jones in the Broadway musical Dreamgirls (1981), for which she was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical. Since 2021 she has starred as Barbara Howard on the ABC mockumentary sitcom Abbott Elementary, for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, becoming the first Black woman in 35 years to win the award.
Rebecca Luker was an American actress, singer, and recording artist, noted for her "crystal clear operatic soprano" and for maintaining long runs in Broadway musicals over the course of her three-decade-long career. The New York Times compared her to actresses such as Barbara Cook and Julie Andrews.
Jonelle R. Allen is an American actress, singer, and dancer. Beginning her professional career in the late 1960s, Allen has co-starred in films, Broadway productions, and television. In 1972, Allen was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance in the musical Two Gentlemen of Verona. She appeared in films such as Come Back Charleston Blue (1972) and The River Niger (1976) and was a regular cast member in television series Generations (1989–1991) and Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman (1993–1998).
Big Deal is a musical with a book by Bob Fosse using songs from various composers such as Ray Henderson, Eubie Blake, and Jerome Kern. It was based on the 1958 film Big Deal on Madonna Street by Mario Monicelli. The musical received five Tony Award nominations, with Fosse winning for Choreography. The production was Fosse's final work, as he died the next year.
Reva Rice is an American musical theatre actress and singer, best known for originating the role of Pearl in Starlight Express on Broadway.
Lenora Nemetz is an American stage and musical theatre actress.
Megan Lawrence is an American actress best known for her roles on Broadway. Among other honors, she has been nominated for a Tony Award. She has also appeared Off-Broadway, in regional theatre and on television.
Kathryn Doby is a Hungarian dancer, actress and choreographer who worked as assistant and dance captain for Bob Fosse. She made her Broadway debut in the ensemble of Fosse's Sweet Charity at its premiere in January 1966 at the Palace Theatre in Times Square. Aside from her performance in the musical Gregory (1970), her work on Broadway continued with Fosse as a Player and Dance Captain in Pippin (1972) and as an assistant to Mr. Fosse for Chicago (1975) and Dancin' (1978). Her film credits include The Night They Raided Minsky's – “Minsky Girl” (1968), The Handmaid's Tale (film) – Aunt Elizabeth (1990), and again worked with Fosse as a dancer in Sweet Charity (1969), Cabaret – Kit Kat Dancer (1972), and All That Jazz – Kathryn (1979).
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