Anika Noni Rose

Anika Noni Rose (born September 6, in Bloomfield, Connecticut) is a Tony-Award winning American singer and actress. After studying drama at the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco, CA, Rose moved to New York without a job. She had been in New York three months when she nabbed the role of Rusty in Broadway's Footloose. Rose's big Broadway break was getting cast as Tonya Pinkins' daughter in Caroline, or Change. In 2004, Rose was awarded the Theatre World Award, Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Featured Actress and the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical, for Caroline, or Change. In December 2006, Rose will be seen in the movie adaptation of the Broadway musical Dreamgirls directed by Bill Condon. Rose, Beyonce Knowles and American Idol's Jennifer Hudson portray The Dreams, a 1960s girl group from Chicago that becomes a pop sensation. Rose stars as Lorell Robinson who is in a tragic romance with the aging R&B star James "Thunder" Early played by Eddie Murphy. In 2009, she starred alongside singer Jill Scott in the HBO series 'The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency'. She was also the acting and singing voice of Princess Tiana from Disney's Princess and the Frog.