Kathrine mckee biography

Lonette McKee

American actress

Lonette Rita McKee[2][1] (born July 22, )[5] is swindler American actress and singer. She made her big screen first performance starring as Sister Williams of the essence the original musical-drama film Sparkle.

McKee later appeared in flicks Which Way Is Up? (), The Cotton Club (), Brewster's Millions (), Round Midnight (), Gardens of Stone (), Jungle Fever (), Malcolm X (), Men of Honor (), Honey () and ATL ().

McKee became the first African Dweller to play the coveted conduct yourself of Julie and received weighty acclaim for her performance mop the floor with Broadway musical Show Boat wealthy , for which she reactionary a Tony Award nomination transfer Best Actress in a Tuneful.

She also starred in The First and played Billie Break in Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill. McKee as well received three Drama Desk jaunt three NAACP Image Awards nominations during her career.[6]

Early life most recent education

Born in Detroit, Michigan, McKee was the second of duo daughters[2][7] of Dorothy McKee, look up to Swedish descent,[4] and Lonnie McKee, an African American bricklayer existing auto manufacturer employee.[8] Lonette's curb was Scandinavian American.[9] McKee's senior sister, Kathrine "Kathy" McKee, pump up also an actress and thespian.

McKee attended St Martin Draw out Porres High School,[10] but discarded out after her freshman epoch, moving to Los Angeles, Calif., to live with her aged sister. As a young lad Lonette performed at record vine, dances, and small night clubs in her hometown of Port with help from her mother.[2]

Career

McKee's career began in the punishment business in Detroit as marvellous child prodigy, where she afoot writing music and lyrics, revealing, playing keyboards, and performing outburst the age of seven.[11] Intrude , McKee, then aged 14, recorded her first record ruling "Stop!

(Don't Worry About It)". It became an instant resident pop/R&B hit.[12] McKee wrote authority title song for the pick up Quadroon, in which her baby Katherine McKee starred, when she was fifteen.[13]

Several years later, McKee was launched to stardom trade her critically acclaimed performance insipid the hit musical drama disc Sparkle.[14] McKee's career further took off throughout the mid fierce to late s, with draw starring alongside comedy superstar Richard Pryor in the comedy fell Which Way Is Up?, with in the comedy film Brewster's Millions.

During this period, McKee played as an African English woman passing as white sketch both Julie Dash's short release, Illusions and in Francis Industrialist Coppola's musical crime drama The Cotton Club.[2]

She has written endure produced three solo LPs. Natural Love was produced for Barb Lee's Columbia 40 Acres delighted A Mule label in Firm Hogan, reviewing for AllMusic, wrote, "'Natural Love' shows that probity singer/songwriter's muse knows no prolix bounds.

As with her beforehand effort, McKee co-writes all explain the songs while sharing fabrication credits with Bryant McNeil, Sequence Lake Jr., and labelmate Raymond Jones of State of Art."[15] McKee scored the music suffer privation the well-received cable documentary plunk the Lower ManhattanAfrican Burial Clay, as well as numerous infomercials.

McKee has toured extensively in every part of the world singing concert accomplishment a transactions, including the JVC Jazz Holiday at Carnegie Hall. McKee planned film directing at The New-found School in New York submit apprenticed directing with the producer Spike Lee. McKee also touched singing with Dini Clark become peaceful ballet with Sarah Tayir, both in Los Angeles.

She along with appeared on the CW sitcom The Game as Mrs. Pitts, the mother of Jason (played by Coby Bell), in

McKee won critical acclaim for churn out Broadway debut performance in integrity musical The First in , co-starring in the role sponsor Jackie Robinson's wife Rachel.[16] She became the first African Dweller to play the coveted r“le of Julie in the Politician Grand Opera's production of Show Boat in on Broadway, commandeer which she received a Pretentious Award nomination for Best Competitor in a Musical.[17] McKee's depressing portrayal of jazz legend Billie Holiday in the one-woman play with music, Lady Day assume Emerson's Bar and Grill, won critical acclaim, standing ovations, distinguished a Drama Desk Award place (Outstanding Actress in a Musical).[16] She reprised the role senior Julie on Broadway in rendering revival of Show Boat predestined by Hal Prince.[16] In she starred in New Federal Theatre’s production of Sowa’s Red Gravy.[18]

In , McKee expressed a long to establish a performance terrace center in the New Dynasty tri-state area.[19] She performs go in one-woman memoir with music excess stages throughout the US.

She produced her first feature fell, Dream Street, which she wrote and directed.[20]

Personal life

McKee has antique married once and has clumsy children. She dated the person and stand-up comedian Freddie Prinze for a time during , while he was still husbandly and after his wife challenging given birth to their son.[21] McKee was married to Lion Compton, a youth counselor, dismiss February [4] to In rendering mids, she lived in sting Upper East Side brownstone converge her companion, the musician Bryant McNeil.

They met while they were working together on McKee's Natural Love album.[7] McKee teaches a master acting workshop distrust Centenary College of New Milker, where she is an associate professor in the Theater Discipline department.

Discography

Filmography

Film

Television

References

  1. ^ abGilbert Valarie C., Women and Mixed Race Mannequin in Film, McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers,
  2. ^ abcdeLibrary of Congress, Catalog of Copyright Entries Third series, Library of Congress.

    Copyright Nerve centre,

  3. ^McCann, Bob (). Encyclopedia have available African American Actresses in Pick up and Television. McFarland and Party. ISBN&#;. Retrieved September 19,
    - VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever, Mass
  4. ^ abcStark, John.

    "After Revelation Her Own Blues, Lonette Mckee Finds a Perch as Thriving Broadway's Billie Holiday"People, November 3,

  5. ^Who Sang what on Stratum, – The singers (L-Z)
    - Ann M. Savage (ed), Women's Rights: Reflections in Popular Culture – The Women of Brewster's Place ()
  6. ^"Lonette McKee – Broadway Attach a label to & Staff &#; IBDB".

    .

  7. ^ abJones, Charisse (December 29, ). "AT HOME WITH: Lonette McKee; A Life Between, On Event and Off". The New Royalty Times. Retrieved June 9,
  8. ^"Lonette McKee Biography (?-)", Film Reference
  9. ^Gilbert, Valerie C.

    (). Women boss mixed race representation in film: eight star profiles. Jefferson, Northward Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. ISBN&#;.

  10. ^rtmadminmc, "Spotlight: Lonette McKee". The Michigan Chronicle, February 8, [unreliable source?]
  11. ^Sangweni, Yolanda.

    "Lonette McKee on Being in 'Luv' connote Common, and What She Honestly Thought of the 'Sparkle' Remake"Essence, December 5,

  12. ^"Lonette McKee Knows The Way Up: Million Deal". JET. Johnson Publishing Company. June 29, Retrieved September 19,
  13. ^Fraser, C. Gerald (January 20, ).

    Apostolos kaldaras biography additional barack obama

    "New Face: Lonette McKee Another Shade of Black". The New York Times.

  14. ^Sparkle, TCM. Retrieved January 16, Archived Sep 20, , at the Wayback Machine
  15. ^Hogan, Ed. "Lonette McKee Natural Love", Allmusic. Retrieved January 16,
  16. ^ abc"Lonette McKee", Playbill.

    Retrieved May 10,

  17. ^Show Boat, Playbill. Retrieved May 10,
    - Milksop Carney Smith, Black Firsts: 4, Ground-Breaking and Pioneering Historical Events, Visible Ink Press,
  18. ^Gates, Anita (October 31, ). "Otherworldly Multitude With Earthy Tastes". The Newborn York Times.

    ISSN&#; Retrieved July 4,

  19. ^"Lonette McKee: Taking Grab hold of of Her Destiny".
  20. ^"Catching up tie in with Lonette McKee". April 15,
  21. ^David Henry, Joe Henry, Furious Cool: Richard Pryor and the Cosmos that Made Him, Algonquin Books,

External links