Anika Noni Rose (born September 6, 1972) is an American actress and singer. She is best known for voicing Tiana,

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

's first African-American princess, as seen in ''

The Princess and the Frog ''The Princess and the Frog'' is a 2009 American animated musical fantasy romantic comedy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 49th Disney animated feature film, it is loosely based on th ...

'' (2009). She was named a Disney Legend in 2011. She is also known for her starring role as Lorrell Robinson in the Academy Award-winning film '' Dreamgirls'' (2006) and for playing LaVerne "Jukebox" Ganner in the

Starz Starz (stylized as STARZ since 2016; pronounced "stars") is an American premium cable and satellite television network owned by Lions Gate Entertainment, and is the flagship property of parent subsidiary Starz Inc. Programming on Starz cons ...

series '' Power''. She is also known for her performances in theatre, particularly for her starring roles as Emmie Thibodeaux in the Broadway production of ''

Caroline, or Change ''Caroline, or Change'' is a musical with music by Jeanine Tesori and lyrics and book by Tony Kushner. The score combines spirituals, blues, Motown, classical music, and Jewish klezmer and folk music. The show ran both Off-Broadway and on Broadway ...

'' (2004), for which she won the

Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical The Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical has been presented since 1950. The award was not given at the first three Tony Award ceremonies. Nominees were not announced publicly until 1956. Winners and nominees 1950 ...

, and Beneatha Younger in the Broadway revival of '' A Raisin in the Sun'' (2014), for which she was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play.

Early life

Rose was born in

Bloomfield, Connecticut Bloomfield is a suburb of Hartford in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The town's population was 21,535 at the 2020 census. Bloomfield is best known as the headquarters of healthcare services company Cigna. History Originally lan ...

, to Claudia and John Rose, a corporate counsel. She began her acting career in Bloomfield high school, appearing in a school production during her freshman year. She earned a

Bachelor's Degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to si ...

in theatre from Florida A&M University, then studied drama at the

American Conservatory Theater The American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) is a nonprofit theater company in San Francisco, California, United States, that offers both classical and contemporary theater productions. It also has an attached acting school. History The Americ ...

in San Francisco.

Career

Early career

Rose moved to New York without a job. After three months, she played the role of Rusty in Broadway's '' Footloose''. She followed ''Footloose'' with numerous workshops and two musicals using pre-existing song catalogs, ''Eli's Comin

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer th ...

and ''Me and Mrs. Jones'' with

Lou Rawls Louis Allen Rawls (December 1, 1933 – January 6, 2006) was an American record producer, singer, composer and actor. Rawls released more than 60 albums, sold more than 40 million records, and had numerous charting singles, most notably his s ...

in Philadelphia. Both of the full-scale tuners were rumored for transfers, but neither made it anywhere after their limited engagements ended. Rose's big Broadway break was getting cast as Emmie Thibodeaux in ''

''. In 2004, she was awarded the Theatre World Award, the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Featured Actress, and the

for ''Caroline, or Change''. In 2010 she starred in Tyler Perry's ''For Colored Girls'' with Phylicia Rashad and Janet Jackson. In 2014, Rose returned to Broadway in a revival of '' A Raisin in the Sun,'' receiving a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play. After her film debut, ''King of the Bingo Game'', she played the role of Kaya in '' From Justin to Kelly'' in 2003 and performed in ''

Temptation Temptation is a desire to engage in short-term urges for enjoyment that threatens long-term goals.Webb, J.R. (Sep 2014). Incorporating Spirituality into Psychology of temptation: Conceptualization, measurement, and clinical implications. Sp ...

'' in 2004, followed by '' Surviving Christmas'' as a singer in the choir. In 2006, Rose starred in ''Dreamgirls'' as Lorrell Robinson with Beyoncé Knowles, Jennifer Hudson, Jamie Foxx, and

Eddie Murphy Edward Regan Murphy (born April 3, 1961) is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and singer. He rose to fame on the sketch comedy show ''Saturday Night Live'', for which he was a regular cast member from 1980 to 1984. Murphy has als ...

. Rose appeared in the films ''Just Add Water'' and ''Razor''. Rose also starred alongside Jill Scott in ''

The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency ''The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency'' is a series of novels by Alexander McCall Smith set in Botswana and featuring the character Mma Precious Ramotswe. The series is named after the first novel, published in 1998. Twenty-two novels have been p ...

'' directed by Anthony Minghella.

''The Princess and the Frog''

Rose is best known for her role in Disney's 2009 animated feature ''

'' as the voice of the lead character Tiana; the character is Disney's first African-American princess. Rose said at the time, "Not only is

iana The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) is a standards organization that oversees global IP address allocation, autonomous system number allocation, root zone management in the Domain Name System (DNS), media types, and other Interne ...

the first black princess, she's the first American princess. So, the scope and the significance is larger than people even realize." Rose added that she hoped her role in the film would help affirm young brown-skinned children by seeing someone who looks like them in a Disney film. The film being released in 2009, the same year that

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...

and

Michelle Obama Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama (born January 17, 1964) is an American attorney and author who served as first lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017. She was the first African-American woman to serve in this position. She is married t ...

entered the White House was completely coincidental, according to the creators. But several commentators noted how the coincidence reinforced the positive portrayal of African-Americans. Rose hosted a hometown screening of ''The Princess and the Frog'' for children from the Charter Oak Cultural Center, a non-profit multi-cultural arts center that provides free after-school programs in Hartford, Connecticut. Rose's performance in the film garnered one nomination for an

NAACP Image Award The NAACP Image Awards is an annual awards ceremony presented by the U.S.-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People ( NAACP) to honor outstanding performances in film, television, theatre, music, and literature. Similar to ...

and three nominations for the Black Reel Awards. She won the Black Reel Award for Best Outstanding Voice Performance. Rose was named a Disney Legend on August 19, 2011. Rose said, "I always dreamed of being a voice in a Disney movie, but even in those dreams, I never once dreamed of being a princess... I feel like what an honor that this is and how the dream comes true, bigger and stronger than I had even imagined it."

Tiana's Bayou Adventure (2024)

In June 2020, Disney announced that they would be reworking their flume ride Splash Mountain in their U.S. theme parks with characters from ''The Princess and the Frog''. Rose said, "It's thrilling. People are amped and ready. I think it's awesome, particularly now, to be reinvigorating her story." Disney has stated that the ride will take place after the events of the film, during

Carnival Carnival is a Catholic Christian festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent. The main events typically occur during February or early March, during the period historically known as Shrovetide (or Pre-Lent). Carnival t ...

season. Rose also added that she would love for Disney to create a Tiana's Palace Restaurant at the theme parks. "I've been looking forward to a Tiana's Palace for years... I have dreams of them partnering with ew Orleans' Café du Monde on some real deal beignets, having some fantastic

shrimp and grits Shrimp and grits is a traditional dish in the Lowcountry of the coastal Carolinas and Georgia in the United States. It is a traditional breakfast dish, though many consider it more of a lunch or supper dish. Elsewhere, grits are accompanied by f ...

and king cake during Mardi Gras season. And the occasional second line through the joint. Basically all the things I love!" In June 2022, Rose mentioned that she has been involved with discussions with Disney on what they want the ride to be like. In July 2022, Disney announced that the ride will be called

Tiana's Bayou Adventure Tiana's Bayou Adventure is an upcoming log flume attraction at Disneyland and Magic Kingdom in the United States. It is based on Disney's 2009 film ''The Princess and the Frog''. The attraction is scheduled to open in 2024, and will be a redesign ...

and will open in

Disneyland Disneyland is a theme park in Anaheim, California. Opened in 1955, it was the first theme park opened by The Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney. Disney initially envisio ...

and

Magic Kingdom Magic Kingdom Park, previously known as Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom (1971–1994) and The Magic Kingdom (1994–2017), is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida, near Orlando, Florida. Owned and operated by The ...

in late 2024. In September 2022, it was confirmed that Rose would reprise her role as Tiana for the ride.

2010s

In 2010, Rose played the role of Yasmine in the movie '' For Colored Girls''. One critic described Rose's performance as "especially fierce". From 2010 to 2013, Rose had a guest-starring role in the legal TV drama '' The Good Wife''. She played the role of Sara Tidwell in the A&E miniseries ''

Bag of Bones ''Bag of Bones'' is a 1998 horror novel by American writer Stephen King. It focuses on an author who suffers severe writer's block and delusions at an isolated lake house four years after the death of his wife. It won the 1999 Bram Stoker Award ...

'' in 2011, based on the

Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. Described as the "King of Horror", a play on his surname and a reference to his high s ...

novel of the same name. In 2012, she guest-starred in the "

Gone Abie Gone "Gone Abie Gone" is the fourth episode of the twenty-fourth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons'' and the 512th episode overall. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 11, 2012, and in t ...

" episode in season 24 of ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, ...

'', voicing Abe Simpson's second wife, Rita LaFleur. Rose played the adult Kizzy in two episodes of television's ''

Roots A root is the part of a plant, generally underground, that anchors the plant body, and absorbs and stores water and nutrients. Root or roots may also refer to: Art, entertainment, and media * ''The Root'' (magazine), an online magazine focusing ...

'', an adaptation of the novel by

Alex Haley Alexander Murray Palmer Haley (August 11, 1921 – February 10, 1992) was an American writer and the author of the 1976 book '' Roots: The Saga of an American Family.'' ABC adapted the book as a television miniseries of the same name and ...

and remake of the 1977 miniseries. Critic Alan Sepinwall, in suggesting Emmy nominees to the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, called her "one of the best parts of the outstanding ''Roots'' ensemble". She had a role in the

series '' Power'' and the leading role in the 2017 BET drama '' The Quad''.

''Bedtime Stories for the Littles''

During the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown of 2020, Rose created a weekly series where she read bedtime stories to small children to help ease their fear during the lockdown. Rose said, "I love reading to kids, and I wanted to give our little people something soft and soothing in this very jarring moment in time. I thought a bedtime story would be the perfect way. I can give my voice to the ones who know it best, without anyone leaving home." She also said that she wanted to help children act silly, use their imaginations, and find a love of books that Rose said she had as a child. As one of the stories in the series, Rose chose the ''Princess and the Frog'' book "Tiana's Growing Experiment."

2020s

In 2020, Rose starred in the Netflix musical '' Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey'' playing Jessica Jangle. Noni Rose applauded the film's portrayal of black and brown professionals in an English Victorian setting. In 2021, she played an affluent, unhappy lawyer who employs a young mother fleeing an abusive relationship in the Netflix limited series ''

Maid A maid, or housemaid or maidservant, is a female domestic worker. In the Victorian era domestic service was the second largest category of employment in England and Wales, after agricultural work. In developed Western nations, full-time maids ...

''.

Filmography

Film

Television

Web

Video games

Stage

Awards and nominations

Notes

References

External links

* * *
Anika Noni Rose at the Disney Legends Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rose, Anika Noni 1972 births African-American actresses American sopranos American Conservatory Theater alumni Florida A&M University alumni Living people Obie Award recipients People from Bloomfield, Connecticut Tony Award winners 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses American musical theatre actresses American voice actresses Audiobook narrators Theatre World Award winners 20th-century African-American women singers 21st-century African-American women singers