CCH Pounder

Carol Christine Hilaria Pounder (born December 25, 1952) is an American actress. She is best known for portraying Claudette Wyms in the FX police drama series '' The Shield'' (2002–2008), Mo'at in the ''Avatar'' (2009–present) franchise, and medical examiner Dr. Loretta Wade in '' NCIS: New Orleans'' (2014–2021). She has received four Primetime Emmy Award nominations for her roles in ''The X-Files'' (1994), '' ER'' (1994–1997), ''The Shield'', and '' The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency'' (2009).

Pounder portrayed recurring roles on television such as Irene Frederic in '' Warehouse 13'' (2009–2014) and District Attorney Tyne Patterson in ''Sons of Anarchy'' (2013–2014). Pounder was also the voice of Amanda Waller in the animated series ''Justice League Unlimited'' (2004–2006), a role that she has reprised in various later DC Comics media.

In film, she appeared in '' All That Jazz'' (1979), '' Go Tell It on the Mountain '' (1984), '' Prizzi's Honor'' (1985), '' Bagdad Cafe'' (1987), ''Postcards from the Edge'' (1990), '' Psycho IV: The Beginning'' (1990), ''Benny & Joon'' (1993), '' Demon Knight'' (1995), ''Face/Off'' (1997), '' End of Days'' (1999), ''Orphan'' (2009), and '' Godzilla: King of the Monsters'' (2019).

Early life

Pounder was born in British Guiana (now Guyana) on December 25, 1952. Her full name of Carol Christine Hilaria was given in honor of her grandmothers and godmothers. She was raised on a sugar plantation that her father Ronald Arlington Pounder managed. Her mother Betsy Enid Arnella (née James) worked at the United States Embassy while the family lived in London, England. Pounder attended a Catholic boarding school in Sussex, England.

She enrolled at Hastings College of Arts and Technology where Pounder studied painting, but dropped out in her first year after moving to the United States. Her family had already settled in New York while she was attending school. Pounder graduated from Ithaca College in 1975. Pounder stated her parents did not support her choice to be an actress, with her mother instead wanting Pounder to be a newscaster.

Career

Pounder made her acting debut in the film '' All that Jazz'' (1979). She continued her career in New York City theater, where she appeared in ''The Mighty Gents'' by playwright Richard Wesley, and ''Open Admissions'' on Broadway. She moved to Los Angeles in 1982."San Diego Westways by AAA, p. 61, May 2015 She starred in the film '' Bagdad Café'', and has made smaller appearances in many other films.

She focused primarily on her television career. In the early 1980s, Pounder first appeared in guest roles on '' Hill Street Blues'', and then on several shows (''The Cosby Show'', ''L.A. Law'', ''The X-Files'', ''Living Single'', and '' Quantum Leap'') before landing a long-running recurring role as Dr. Angela Hicks on '' ER'' from 1994 to 1997. She also co-starred in the ''Tales From the Crypt'' feature film '' Demon Knight'' (1995). She then returned to guest appearances on other shows, including ''The Practice'', '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'', ''Millennium'', ''The West Wing'' (where she was considered for the role of C. J. Cregg), and the short-lived sitcom '' Women in Prison''.

From 2002 to 2008, she starred as Detective Claudette Wyms in the FX police drama '' The Shield''. For this role she was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 2005 and an NAACP Image Award. She had previously been nominated for an Emmy in 1995 for guest starring in ''The X-Files'' and in 1997 for her supporting role on ''ER''. She has also lent her voice to several video games and animated projects, including ''Aladdin and the King of Thieves'', '' True Crime: Streets of LA'', '' Gargoyles'' as Desdemona and Coldfire, and ''Justice League Unlimited'' as government agent Amanda Waller, which role she reprised for the animated film adaptation of the comic book '' Superman/Batman: Public Enemies'' as well as the video game '' Batman: Arkham Origins'', its sequel '' Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate'', and another animated film that takes place in continuity with the games, '' Batman: Assault on Arkham''.

Pounder was also one of the readers for the HBO film '' Unchained Memories: Readings from the Slave Narrative'' (2003). She appeared on the Syfy series '' Warehouse 13'' from 2009 until its finale on May 19, 2014. Pounder also was one of the stars of Fox's cancelled 2009 sitcom ''Brothers''. Pounder was nominated for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for her appearance in the BBC/HBO series '' The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency''. She had a recurring role as DA Thyne Patterson on the FX crime drama series ''Sons of Anarchy'' (2013–14). She co-starred in '' The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones'' (2013). In Disney's '' The Lion Guard'' she voices Kongwe, the wise old turtle.

In 1996, Pounder served as a guest judge for the 1996 Miss USA Pageant, in South Padre Island, Texas.

Advocacy

As one of the founders of Artists for a New South Africa, Pounder has energized awareness of post-apartheid and HIV/AIDS issues. In an interview, she said about the pandemic: "When it's this massive disease, and it's affecting things in 5,000 different ways, it requires great strength and power – and there is power in numbers. So we need to involve as many people as we can, like we do with ANSA. I call it my little engine that could. It is a remarkable, tiny organization with a huge outreach. We use actors and artists with the biggest voices so they can use every opportunity to talk about AIDS."

Acting credits

Film

Television

Theatre

Video games

Awards and nominations

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Pounder, Cch
1952 births
Living people
American film actresses
American television actresses
American video game actresses
American voice actresses
Guyanese emigrants to the United States
Guyanese people of African descent
People from Georgetown, Guyana
20th-century African-American actresses
20th-century American actresses
21st-century African-American actresses
21st-century American actresses
American HIV/AIDS activists