Cynthia Onyedinmanasu Chinasaokwu Erivo (born 8 January 1987) is an English actress, singer, and songwriter.
She is known for her performance as Celie in the Broadway revival of The Color Purple, for which she won the 2016 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical, the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical, the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album, and the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Musical Performance in a Daytime Program, the latter two she shared with the rest of the cast.
Erivo ventured into films in 2018, with roles in the heist film Widows and the thriller Bad Times at the El Royale. In 2019, she portrayed abolitionist Harriet Tubman in the biopic Harriet, for which she earned nominations for an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award.
Queen Latifah, Dionne Warwick, Rene Fleming, Barry Gibb and Billy Crystal Lauded by Kennedy Center for Contributions to American Culture
variety.comPaul Harris WASHINGTON — The Kennedy Center Honors was a decidedly tuneful affair, with musical talents representing four of its five recipients – vocalists and/or songwriters Dionne Warwick, Renee Fleming, Queen Latifah and Barry Gibb — along with actor/comedian/filmmaker Billy Crystal.
The program, in its 46th year, followed the traditional format that showcases tributes to each honoree by artists and celebs whose identities are undisclosed in advance.
It kicked off with a lively parade of dancers down the aisles, led by emcee and former honoree Gloria Estefan and accompanied by Sheila E on drums—a first for the event.
Produced again by Done and Dusted Inc., it will air Dec. 27 on CBS. Omitted this year was one familiar staple at the event – the inclusion of brief video biographies of each honoree that emphasized their childhoods and routes to success.
Read more on variety.com