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.
Vanessa Williams will host the network's 41st annual , which will feature performances from an A-list lineup.During the special, Williams, live from Washington, D.C., will introduce each of the performances, which were pre-taped from locations across the country.«I am so honored to be hosting this year,» Williams said. «I first performed on this national July 4th TV tradition in 2005, and it has always held a special place in my heart.» Mickey Guyton, Gladys Knight, Ali Stroker, Jimmie Allen and Laura Osnes' performances were taped in D.C., while Jimmy Buffett and Cynthia Erivo's time onstage happened in Southern California.Alan Jackson gave his performance for the special at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium, Pentatonix did so in Los Angeles,.
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