Audra McDonald

Acting

Audra McDonald

Born 1970-07-03 · Berlin, Germany

Audra Ann McDonald is an American actress and singer. Primarily known for her work on the Broadway stage, she has won six Tony Awards, more performance wins than any other actor, and is the only person to win in all four acting categories. She has performed in musicals, operas, and dramas such as A Moon for the Misbegotten, 110 in the Shade, Carousel, Ragtime, Master Class, and Porgy and Bess. In addition to her six Tony Awards, she has received numerous accolades including two Grammy Awards and an Emmy Award. She was honored with the National Medal of Arts in 2016 from President Barack Obama and was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 2017.

Acting credits

Beauty and the Beast poster
7.0

A live-action adaptation of Disney's version of the classic tale of a cursed prince and a beautiful young woman who helps him break the spell.

Beauty and the Beast

2017

Respect poster
6.8

The rise of Aretha Franklin’s career from a child singing in her father’s church’s choir to her international superstardom.

Respect

2021

The Sound of Music Live! poster
6.3

The Sound of Music Live! is a television special that was originally broadcast by NBC on December 5, 2013. Produced by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, the special was an adaptation of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Broadway musical The Sound of Music, starring country singer Carrie Underwood as Maria von Trapp, performed and televised live from Grumman Studios in Bethpage, New York. Meron felt that if the telecast were successful, the concept could become "another kind of entertainment that can exist on TV." By her request, Underwood's casting as Maria was personally endorsed by Julie Andrews, who starred in the 1965 film.

The Sound of Music Live!

2013

Rampart poster
5.5

The story follows veteran police officer Dave Brown, the last of the renegade cops, as he struggles to take care of his family, and fights for his own survival.

Rampart

2011

No artwork available
NR

The film is set at Aztec Corp., a company that auctions off ancient antiquities and semi-distinct wild exotic animals.

The Auction

2027

The Object of My Affection poster
5.8

A pregnant New York social worker begins to develop romantic feelings for her gay best friend, and decides she'd rather raise her child with him, much to the dismay of her overbearing boyfriend.

The Object of My Affection

1998

Ricki and the Flash poster
5.8

Meryl Streep stars as Ricki Rendazzo, a guitar heroine who made a world of mistakes as she followed her dreams of rock-and-roll stardom. Returning home, Ricki gets a shot at redemption and a chance to make things right as she faces the music with her family.

Ricki and the Flash

2015

Origin poster
6.2

While investigating the global phenomenon of caste and its dark influence on society, a journalist faces unfathomable personal loss and uncovers the beauty of human resilience.

Origin

2023

Rustin poster
6.5

Activist Bayard Rustin faces racism and homophobia as he helps change the course of Civil Rights history by orchestrating the 1963 March on Washington.

Rustin

2023

Down Low poster
5.3

A repressed gay man develops an unlikely friendship with a young masseur who teaches him to embrace life.

Down Low

2023

Six by Sondheim poster
7.1

This intimate documentary explores the life and career of the stage legend Stephen Sondheim through six of his best-known songs.

Six by Sondheim

2013

Wit poster
7.3

A renowned professor is forced to reassess her life when she is diagnosed with terminal ovarian cancer.

Wit

2001

Passion poster
NR

Passion is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by James Lapine. The story was adapted from Ettore Scola's film Passione d'Amore. Central themes include love, sex, obsession, illness, passion, beauty, power and manipulation. Set in 19th century Italy, the plot concerns a young soldier and the changes in him brought about by the obsessive love of Fosca, his Colonel's homely, ailing cousin.

Passion

2005

Cradle Will Rock poster
6.5

A true story of politics and art in the 1930s USA, centered around a leftist musical drama and attempts to stop its production.

Cradle Will Rock

1999

Leonard Bernstein Centennial Celebration at Tanglewood poster
10.0

In honor of Leonard Bernstein’s 100th birthday, Tanglewood—the famed summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra—dedicated its entire 2018 season to the iconic composer, conductor, performer, educator and humanitarian. The festivities culminated on Bernstein’s centennial birthday on August 25, 2018, in a special celebrity-studded gala concert. Directed for the stage by James Darrah, The Bernstein Centennial Celebration at Tanglewood illuminates the breadth of Bernstein’s incredible life and career, which inspired generations of music lovers around the globe – from his talent as a composer to his generosity in mentoring other composers and musicians, his inimitable role as a driving musical force at Tanglewood for over 50 years and more.

Leonard Bernstein Centennial Celebration at Tanglewood

2018

No artwork available
NR

A struggling tennis phenom who falls for a charismatic local ball boy at the US Open. Their unlikely romance just might be the spark she needs to make it to the finals.

Love Love

Annie poster
6.5

Things seem pretty bad for a young girl living a "hard-knock life" in an orphanage. Fed up with the dastardly Miss Hannigan, Annie escapes the run-down orphanage determined to find her mom and dad. It's an adventure that takes her from the cold, mean streets of New York to the warm, comforting arms of bighearted billionaire Oliver Warbucks - with plenty of mischief and music in between.

Annie

1999

It Runs in the Family poster
6.0

This is the story of a dysfunctional New York family, and their attempts to reconcile

It Runs in the Family

2003

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street – In Concert with the New York Philharmonic poster
8.1

In 1846, Anthony Hope sails into London with the mysterious Sweeney Todd, a once-naive barber whose life and marriage was uprooted by a corrupt justice system. Todd confides in Nellie Lovett, the owner of a local meat pie shop, and the two become partners, as Todd swears revenge on those that have wronged him and decides to take up his old profession. (Filmed live at the Lincoln Center with the New York Philharmonic from March 5–8, 2014.)

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street – In Concert with the New York Philharmonic

2014

Broadway: The Next Generation poster
NR

A look at the past, present and future of the Great White Way.

Broadway: The Next Generation

Broadway's Lost Treasures III: The Best of The Tony Awards poster
7.2

Broadway royalty and Tony-winners Tommy Tune, Carol Channing, Robert Goulet, and Harvey Fierstein are your hosts for this third compilation of great musical performances from the archives of the Tony Award® broadcasts. Legendary stars from legendary shows strut their stuff in 23 performances that have become part of Broadway history.

Broadway's Lost Treasures III: The Best of The Tony Awards

2005

Ragtime, The Musical: All-Star Reunion Concert poster
NR

Celebrate the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical Ragtime with this once-in-a-lifetime reunion concert featuring original cast members, including Audra McDonald, Brian Stokes Mitchell, and Peter Friedman, joined by Kelli O’Hara.

Ragtime, The Musical: All-Star Reunion Concert

2024

Every Act of Life poster
6.4

The life of Tony-winning playwright Terrence McNally (Master Class, Ragtime): 60 years of groundbreaking plays and musicals, the struggle for gay rights, addiction and recovery, finding true love, and the relentless pursuit of inspiration.

Every Act of Life

2018

My Favorite Things: The Rodgers & Hammerstein 80th Anniversary Concert poster
9.0

Featuring a 40-piece orchestra and international stars of the stage and screen, My Favorite Things: The Rodgers & Hammerstein 80th Anniversary Concert was filmed on 12 December 2023 at London’s newly restored Theatre Royal Drury Lane – the same venue that premiered the original West End productions of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!, Carousel, South Pacific and The King and I.

My Favorite Things: The Rodgers & Hammerstein 80th Anniversary Concert

2024