Judyann Elder
Encyclopedia
Judyann Elder is an American
actress, director, and writer. She is a veteran of stage and screen who has appeared in scores of theatrical productions throughout the United States and Europe
as well as popular television shows, including Family Matters, Martin
, and Murphy Brown
.
in Boston
as the first recipient of the Carol Burnett Award in the Performing Arts. She began her professional career in New York off-Broadway
as a founding member of and resident actor with the Tony Award
-winning Negro Ensemble Company
. She originated roles in the premier productions of The Song of the Lusitanian Bogey; Daddy Goodness; Kongi's Harvest; God is a Guess What; and Ceremonies in Dark Old Men and toured with the company to London
and Rome
. She later made her Broadway
debut at the Ambassador Theatre
as Coretta King opposite Billy Dee Williams
in I Have a Dream
. Returning to the stage as frequently as possible in such plays as The Heliotrope Bouquet, An American Daughter
, The Old Settler
, and The Story, she last appeared at Arkansas Rep as Rose in August Wilson
's Fences
. A breast cancer
survivor and former legislative ambassador for the American Cancer Society
, her dramatic role as a woman confronted with breast cancer on the show ER
remains one of her most personally enduring, with feature films spanning the years from A Woman Called Moses
with Cicely Tyson
to Forget Paris
opposite Billy Crystal
and, most recently, Seven Pounds
opposite Will Smith
, she continues to embrace the many challenges of a career in the arts. Ms. Elder's work as an actor led to her foray into directing. Among her directorial credits: The Book of the Crazy African (Skylight Theatre); The Meeting
(Inner City Cultural Center, LA and New Federal Theatre, NY); Ceremonies in Dark Old Men (Beverly Canon Theatre); The Member of the Wedding
(LA Theatre Works); How's Your Love Life? and A Private Act (Robey Theatre Company
). Her recent direction of Ceremonies in Dark Old Men at the Skirball Cultural Center
for LA Theatre Works radio series was broadcast nationally in February 2010. She is an alumna of the American Film Institute
's Directing Workshop for Women where she produced and directed the short film, Behind God's Back, based on an Alice Walker
short story and starring Beau Bridges
. The mother of three children, Ms. Elder is the recipient of a Screenwriting Fellowship with Walt Disney Studios
and was honored in 2005 with an NAACP Trailblazer Award. She is also a 2010 recipient of a Distinguished Alumni Award from Emerson College
.
. The couple had three children: Lonnie Christine, David, and Christian, an artist and filmmaker.
Ms. Elder is currently married to actor and playwright John Cothran, Jr.
. The two reside in Sherman Oaks, California
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress, director, and writer. She is a veteran of stage and screen who has appeared in scores of theatrical productions throughout the United States and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
as well as popular television shows, including Family Matters, Martin
Martin (TV series)
Martin is an American sitcom produced by HBO Independent Productions that aired for five seasons, from August 27, 1992 to May 1, 1997 on Fox...
, and Murphy Brown
Murphy Brown
Murphy Brown is an American situation comedy which aired on CBS from November 14, 1988, to May 18, 1998, for a total of 247 episodes. The program starred Candice Bergen as the eponymous Murphy Brown, a famous investigative journalist and news anchor for FYI, a fictional CBS television...
.
Biography
Judyann Elder graduated from Emerson CollegeEmerson College
Emerson College is a private coeducational university located in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1880 by Charles Wesley Emerson as a "school of oratory," Emerson is "the only comprehensive college or university in America dedicated exclusively to communication and the arts in a liberal arts...
in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
as the first recipient of the Carol Burnett Award in the Performing Arts. She began her professional career in New York off-Broadway
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
as a founding member of and resident actor with the Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
-winning Negro Ensemble Company
Negro Ensemble Company
The Negro Ensemble Company is a New York City-based theater company. Established in 1967 by playwright Douglas Turner Ward, producer/actor Robert Hooks, and theater manager Gerald S...
. She originated roles in the premier productions of The Song of the Lusitanian Bogey; Daddy Goodness; Kongi's Harvest; God is a Guess What; and Ceremonies in Dark Old Men and toured with the company to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. She later made her Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
debut at the Ambassador Theatre
Ambassador Theatre
Ambassador Theatre can refer to:* Ambassador Theatre * Ambassador Theatre * Ambassador Theatre * Ambassadors Theatre...
as Coretta King opposite Billy Dee Williams
Billy Dee Williams
William December "Billy Dee" Williams, Jr. is an American actor, artist, singer, and writer.-Early life:Williams was born in New York City, New York, the son of Loretta...
in I Have a Dream
I Have a Dream
"I Have a Dream" is a 17-minute public speech by Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered on August 28, 1963, in which he called for racial equality and an end to discrimination...
. Returning to the stage as frequently as possible in such plays as The Heliotrope Bouquet, An American Daughter
An American Daughter
An American Daughter is a play written by Wendy Wasserstein. The play takes place in a living room in Georgetown, Washington, D.C.-Production history:...
, The Old Settler
The Old Settler
The Old Settler, 2132 m prominence: 1222 m, is the highest mountain in the southernmost part of the Lillooet Ranges of the Coast Mountains in British Columbia, Canada, located between the Fraser Canyon and Harrison Lake to the northeast of the town of Agassiz between Bear and Cogburn...
, and The Story, she last appeared at Arkansas Rep as Rose in August Wilson
August Wilson
August Wilson was an American playwright whose work included a series of ten plays, The Pittsburgh Cycle, for which he received two Pulitzer Prizes for Drama...
's Fences
Fences
Fences is a 1983 play by American playwright August Wilson. Set in the 1950s, it is the sixth in Wilson's ten-part Pittsburgh Cycle. Like all of the Pittsburgh plays, Fences explores the evolving African-American experience and examines race relations, among other themes...
. A breast cancer
Breast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...
survivor and former legislative ambassador for the American Cancer Society
American Cancer Society
The American Cancer Society is the "nationwide community-based voluntary health organization" dedicated, in their own words, "to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by preventing cancer, saving lives, and diminishing suffering from cancer, through research, education, advocacy, and...
, her dramatic role as a woman confronted with breast cancer on the show ER
ER (TV series)
ER is an American medical drama television series created by novelist Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994 to April 2, 2009. It was produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Entertainment, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
remains one of her most personally enduring, with feature films spanning the years from A Woman Called Moses
A Woman Called Moses
A Woman Called Moses is a television miniseries based on the life of Harriet Tubman, the escaped African American slave who helped to organize the Underground Railroad, and who led hundreds of African Americans from enslavement in the Southern United States to freedom in the Northern states and...
with Cicely Tyson
Cicely Tyson
Cicely Tyson is an American actress. A successful stage actress, Tyson is also known for her Oscar-nominated role in the film Sounder and the television movies The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman and Roots....
to Forget Paris
Forget Paris
Forget Paris is a 1995 film produced, directed, co-written by and starring Billy Crystal as an NBA referee and Debra Winger as an independent working woman whose lives are interrupted by love and marriage....
opposite Billy Crystal
Billy Crystal
William Edward "Billy" Crystal is an American actor, writer, producer, comedian and film director. He gained prominence in the 1970s for playing Jodie Dallas on the ABC sitcom Soap and became a Hollywood film star during the late 1980s and 1990s, appearing in the critical and box office successes...
and, most recently, Seven Pounds
Seven Pounds
Seven Pounds is a 2008 film, directed by Gabriele Muccino. Will Smith stars as a man who sets out to change the lives of seven people. Rosario Dawson, Woody Harrelson, and Barry Pepper star. The film was released in theaters in the United States and Canada on December 19, 2008, by Columbia Pictures...
opposite Will Smith
Will Smith
Willard Christopher "Will" Smith, Jr. , also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor, producer, and rapper. He has enjoyed success in television, film and music. In April 2007, Newsweek called him the most powerful actor in Hollywood...
, she continues to embrace the many challenges of a career in the arts. Ms. Elder's work as an actor led to her foray into directing. Among her directorial credits: The Book of the Crazy African (Skylight Theatre); The Meeting
The Meeting
The Meeting is the tenth album of R&B singer Patrice Rushen, released in 1990. This album contains a collaboration of Rushen and many other artists. Featuring saxophonist Ernie Watts, bassist Alphonso Johnson and drummer Leon "Ndugu" Chancler, the album alternates between soulful jazz, inventive...
(Inner City Cultural Center, LA and New Federal Theatre, NY); Ceremonies in Dark Old Men (Beverly Canon Theatre); The Member of the Wedding
The Member of the Wedding
The Member of the Wedding is a 1946 novel by Southern writer Carson McCullers. It took McCullers five years to complete—though she interrupted the work for a few months to write the short novel The Ballad of the Sad Cafe....
(LA Theatre Works); How's Your Love Life? and A Private Act (Robey Theatre Company
Robey Theatre Company
Robey Theatre Company is a Los Angeles-based non-profit theatre company.- History :Robey Theatre Company was founded in 1994 by Danny Glover and Ben Guillory. It takes its name from the pioneering Black actor and activist, Paul Robeson...
). Her recent direction of Ceremonies in Dark Old Men at the Skirball Cultural Center
Skirball Cultural Center
The Skirball Cultural Center is an educational institution in Los Angeles, California devoted to sustaining Jewish heritage and American democratic ideals. Open to the public since 1996, the Skirball Cultural Center is dedicated to exploring the connections between 4,000 years of Jewish heritage...
for LA Theatre Works radio series was broadcast nationally in February 2010. She is an alumna of the American Film Institute
American Film Institute
The American Film Institute is an independent non-profit organization created by the National Endowment for the Arts, which was established in 1967 when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act...
's Directing Workshop for Women where she produced and directed the short film, Behind God's Back, based on an Alice Walker
Alice Walker
Alice Malsenior Walker is an American author, poet, and activist. She has written both fiction and essays about race and gender...
short story and starring Beau Bridges
Beau Bridges
Lloyd Vernet "Beau" Bridges III is an American actor and director.- Early life :Bridges was born in Los Angeles, the son of actor Lloyd Bridges and his college sweetheart, Dorothy Bridges . He was nicknamed "Beau" by his mother and father after Ashley Wilkes's son in Gone with the Wind, the book...
. The mother of three children, Ms. Elder is the recipient of a Screenwriting Fellowship with Walt Disney Studios
Walt Disney Studios
The name Walt Disney Studios may refer to:* The Walt Disney Company, especially its Studio Entertainment unit, which includes Disney's motion picture studios, music labels, theatrical production company, and distribution companies...
and was honored in 2005 with an NAACP Trailblazer Award. She is also a 2010 recipient of a Distinguished Alumni Award from Emerson College
Emerson College
Emerson College is a private coeducational university located in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1880 by Charles Wesley Emerson as a "school of oratory," Emerson is "the only comprehensive college or university in America dedicated exclusively to communication and the arts in a liberal arts...
.
Family
Judyanne Elder was previously married to the actor, playwright, and Academy Award-nominated screenwriter Lonne Elder IIILonne Elder III
Lonne Elder III was an American actor, playwright and screenwriter. In 1973, he along with Suzanne de Passe became the first African Americans to be nominated for the Academy Award for writing...
. The couple had three children: Lonnie Christine, David, and Christian, an artist and filmmaker.
Ms. Elder is currently married to actor and playwright John Cothran, Jr.
John Cothran, Jr.
John Cothran, Jr. is an American actor.In the Madagascar video games, he voiced Maurice the aye-aye, replacing Cedric the Entertainer.-Biography:Cothran, Jr...
. The two reside in Sherman Oaks, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.