Ren Woods
Encyclopedia
Ren Woods is an American
film and television actress/singer, best known for her role as Fanta in Roots
, and also as the girl with flowers in her hair who sang "Aquarius" in the film version of Hair
. Ren Woods began her singing career as a child and released two solo albums before returning her focus to acting in the 1980s. Her most recent role was in the 2008 film The Blue Hour
.
Renn Woods was a child singing prodigy, appearing on NBC's Soul Special at the age of 10. Shortly thereafter "Sundays Child" her pre-teen 3 girl group soared to fame.
They were the hottest opening act for every major star of the day.
Including Bill Cosby, Johnny Carson et al.
Woods then starred in the fist National Tour of The Wiz
.
In 1979, Woods released a solo album entitled Out of the Woods, which was supposed to be produced by Maurice White
, however, due to the label being in transition, it was produced by Earth, Wind & Fire
member Al McKay
. A second album, Azz Izz, was released in 1982. Azz- Izz was well received and considered a favorite on many radio stations in the USA
The second album featured a new composition by Prince
titled "I Don't Wanna Stop."
in 1977. She appeared on such American television series as What's Happening!!
, Lou Grant
, Hill Street Blues
, The Jeffersons
, Roc
, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch
, Beauty and the Beast
and NYPD Blue
.
www.renwoods.net
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
film and television actress/singer, best known for her role as Fanta in Roots
Roots (TV miniseries)
Roots is a 1977 American television miniseries based on Alex Haley's fictional novel Roots: The Saga of an American Family. Roots received 36 Emmy Award nominations, winning nine. It also won a Golden Globe and a Peabody Award. It received unprecedented Nielsen ratings with the finale still...
, and also as the girl with flowers in her hair who sang "Aquarius" in the film version of Hair
Hair (film)
Hair is a 1979 American film adaptation of the 1968 Broadway musical of the same name about a Vietnam war draftee who meets and befriends a tribe of long-haired hippies on his way to the army induction center...
. Ren Woods began her singing career as a child and released two solo albums before returning her focus to acting in the 1980s. Her most recent role was in the 2008 film The Blue Hour
The Blue Hour
The Blue Hour is a film directed and written by Eric Nazarian. It stars Alyssa Milano and had its world premiere at the San Sebastián International Film Festival in 2007...
.
Music career
www.rennwoodsmusic.comRenn Woods was a child singing prodigy, appearing on NBC's Soul Special at the age of 10. Shortly thereafter "Sundays Child" her pre-teen 3 girl group soared to fame.
They were the hottest opening act for every major star of the day.
Including Bill Cosby, Johnny Carson et al.
Woods then starred in the fist National Tour of The Wiz
The Wiz
The Wiz: The Super Soul Musical "Wonderful Wizard of Oz" is a musical with music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls and book by William F. Brown. It is a retelling of L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in the context of African American culture. It opened on October 21, 1974 at the Morris A...
.
In 1979, Woods released a solo album entitled Out of the Woods, which was supposed to be produced by Maurice White
Maurice White
Maurice White is a Grammy Award–winning American singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, arranger. He is the older brother of Verdine White and Fred White and the leader and founder of the band Earth, Wind & Fire...
, however, due to the label being in transition, it was produced by Earth, Wind & Fire
Earth, Wind & Fire
Earth, Wind & Fire is an American soul and R&B band formed in Chicago, Illinois, in 1969 by Verdine and Maurice White. Also known as EWF, the band has won six Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards. They have been inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Vocal Group Hall of...
member Al McKay
Al McKay
Al McKay is a guitarist, songwriter, producer and former member of the American funk band Earth, Wind & Fire. Al used to lead his own group Al McKay's L.A...
. A second album, Azz Izz, was released in 1982. Azz- Izz was well received and considered a favorite on many radio stations in the USA
The second album featured a new composition by Prince
Prince
Prince is a general term for a ruler, monarch or member of a monarch's or former monarch's family, and is a hereditary title in the nobility of some European states. The feminine equivalent is a princess...
titled "I Don't Wanna Stop."
Acting
As an actress, Ren Woods has enjoyed considerably more success. She achieved even greater fame as Fanta in RootsRoots (TV miniseries)
Roots is a 1977 American television miniseries based on Alex Haley's fictional novel Roots: The Saga of an American Family. Roots received 36 Emmy Award nominations, winning nine. It also won a Golden Globe and a Peabody Award. It received unprecedented Nielsen ratings with the finale still...
in 1977. She appeared on such American television series as What's Happening!!
What's Happening!!
What's Happening!! is an American television sitcom that aired on ABC from August 5, 1976 to April 28, 1979. The show premiered as a summer series. With good ratings and reviews, and after the failure of several other shows on the network, What's Happening!! returned in November 1976 as a weekly...
, Lou Grant
Lou Grant (TV series)
Lou Grant is an American television drama series starring Ed Asner in the titular role as a newspaper editor. Unusual in American television, this drama series was a spinoff from a sitcom, The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Aired from 1977 to 1982, Lou Grant won 13 Emmy Awards, including "Outstanding Drama...
, Hill Street Blues
Hill Street Blues
Hill Street Blues is an American serial police drama that was first aired on NBC in 1981 and ran for 146 episodes on primetime into 1987. Chronicling the lives of the staff of a single police precinct in an unnamed American city, the show received critical acclaim and its production innovations ...
, The Jeffersons
The Jeffersons
The Jeffersons is an American sitcom that was broadcast on CBS from January 18, 1975, through June 25, 1985, lasting 11 seasons and a total of 253 episodes. The show was produced by the T.A.T. Communications Company from 1975–1982 and by Embassy Television from 1982-1985...
, Roc
Roc (TV series)
Roc is an American comedy-drama television series which ran on Fox from August 1991 to May 1994. The series stars Charles S. Dutton as Baltimore garbage collector Roc Emerson and Ella Joyce as his wife Eleanor.-Early episodes:...
, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch
Sabrina, the Teenage Witch
Sabrina the Teenage Witch is a comic book series published by Archie Comics about the adventures of a teenage fictional character named Sabrina Spellman. The character was created by writer George Gladir and artist Dan DeCarlo. The comic's characters have also appeared in various other media...
, Beauty and the Beast
Beauty and the Beast (TV series)
Beauty and the Beast is an American drama series which first aired on CBS in 1987. Creator Ron Koslow's updated version of the fairy tale has a double focus: the relationship between Vincent , a mythic, noble man-beast, and his Catherine , a savvy assistant District attorney in New York; and a...
and NYPD Blue
NYPD Blue
NYPD Blue is an American television police drama set in New York City, exploring the internal and external struggles of the fictional 15th precinct of Manhattan...
.
Notable Film Appearances
- ( CHURCH ) (film) (2010)
- Car Wash (1976)
- YoungbloodYoungblood (1978 film)Youngblood is a 1978 American film released by American International Pictures. It starred Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs and featured Bryan O'Dell in the title role. Ren Woods had a prominent supporting role...
(1978) - HairHair (film)Hair is a 1979 American film adaptation of the 1968 Broadway musical of the same name about a Vietnam war draftee who meets and befriends a tribe of long-haired hippies on his way to the army induction center...
(1979) - The JerkThe JerkThe Jerk is a 1979 American comedy film. Directed by Carl Reiner, the film was written by Steve Martin, Carl Gottlieb and Michael Elias. This was Steve Martin's first starring role in a feature film. The film also features Bernadette Peters, M. Emmet Walsh and Jackie Mason.-Plot:The film begins...
(1979) - XanaduXanadu (film)Xanadu is a 1980 romantic musical fantasy film written by Marc Reid Rubel and directed by Robert Greenwald. The title is a reference to the poem "Kubla Khan, or, A Vision in a Dream: A Fragment" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, which is quoted in the film. Xanadu is the name of the Chinese province...
(1980) - Nine to FiveNine to Five9 to 5 is a 1980 American comedy film starring Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Dolly Parton, and Dabney Coleman. The film concerns three working women living out their fantasy of getting even with, and their successful overthrow of, the company's autocratic, "sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical...
(1980) - Jumpin' Jack FlashJumpin' Jack Flash (film)Jumpin' Jack Flash is a 1986 spy comedy film starring Whoopi Goldberg, Stephen Collins, Carol Kane, John Wood, Annie Potts, and Jonathan Pryce...
(1986)
www.renwoods.net