Anika Noni Rose

Anika Noni Rose (September 6, 1972) is an American actress and singer, best known for her voice acting work on the film The Princess and the Frog. Born in Bloomfield, Connecticut, she began her acting career in high school and earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Theatre from Florida A&M University. After studying drama at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, Anika Noni Rose moved to New York and had her big Broadway break as Emmie Thibodeaux on the musical Caroline, or Change, a role that earned her a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical in 2004. Two years later, she was cast to play Lorrell Robinson on the musical drama Dreamgirls alongside Beyoncé Knowles, Jennifer Hudson, Jamie Foxx, and Eddie Murphy. Besides receiving numerous accolades, the film was also praised by its soundtrack, which climbed to the top of Billboard’s Soundtrack Albums chart thanks to songs like “Listen,” “And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going,” and “One Night Only (Disco Version).” In 2009, she made history by becoming the voice of Tiana, the first African-American princess of the Disney Universe in the animated movie The Princess and the Frog. In the subsequent years, Anika Noni Rose starred in the hit series Power (2014) and the 2017 BET drama The Quad.