Sheryl Lee Ralph
Sheryl Lee Ralph is an acclaimed veteran of film, television and the
Broadway stage. Her award winning body of work includes creating
and originating the role of Deena Jones on Broadway in the landmark
musical Dreamgirls, which earned her both a Tony and Drama Desk
Award Nomination for Best Actress. After Dreamgirls, Ms. Ralph
turned her attention to music, television and film. She scored a top-ten
selling dance hit in the mid-eighties with the infectious anthem In the
Evening andagain in the nineties with her remake of Here comes the Rain Again.
Her extensive film credits include Sister Act II with Whoopi Goldberg,
The Flintstones with Rosie O'Donell, The Mighty Quinn with
Denzel Washington, Mistress with Robert De Niro, and Eddie Murphy's
Distinguished Gentleman. Sheryl Lee's performance with
Danny Glover in To Sleep with Anger won her the Independent
Spirit Award for Best Supporting Actress.
As a producer, Ms. Ralph created the critically acclaimed Divas Simply Singing!, an evening of song and entertainment that has become one of the most highly anticipated AIDS benefits in Hollywood. She is also the founding creator of The Jamerican Film & Music Festival which in five years has given birth to five SHOWTIME Filmmaker Finalists.
Sheryl Lee has found new success in writing and directing with her award-winning film short Secrets. With an all-star cast that includes Oscar nominee Alfre Woodard, Tina Lifford, Victoria Rowell, La Tanya Richardson, Robin Givens and Ralph herself. Secrets was a finalist in the HBO Film Short Competition, Showtime Filmmakers Series, Acapulco Black Film Festival, Hollywood Film Festival, Pan African Film Festival, Urban World Film Festival and an audience favorite at Outfest Film Festival.
Following on the success of Divas Simply Singing, Ms. Ralph has added a one-woman show Sometimes I Cry, to her list of credits. Written, directed and performed by Ms. Ralph, this complex and thought-provoking play, illustrates the heartbreaking, yet inspiring real life stories of culturally diverse women whose lives unravel as they cope with their HIV/AIDS reality.Sometimes I Cry, continues to be performed in the US and abroad.