Lonette Rita McKee was born on July 22,1954 and is an American actress and singer.
22 Facts About Lonette McKee
1.
2.
Lonette McKee made her big screen debut starring as Sister Williams in the original 1976 musical-drama film Sparkle.
3.
Lonette McKee became the first African American to play the coveted role of Julie and received critical acclaim for her performance in Broadway musical Show Boat in 1983, for which she received a Tony Award nomination for Best Actress in a Musical.
4.
Lonette McKee starred in The First and played Billie Holiday in Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill.
5.
Lonette McKee received three Drama Desk and three NAACP Image Awards nominations during her career.
6.
Lonette McKee's older sister, Kathrine "Kathy" Lonette McKee, is an actress and performer.
7.
Lonette McKee attended St Martin De Porres High School, but dropped out after her freshman year, moving to Los Angeles, California, to live with her older sister.
8.
Lonette McKee's career began in the music business in Detroit as a child prodigy, where she started writing music and lyrics, singing, playing keyboards, and performing at the age of seven.
9.
Lonette McKee wrote the title song for the film Quadroon, in which her sister Katherine Lonette McKee starred, when she was fifteen.
10.
Several years later, Lonette McKee was launched to stardom with her critically acclaimed performance in the hit 1976 musical drama film Sparkle.
11.
Lonette McKee has toured extensively throughout the world singing concert performances, including the JVC Jazz Festival at Carnegie Hall.
12.
Lonette McKee studied film directing at The New School in New York and apprenticed directing with the filmmaker Spike Lee.
13.
Lonette McKee studied singing with Dini Clark and ballet with Sarah Tayir, both in Los Angeles.
14.
Lonette McKee appeared on the CW sitcom The Game as Mrs Pitts, the mother of Jason, in 2007.
15.
Lonette McKee won critical acclaim for her Broadway debut performance in the musical The First in 1981, co-starring in the role of Jackie Robinson's wife Rachel.
16.
Lonette McKee became the first African American to play the coveted role of Julie in the Houston Grand Opera's production of Show Boat in 1983 on Broadway, for which she received a Tony Award nomination for Best Actress in a Musical.
17.
Lonette McKee reprised the role of Julie on Broadway in the 1994 revival of Show Boat directed by Hal Prince.
18.
In 2013, Lonette McKee expressed a desire to establish a performance arts center in the New York tri-state area.
19.
Lonette McKee produced her first feature film, Dream Street, which she wrote and directed.
20.
Lonette McKee dated the actor and stand-up comedian Freddie Prinze for a time during 1976, while he was still married and after his wife had given birth to their son.
21.
Lonette McKee was married to Leo Compton, a youth counselor, from February 1983 to 1990.
22.
Lonette McKee teaches a master acting workshop at Centenary College of New Jersey, where she is an adjunct professor in the Theater Arts department.