Introduction

Unlike many other actresses seen today, Charlayne has not only used her knack for fame and fortune, but has also used her success to tell the story of what it was like for many black Americans growing up in her day.

Early life

Charlaine “Charlayne” Woodard was born on December 29, 1953 in Albany, New York State, USA.

Education

Charlayne high school education is unknown, but she trained at the Goodman School of Drama and is now a lifelong member of the Actors Studio. She also sits on the board of The Dramatist Guild: The Council of Actor’s Equity Association, and is also on the board of directors of The Jolla Playhouse. The education she has received and the knowledge she has gained over many years as an actress and playwright has also earned her the honor of being a Fellow of the Ojai Playwrights Conference, The Marble House Project, The La Jolla Playhouse and she is now a guest artist at USC and CAL ARTS.

Career – Actress

Charlayne Woodard’s career began in “Ain’t Misbehavin”, a Broadway play for which she was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Supporting Actress. She made her television debut in 1978 in the movie “Cindy” in which she played the lead role. In 1982, she made her feature film debut in “Hard Feelings”, a Canadian drama directed by Daryl Duke. In 1984 she filmed the comedy “Crackers”. Woodard played a supporting role in another television movie “God Bless the Child” in 1988, and the following year she played another supporting role as Lola in the comedy called “Twister”, a movie directed by Michael Almereyda.

In 1991, Woodard acted in two movies, the first was “He Said, She Said”, a romantic drama, and the second “One Goop Cop”, a criminal drama, both of which received mixed reviews. The popular series “Days of Our Lives” welcomed her on board for two years, before she went on to play Janice Smith in “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air”, starring Will Smith. After a few appearances on television, Charlayne continued acting in films such as ‘The Meteor Man’ in 1993, ‘Babyfever’ in 1994 and ‘Eye for an Eye’ in 1996.

As she worked to make a name for herself on the big screen, she continued to land roles in smaller television movies, such as “Buffalo Girls” in 1995, “Run for the Dream: The Gail Devers Story” in 1996, and “Touched by Evil in 1997.

Between 1996 and 2000, she landed a recurring role in ‘Chicago Hope’, a medical drama series, playing Dr. Paula Michelson played. In 2000, she played a Mrs. Price in ‘Unbreakable’, a superhero thriller directed by M Night Shyamalan. The film was a huge success, grossing almost $250 million on a budget of only $75 million. The film was the first in the “Unbreakable” series and received many positive reviews.

Between 2002 and 2011, she played a recurring role in the TV series “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit”, between filming in 2006 – 2007 she was also cast in the medical drama “ER”.

In 2013, Charlayne was seen in “Things Never Said”, a movie directed by Charles Murray. Some of her recent projects include “Pose” in 2018 and “Sneaky Pete” in 2019. In 2019, she was enlisted by director M Night Shyamalan to reprise her role as Mrs. Price in the third and final film in the series “Unbreakable “. Although the reviews were mixed, the film was again hugely successful, and with a budget of $20 million, it grossed another $250 million at the box office.

Career – Playwright

To date, Woodard has performed in all of the plays she has written. Divided into three segments, “Pretty Fire” tells the story of Charlene’s struggles as an African-American family through three generations.

The series received critical acclaim and was chosen as a recommended audiobook for young adults by the Young Adult Library Services Association, and won the NAACP (The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) award for a one-women tour de force.

“Neat” was the second installment of the “Pretty Fire” series, in which Woodard reflects on what life was like growing up as a young black girl in the 1960s and 1970s, moving across the country and eventually arriving in New York. ended up. . Critics said “Neat” was “captivating” and was written with “captivating wit and sharp insight.”

The finale of the “Pretty Fire” series is “In Real Life”, in which Charlayne in New York City pursues her dream of becoming a successful actress, exploring the challenging roads of Broadway and the way it has affected her life. formed, approached. Although “The Night Watcher” was written and performed by Woodard, it was not part of the “Pretty Fire” series. In the play, Charlayne portrays a woman who arrives in Los Angeles hoping to find only materialistic things, but comes to find the mother in her.

Meeting husband

Woodward married intellectual property attorney Alan Michael Harris in 1991, and the couple have apparently been happily married ever since.

While the couple have no children of their own, Charlayne has 13 godchildren and 21 nieces and nephews who all call her “Aunt Charlayne”.

Net value

As of March 2020, sources say Woodard’s net worth is around $17 million.

Physical Characteristics

Charlayne is an African American with brown eyes and black hair and is quite tall at 6 feet 9 inches (1.93 m), but her weight remains undisclosed.