Renee Elise Goldsberry
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SOAP STAR STATS
Renee Elise Goldsberry (ex-Evangeline, OLTL)
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Renee Elise Goldsberry (ex-evangeline, OLTL)
— ABC
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Vital Statistics
- Birthday:
- January 2
- Birthplace:
- San Jose, CA
- Star Sign:
- Capricorn
- Years on Show:
- 2003-2007
- Marital Status:
- Wed to attorney Alexis Johnson since 2002
The 411
Like her ONE LIFE TO LIVE character, Evangeline, Renee Elise Goldsberry is tough and hard-working. This quality has allowed her to succeed as an actress and a musician.
Born in San Jose, CA, and raised in both Houston, TX, and Detroit, MI, Goldsberry got her first taste of entertaining when she was 8 and her mom, Betty, a psychologist, had Renee and her brother, Ryan, attend a summer musical theater program. Goldsberry appeared in Guys and Dolls and fell in love with performing. She kept it up throughout high school, but when she graduated, her parents insisted that she attend college. Goldsberry soon earned her bachelor's degree in theater at Carnegie Mellon University. She went on to get a master's in vocal jazz performance at the University of Southern California. While she was in L.A., Goldsberry made inroads in both careers. She landed a recurring role as a featured, on-camera singer on ALLY McBEAL from 1997-2002, and did tours for several musical productions, including Dreamgirls and Paper Moon. She also worked on her award-winning first album, Everything But The Kitchen Sink.
When ALLY ended in 2002, Goldsberry was presented with even more opportunities. She appeared on many TV shows, including PROVIDENCE and ONE ON ONE. She also starred in the independent film All About You, for which she co-wrote more than half of the soundtrack, including the title song. The film received numerous awards and was nationally released to major DVD and video outlets in 2004.
Goldsberry also appeared in the plum role of Nala in the Broadway production of The Lion King. Shortly after, her future husband, Alexis Johnson, proposed.
Toward the middle of her Lion King run, the actress landed the part of Evangeline. OLTL Executive Producer Frank Valentini so wanted her in the cast that he suggested she recur so that she could do both jobs. Goldsberry was put on contract in spring of 2003; soon after, her character was thrust into a popular story with John (Michael Easton) and Natalie (Melissa Archer). The trio was voted Favorite Triangle in the 2005 Soap Opera Digest Awards. In 2006, Goldsberry was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Emmy. That same year she made several successful appearances on THE VIEW, sitting in for the departed Star Jones. She left OLTL in 2007.
Et Cetera
Five Things You Need To Know
— Goldsberry has performed with Barry White, Patti Austin, Whitney Houston, Al Green, Mariah Carey, Faith Hill and Barry Manilow.
— Several songs from Everything But The Kitchen Sink won the grand prize in the John Lennon Songwriting Contest.
— Her nickname was "Perky" in high school.
— She met her husband at a 6 a.m. church service.
— Goldsberry briefly considered attending law school after enduring a bad audition for Carnegie Mellon.
— She loves pizza and credits her ability to frequently indulge to a fortunate metabolism.
Other Roles
TV Roles
ANY DAY NOW (Beverly, 2002)
ENTERPRISE (Crewman Kelly, 2002)
ONE ON ONE (Paulette, 2002)
PROVIDENCE (Clare, 2002)
THAT '80s SHOW (Spokesmodel #2, 2002)
ALLY McBEAL (Ikette, 1997-2002)
Film Roles
Final Breakdown (Rachel, 2002)
All About You (Nicole, 2001)
Palco & Hirsch (Jessica, 2001)
Theatre Roles
The Color Purple
The Lion King
Dreamgirls
Paper Moon
Two Gentleman of Verona
Abyssinia
Memorable Quotes
ROCK THE QUOTE
"African-American women will compliment my hair, which is really, really flattering. Men will comment or make jokes about my legs — or some other lower part of my anatomy — which is also flattering." — Soap Opera Digest, 10/17/06
"I used to say if I wasn't an actor I would've been a lawyer because I debate every point to death. My friends and family can attest to that. And I'm quite a strong advocate for things." — Digest, 8/2/05
"It's a magical thing when fans feel so passionately about something [on soaps]. You can't concoct it. It just happens when it happens. You can't take credit for it, really." — Digest, 4/12/05
"I've gotten such great feedback on Evangeline being a strong, successful black woman. It's almost as if the audience is starved for that kind of character." — Digest, 5/18/04
YOU SHOULD HEAR HOW THEY TALK ABOUT YOU
"Renee knows all my secrets before anyone else." — Bree Williamson (Jessica)
"Goldsberry is a stage performer with a future." — Associated Press, reviewing her performance in Two Gentlemen of Verona
"Renee Elise Goldsberry radiates the same golden voice and presence that let her run away with Two Gents in Central Park last summer." — New York Magazine, reviewing her performance in Broadway's The Color Purple
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