An African-American Groundbreaker

By the age of 28, Audra had become a three-time Tony Award winner within five years for her work in Carousel, Master Class, and Ragtime, a feat that only Shirley Booth, Gwen Verdon, and Zero Mostel have also accomplished. She was nominated for another for her work in Marie Christine before winning her fourth Tony Award in 2004 for A Raisin in the Sun. She received another nomination for the television adaptation of the same work. Her fifth Tony Award came on June 10, 2012 for Broadway's The Gershwins' Porgt and Bess, and her sixth was earned for her role as Billie Holiday in Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill. Her sixth Tony Award made Audra the first person to win all four acting categories. She is also the first person to earn six Tony Awards for acting.

Audra is known for defying rational typecasting. In an interview with the New York Times, she stated “I refuse to be stereotyped. If I think I am right for a role I will go for it in whatever way I can. I refuse to say no to myself. I can't control what a producer will do or say but I can at least put myself out there.” She was the first African-American woman to play two traditionally white roles in the Broadway productions of Carousel and 110 in the Shade.

During her Tony Award acceptance speech for her role as Billie Holiday in Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill, Audra thanked the “strong and brave and courageous” African-American women who came before her. “I am standing on Lena Horne's shoulders. I am standing on maya Angelou's shoulders. I am standing on Diahann Carroll and Ruby Dee, and most of all, Billie Holiday.”

Other Endeavors

Audra has recorded five solo albums for Nonesuch Records. Her first in 1998 was Way Back to Paradise and featured songs written by musical theatre composers such as LaChiusa, Adam Guettel, and Jason Robert Brown. Her second, How Glory Goes (2000) was a complilation of old and new works, and her third Happy Songs (2002) focused on big band music from the 1920s through the 1940s. Her fourth, Build a Bridge (2006) featured jazz and pop songs. In May of 2013 she released her first solo album in seven yers titled Go Back Home.

In 2006 Audra made her opera debut at the Houston grand Opera for the melodrama La voix humaine and Send. In 2007 she starred in Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny which earned her two Grammy awards for Best Opera Recording and Best Classical Album.

In addition to her Broadway, Opera, and solo musical endeavors, Audra has appeared on many television shows and has been nominated for several Emmys. Her first Emmy nomination came in 2001 for her work on the HBO film Wit starring Emma Thompson. The two worked again later in 2017 for Beauty and the Beast. She has also appeared on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2000), The Bedford Diaries (2006), and Kidnapped (2006-2007.) She also appeared on the HBO documentary Six by Sondheim.

Some of her other notable film credits include her acting debut in Seven Servants in 1996, The Object of my Affection (1998), Cradle Will Rock (1999), It Runs in the Family (2003), Ricki and the Flash (2015) and Disney's Beauty and the Beast (2017.)