Charlayne Woodard Biography (1955-)

Original name, Charlaine Woodard; born December 29, 1955, in Albany, NY; married Alan Michael Harris (an attorney and screenwriter), 1991. Addresses: Agent: Don Buchwald and Associates, 6500 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 2200, Los Angeles, CA 90048.

Nationality: American
Gender: Female
Occupation: Actress, writer
Birth Details: December 29, 1955; Albany, New York, United States

Famous Works

CREDITS
Stage Appearances
Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope, off-Broadway production, 1975
Hair (musical), Broadway production, 1977
Ain't Misbehavin' (musical), Longacre Theatre, New York City, 1978-1979
A ... My Name Is Alice, American Place Theatre, New York City, 1984
A local, Paradise!, Playwrights' Horizons Theatre, New York City,1985
Hang on to the Good Times, Manhattan Theatre Club Stage I, New York City, 1985
Ain't Misbehavin' (musical), Ambassador Theatre, New York City, 1988-1989
Maria, Twelfth Night; or, What You Will, New York Shakespeare Festival, Delacorte Theatre, Public Theatre, New York City, 1989
Grusha, The Caucasian Chalk Circle, New York Shakespeare Festival,Martinson Hall, Public Theatre, New York City, 1990
Pretty Fire (solo show), Odyssey Theatre, Los Angeles, 1992, thenFountainhead Theatre, Los Angeles, 1993, later Sylvia and Danny Kaye Playhouse, Manhattan Theatre Club Stage II, New York City, 1993-1994, later Seattle Repertory Theatre, Seattle, WA, 1995, also produced at the La Jolla Playhouse,La Jolla, CA
Shen Te/Shui Ta, The Good Person of Setzuan, La Jolla Playhouse, 1994-1995
Neat (solo show), Manhattan Theatre Club Stage II, 1997, also produced at the Seattle Repertory Theatre and Mark Taper Forum, Los Angeles
Hester, In the Blood, Public Theatre, New York City, c. 2000
In Real Life (solo show), Seattle Repertory Theatre, 2000-2001, then Center Theatre Group, Mark Taper Forum, 2001, later Manhattan Theatre ClubStage II, 2002
Marta, Sorrows and Rejoicings, Second Stage Theatre, New York City, 2002
Also appeared in productions of Dementos and Under Fire.
Film Appearances
Cast member in "White Boys" number, Hair (musical), United Artists, 1979
Winona Margruder (some sources cite Lockhart), Hard Feelings (alsoknown as Hang Tough), Twentieth Century-Fox, 1982
Jasmine, Crackers, Universal, 1984
(As Charlaine Woodard) Lola, Twister, Warner Bros., 1988
Cheryl Clark, One Good Cop, Buena Vista, 1991
Cindy, He Said, She Said, Paramount, 1991
Singing secretary, Me and Him, Columbia, 1991
Janice Farrell, The Meteor Man, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1993
Eartha, Babyfever, Rainbow Releasing, 1994
Floor nurse, Angie, Caravan Pictures/Hollywood Pictures, 1994
Angel Kosinsky, Eye for an Eye, Paramount, 1996
Tituba, The Crucible, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1996
Kate, Around the Fire, A-Pix Entertainment, 1998
Elijah's mother, Unbreakable, Buena Vista, 2000
Jean Swift, The Million Dollar Hotel, Lions Gate Films, 2001
Loretta, Sunshine State, Sony Pictures Classics, 2002

Television Appearances
Series
(As Charlaine Woodward) Vonda Greene, Roseanne, ABC, 1988-1989
Desiree McCall, Days of Our Lives (also known as Days and DOOL), NBC, 1991-1992
Miniseries
Doosie, Buffalo Girls, CBS, 1995
Rachel, The Wedding (also known as Oprah Winfrey Presents: TheWedding), ABC, 1998
Movies
(As Charlaine Woodard) Title role, Cindy, ABC, 1978
(As Charlain Woodard) Chandra, God Bless the Child, ABC, 1988
Gail Devers, Run for the Dream: The Gail Devers Story, Showtime, 1996
Adrienne Duvall, Touched by Evil (also known as In the Shadow of Evil), ABC, 1997
Mildred, The Beltway, USA Network, 2003
Episodic
Nina Chambers, "Nina Loves Alex," Taxi, ABC, 1982
Dorothy Marks, "Blood Money," Spenser: For Hire, ABC, 1985
(As Charlaine Woodard) Emanja Mora, "Blood Dance," Wiseguy, CBS, 1988
Wendy (a medic), "21 Candles," A Different World, NBC, 1990
Janice, "Christmas Show," The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, NBC, 1991
Janice, "Guess Who's Coming to Marry?," The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, NBC, 1991
Janice, "Mommy Nearest," The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, NBC, 1992
Janice, "The Baby Comes Out," The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, NBC, 1993
Arleen, "Flour Child," Frasier, NBC, 1994
Dr. Paula Michelson, "Shutt Down," Chicago Hope, CBS, 1994
Harriet Battle-Wilkins, "The Power of Darkness: Parts 1 & 2," Sweet Justice, NBC, 1994
Charlene, "The Bowling Method," Bless This House, CBS, 1996
Gina Wilkes, "Divided Loyalty," Chicago Hope, CBS, 1996
Gina Wilkes, "Hope Against Hope," Chicago Hope, CBS, 1997
Gina Wilkes, "Split Decisions," Chicago Hope, CBS, 1997
Gina Wilkes, "Take My Wife, Please," Chicago Hope, CBS, 1997
Gina Wilkes, "Gun and the Wind," Chicago Hope, CBS, 1998
Gina Wilkes, "McNeil and Pray," Chicago Hope, CBS, 1998
Gina Wilkes, "Physician, Heal Thyself," Chicago Hope, CBS, 1998
Gina Wilkes, "Teacher's Pet," Chicago Hope, CBS, 1999
Gina Wilkes, "Gray Matters," Chicago Hope, CBS, 2000
Orlando Cain, "All in the Family," Family Law, CBS, 2001
Sister Peg, "Chameleon," Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (also known as Law & Order: SVU), NBC and USA Network, 2002
Sister Peg, "Silence," Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (alsoknown as Law & Order: SVU), NBC and USA Network, 2002
Marvella King, "Fearless," Boomtown, NBC, 2003
Also appeared in episodes of Any Day Now, Lifetime; and QuantumLeap, NBC.
Other
(As Charlaine Woodard) Ain't Misbehavin' (special), NBC, 1982
Goode Behavior (pilot), UPN, 1996
HMO (pilot), ABC, 2001
RECORDINGS
Audiobooks
Narrator, Neat, Los Angeles Theatre Works, 2001
WRITINGS
Stage Shows
Pretty Fire (solo show), Odyssey Theatre, Los Angeles, 1992, thenFountainhead Theatre, Los Angeles, 1993, later Sylvia and Danny Kaye Playhouse, Manhattan Theatre Club Stage II, New York City, 1993-1994, later Seattle Repertory Theatre, Seattle, WA, 1995, also produced at the La Jolla Playhouse,La Jolla, CA, and produced with other actors at other venues. Neat (solo show), Manhattan Theatre Club Stage II, 1997, also produced at the Seattle Repertory Theatre and Mark Taper Forum, Los Angeles
In Real Life (solo show), Seattle Repertory Theatre, 2000-2001, then Center Theatre Group, Mark Taper Forum, 2001, later Manhattan Theatre ClubStage II, 2002

Further Reference

ADAPTATIONS

Vinnette Carroll adapted Woodard's solo show Pretty Fire as a musical for a Florida production.

OTHER SOURCES

Periodicals

American Theatre, October, 1994, pp. 14-15; December, 2000, p. 65
Back Stage, January 24, 1997, p. 43
Entertainment Weekly, January 24, 1997, p. EW3
TCI, March, 1997, pp. 13-15
Variety, January 13, 1997, p. 162

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