Anika Noni Rose

Anika Noni Rose stars as Lavender in the USA Network six-hour television event "The Starter Wife."

Rose is best known for her 2006 role as Lorrell in the critically acclaimed film, "Dreamgirls." She will also appear in "One Part Sugar," in which she co-stars with Danny DeVito and Heather Graham.

In 2004, Rose received a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical as well as several other awards and nominations for her role in the widely acclaimed Broadway show "Caroline, or Change." Rose reprised her role in the San Francisco and Los Angeles productions of "Caroline, or Change," for which she won the Los Angeles Critic's Circle Award and an Ovation Award.

After being classically trained in drama at San Francisco's American Conservatory Theater, Rose moved to New York City to pursue her desire to appear on the Broadway stage. Her big break came when she replaced another actor for the last few months of the Broadway run of "Footloose." Her theater credits also include "Eli's Comin'," for which she received an Obie Award; the role of Lutiebelle in the Encores! Production of "Purlie"; and "Threepenny Opera" and "Tartuffe." In addition, Rose received a Drama-Logue Ensemble Award for her role in "Insurrection: Holding History," and won a Garland/Drama-Logue Award for "Valley Song" at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre.

Rose was also a featured vocalist at the Vatican in Leonard Bernstein's "Mass." In addition to her stage work, Rose has appeared on television in guest roles on such series as "Third Watch" and "Hack." She also had a lead role in the film "From Justin to Kelly."