Anna Deavere Smith

American actress, playwright and professor

Anna Deavere Smith is an American actress, playwright, and professor. She has taught at Stanford University and the University of Southern California. Smith has appeared in films such as The American President, Life Support, Here Today, Flora & Ulysses, and the Apple Original Film Ghosted. Her television credits include roles in Nurse Jackie and the Apple Original series Extrapolations. She also produced the film Notes From the Field.

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Fresh Air Playwright Anna Deavere Smith turns to her family’s history for inspiration Books
For more than 50 years, Anna Deavere Smith has pioneered a type of theater built from real people's words, interviewing hundreds of Americans and then performing their words verbatim. Now she's telling a story from her own family with ‘Basil Biggs.’ It’s about her great-great-grandfather, a free Black man, who reburied the Union dead at Gettysburg and prepared the ground for Lincoln's most famous speech. Smith spoke with Tonya Mosley about how ‘Finding Your Roots’ led her to this story and why she sees herself as an Americanist. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

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Anna Deavere Smith on Apple TV

Movies & TV Shows

Ghosted Action · 2023
Philadelphia Drama · 1993
For the People Drama · 2019

Anna Deavere Smith on Apple Podcasts

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About

FROM: Baltimore, MD, United States
BORN: September 18, 1950