Loretta Devine: dreams come true for this 'dreamgirl'

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Career longevity is no easy feat for any actress, Black or White, but it's especially difficult for an actress who isn't twentysomething or a size 4. Loretta Devine's realistic portrayal of voluptuous Sister Girl-types--not to mention her high-pitched voice--are characteristics that actually have endeared her to movie and television fans.

"I'm living my dream," says Devine. "I continue to audition. That could be the reason I work so much. I also take small roles."

While some may be supporting roles, the), continue to impress critics and audiences. Imagine Crash, the Academy Award-winning film about racial prejudices, without Devine's role as the spunky case worker Shaniqua Johnson.

In real life, she's as pivotal as her on-screen characters. A gay rights activist, Devine lost several friends to AIDS in the 1980s. To help tear down the walls of homophobia, she agreed to star in the independent movie Dirty Laundry, which opened nationwide at the end of 2007. The film was written/directed by Maurice Jamal, and stars Devine as Evelyn Davis, a strong Georgia matriarch who discovers that her son (played by Rockmond Dunbar) is gay. "Jamal had me in mind when he wrote the role of Evelyn," Devine says. "Yes, I think the story [about homosexuality] in the Black community is one that needed to be told today."

Devine's interest in drama began in high school in Houston. Later she worked as the artistic director at the Black Arts Center in her hometown. A gifted singer, she made her Broadway debut in Hair in 1977 and went on to star in Big Deal and Dreamgirls, where she originated the role of Lorell. She was later recognized for her television and film work; she's won three NAACP Image Awards for her role on the television series Boston Public. She won two more for best supporting actress for Waiting to Exhale (1995), directed by Forest Whitaker, and The Preacher's Wife with Denzel Washington (1996). "I've worked with a lot of great actors," she says, her voice peaking with the excitement of the experience. "Except Morgan Freeman. I've always wanted to work with him. But you know they like to cast those young girls as the wives of [lead actors]."

Devine isn't deterred by Hollywood's ageism. In February she will appear in Cougar Club, a film geared to a younger audience, and the comedy First Sunday with Ice Cube, which opens in January. The actress also will continue her popular recurring role as Adele Webber on the hit television series Grey's Anatomy, and her talents persuaded producers to cast her in the new series Eli Stone, about a San Francisco lawyer who discovers that he is a prophet.

ABOUT LORETTA DEVINE

Career Boost: Devine starred in the glitzy 1981 Broadway production of Dreamgirls as Lorell, one of the original Dreams.

Personal: She lives in Los Angeles, where she is happily ensconced in a relationship. "I'm engaged," she announces. "I can't believe it."

Her dream job: "I'd love to play the role of Aretha Franklin. I'd like to do a story about her life."

COPYRIGHT 2008 Johnson Publishing Co.
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale Group