AbbottElementary star thesherylralph has been a staple of Black Hollywood since her breakthrough role as Deena Jones in the Broadway musical Dreamgirls. 🤩
1:30 PM PDT, June 15, 2022Sheryl Lee Ralph has been a staple of Black Hollywood since her breakthrough role as Deena Jones in the Broadway musical The 65-year-old actress scored a Tony nomination for the musical and captured the hearts of millions, which became the norm with her every role over the last five decades.
, has become a viral sensation. And while there have been a lot of memorable roles throughout Ralph's nearly 50-year career, it all started with , I knew we were doing something very special. I knew in my heart," she told ET about playing the musical's first-ever Deena and becoming an icon of musical theater."I knew that little Black girls would be able to look up on the stage and have an image of beauty, class, sophistication, dreams, heartache, moving-on-up affirmation.
"Even in unsuspecting places, that can be very much a thing where there are certain people who have no idea who you are and what you've done after all these years," she mused.