Adina Porter
| Adina Porter | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Adina Elizabeth Porter March 13, 1971 New York City, New York, U.S |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1988–present |
| Spouse(s) |
David Raymond Hecht (divorced) Larry Earl Madison Jr. [1] |
| Children | 1[1] |
Adina Elizabeth Porter[2] (born March 13, 1971) is an American actress. She began her career appearing on Off-Broadway stage, winning Obie Award in 1996 for Venus.
Porter is best known for her performances on television. From 2008 to 2014, she starred as Lettie Mae Thornton in the HBO drama series True Blood. From 2012 to 2014, Porter also co-starred as Kendra James in the HBO drama The Newsroom. In 2014, she began appearing in a recurring role as Indra in the CW post-apocalyptic drama, The 100, and in 2016 was cast as Lee Harris in the FX anthology series American Horror Story: Roanoke.
Life and career
Porter was born and raised in New York City, New York.[2] She graduated from the State University of New York at Purchase.[1] Her first acting teacher was Butterfly McQueen.[1] She was married two times and has a son with her second husband, Larry Earl Madison Jr.[1]
Theater
Porter began her acting career in the theatre, appearing in off Broadway plays and in regional theatre. Her off-Broadway credits include The Debutante Ball, Jersey City, Aven' U Boys, Girl Gone, Silence, Cunning, Exile, Dancing on Moonlight and Hurricane. In 1996, she received Obie Award for Distinguished Performance by an Actress for her performance in Venus.[3] Her Broadway debut came in 2001 with the Roundabout Theater's revival of The Women, directed by Scott Elliott, broadcast as part of PBS's Stage on Screen series, in addition, she performed in multiple productions at the New York Shakespeare Festival.
Television and film
Porter began her screen career playing guest starring roles on television dramas include Law & Order, New York Undercover, Brooklyn South, and NYPD Blue. She had a recurring role as housekeeper Gwen Walker in the NBC period drama American Dreams from 2002 to 2003.[4] In film, she made her debut in 1992 Leopold/Loeb New Queer Cinema feature, Swoon. She went to appear in small roles in films The Peacemaker (1997), Gia (1998), Body Shots (1999), The Fluffer (2001), and The Salon (2005). In 2005, Porter played Ricky in the film adaptation of Ruben Santiago-Hudson's play Lackawanna Blues for HBO. She received Black Reel Award for Best Supporting Actress: Television Movie/Cable for her role. She went to appear ER, Prison Break, Without a Trace, House, and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
In 2008, Porter was cast as Lettie Mae Thornton, mother to Rutina Wesley's Tara Thorton, in the HBO drama series, True Blood. She was promoted to series regular in seventh and final season of show.[5] In 2012, she guest starred in an episode of Grey's Anatomy.[6] From 2012 to 2014, she also had a recurring role on the HBO series The Newsroom playing Kendra James. In 2014, she began appearing in a recurring role as Indra in the CW post-apocalyptic drama, The 100. Porter also starred in two unsold drama pilots for ABC, Doubt in 2013, and The Jury in 2016.[7] In 2016, she played Pearly Mae during first season of WGN America period drama Underground.[8] Later that year, Porter was cast as Lee Harris in the FX anthology series American Horror Story: Roanoke, after previously appearing as a minor character in American Horror Story: Murder House in 2011.[9]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Swoon | Stenographer | |
| 1993 | Geoffrey Beene 30 | Woman | Short film |
| 1997 | The Peacemaker | Police NYPD | |
| 1998 | Gia | Girl at Group Therapy | |
| 1999 | Body Shots | Detective Thompson | |
| 2001 | The Fluffer | Silver | |
| 2002 | Pipe Dream | Lauren Gunther | |
| 2005 | The Salon | Percy's wife | |
| 2005 | Lackawanna Blues | Ricky | Television film Nominated — Black Reel Award for Best Supporting Actress: Television Movie/Cable |
| 2009 | Operating Instructions | Celia | Television film |
| 2010 | The Social Network | Gretchen's Associate | Uncredited |
| 2011 | About Sunny | Cheryl | |
| 2011 | The Changing Room | Sarah | Short film |
| 2017 | The Last Word | Bree Wilson | In post-production |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Law & Order | Woman Neighbor | Episode: "Out of the Half-Light" |
| 1994 | Law & Order | Sheryl Decker | Episode: "Nurture" |
| 1994 | New York Undercover | Jasmine Hopkins | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 1995 | Law & Order | Mary Byman | Episode: "Savages" |
| 1997 | Brooklyn South | Angela Withers | Episode: "Life Under Castro" |
| 1998 | Brimstone | Rachel | Episode: "Repentance" |
| 1999 | Snoops | Angela Jackson | Episode: "The Grinch" |
| 2000 | The District | Ella's Assistant | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 2000 | Judging Amy | N/A | Episode: "Unnecessary Roughness" |
| 2000 | Any Day Now | Diane | Episode: "Where's the Justice in That?" |
| 2000 | City of Angels | Hazina | Episode: "Smoochas Gracias" |
| 2001 | NYPD Blue | Tisha | Episode: "Dying to Testify" |
| 2002 | Strong Medicine | Malia | Episode: "Compassionate Release" |
| 2002 | The Guardian | Assistant D. A. | Episode: "Monster" |
| 2002 | Crossing Jordan | Vicki Moran | Episode: "Prisoner Exchange" |
| 2002–03 | American Dreams | Gwen Walker | 15 episodes |
| 2003 | NYPD Blue | Ifeoma Okafor | Episode: "Meet the Grandparents" |
| 2005 | ER | Mrs. Hopkins | Episode: "Back in the World" |
| 2005 | Jack & Bobby | N/A | Episode: "A Child of God" |
| 2005 | CSI: NY | Shannon Goodall | Episode: "On the Job" |
| 2005 | Prison Break | Leticia Barris | 2 episodes |
| 2006 | Without a Trace | Harriet Lewis | Episode: "Watch Over Me" |
| 2007 | House M.D. | Claudia | Episode: "Family" |
| 2007 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Janelle Odami | Episode: "Fight" |
| 2007–10 | Saving Grace | Tamara Cooley | 2 episodes |
| 2008–14 | True Blood | Lettie Mae Thornton | 30 episodes |
| 2009 | Cold Case | Laticia Myers | Episode: "Jurisprudence" |
| 2009 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Denise Devine | Episode: "Coup de Grace" |
| 2010 | Hawthorne | Nancy Breton | Episode: "The Match" |
| 2010 | The Whole Truth | Detective Sweeney | Episode: "Cold Case" |
| 2011 | Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior | Jeanette Rawlins | Episode: "Two of a Kind" |
| 2011 | Private Practice | Stacy | Episode: "A Step Too Far" |
| 2011 | American Horror Story: Murder House | Sally Freeman | Episode: "Murder House" |
| 2011 | Prime Suspect | Detective Kendra Cannon | Episode: "The Great Wall of Silence" |
| 2011–12 | Ringer | Principal Caruso | 2 episodes |
| 2012 | The Finder | Ms. Estelle | Episode: "Life After Death" |
| 2012 | Grey's Anatomy | Dr. Ramsey | Episode: "Remember the Time" |
| 2012 | Glee | History Teacher | Episode: "The Role You Were Born to Play" |
| 2012 | The Vampire Diaries | Nandi | Episode: "We'll Always Have Bourbon Street" |
| 2012–14 | The Newsroom | Kendra James | 23 episodes |
| 2014–present | The 100 | Indra | 22 episodes |
| 2015 | Code Black | Susie | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 2015 | The Leftovers | G.R. Leader | Episode: "Ten Thirteen" |
| 2016 | Underground | Pearly Mae | 5 episodes |
| 2016 | The Catch | FBI Agent Emily Clark | Episode: "The Wedding" |
| 2016 | American Horror Story: Roanoke | Lee Harris | 10 episodes |
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Adina Porter". Retrieved October 20, 2016.
- 1 2 "Adina Porter". Retrieved October 20, 2016.
- ↑ "Adina Porter - Lortel Archives". Retrieved October 20, 2016.
- ↑ "True Blood: Actor Bio: Adina Porter". HBO.com. Retrieved June 23, 2012.
- ↑ "'True Blood' Promotes Adina Porter to Series Regular". Retrieved October 20, 2016.
- ↑ "'Grey's Anatomy': 'True Blood,' 'Newsroom' Actress Checks In". Retrieved October 20, 2016.
- ↑ Petski, Denise (February 18, 2016). "DeWanda Wise Aims At 'Shots Fired'; Adina Porter Joins 'The Jury'". Retrieved October 20, 2016.
- ↑ Pedersen, Erik (April 15, 2015). "Adina Porter Cast In WGN America's 'Underground'". Retrieved October 20, 2016.
- ↑ Pehanick, Maggie. "American Horror Story: If You Watched Season 1, You've Already Seen This Actress". Retrieved October 20, 2016.