Image of Tonya Pinkins

Tonya Pinkins

Pinkins was born in Chicago, Illinois. She has four children. Her father was a police officer and insurance salesman and her mother is a former postal worker. She has two brothers, Eric Swoope and Thomas Swoope and a sister Tamera Swoope from whom she is estranged. She was interested in the arts from a young age. In high school, she studied acting at the Goodman Theatre Young People's Program. Aged 18, she briefly attended college and decided to pursue an acting career instead. She later returned to college, earning an undergraduate degree from Columbia College in Chicago, followed by graduate work at Carnegie Mellon's music theater program, and a year at California Western School of Law in San Diego. Pinkins is probably most admired for her stage work. She won a Tony Award for her performance as Sweet Anita in Jelly's Last Jam. She was nominated for her roles in Play On! and in Caroline, or Change, where she played the title role. Her additional Broadway credits include Merrily We Roll Along, Chronicle of a Death Foretold, The Wild Party, House of Flowers, Radio Golf, A Time To Kill and Holler If Ya Hear Me. Pinkins has performed in several Off Broadway productions, including the comic role of Mopsa, the Shepherdess, in The Winter's Tale produced by the Riverside Shakespeare Company at The Shakespeare Center in 1983. In 2011, Pinkins starred in the world premiere of Kirsten Greenidge’s Milk Like Sugar at La Jolla Playhouse, and received a 2012 Craig Noel nomination for Best featured Actress in a Play. She reprised her role in the Playwrights Horizons in the Peter Jay Sharp Theater, and garnered a 2012 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play. In 2012 Pinkins starred in Katori Hall's play Hurt Village, the gritty drama about life and change in a Memphis housing project made its world-premiere at Off-Broadway's Signature Theatre Company as part of the theatre's inaugural season. The play also Marsha Stephanie Blake, Ron Cephas Jones, Saycon Sengbloh, Lloyd Watts, Charlie Hudson III, Nicholas Christopher, Corey Hawkins, Ron Cephas Jones and Joaquina Kalukango. In 2014, Pinkins appeared in New Federal Theatre's revival of Ed Bullins' The Fabulous Miss Marie opposite Roscoe Orman; in the Broadway production of Holler If Ya Hear Me; and the world premiere of Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' War at Yale Repertory. She has also had a prolific television career making guest appearances on such television shows as Army Wives, 24, Law & Order, The Cosby Show, Cold Case, Criminal Minds, and The Guardian among others. During the mid-1980s Pinkins created the role of Heather Dalton on the CBS soap, As the World Turns. In 1991 she was cast as Livia Frye in All My Children. Pinkins left All My Children in 1995 but returned to her role in 2003. She was later put on contract with the show from March 2004 until June 2006, when she was downgraded to recurring status. She has played Amala Motobo on the popular television show 24. She has appeared in several films in supporting roles, including Newlyweeds, Home, Fading Gigolo opposite Woody Allen, Enchanted, Premium, Romance & Cigarettes, Noah's Arc: Jumping The Broom and Above the Rim among others.


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Born:
May 30, 1962 In Chicago, Illinois, USA
Movie/TV Credits:
40
First Appeared:
In the series All My Children 1970-01-05
Latest Project:
Movie The Evolution of Horror Cinema Worldwide 2025-09-18
Known For
Poster of Mr. Talented
Poster of Random Acts of Flyness
Poster of Against Their Will: Women in Prison
Poster of Jammin': Jelly Roll Morton on Broadway
Filmography
Movie The Evolution of Horror Cinema Worldwide Horror Film Expert 2025-09-18
Series Women of the Movement Alma 2022-01-06
Movie The Surrogate Karen Weatherston-Harris 2021-07-09
Movie The School for Wives Arnolphe 2020-10-24
Movie The Artist's Wife Liza Caldwell 2020-09-25
Movie Aardvark Abigail 2018-04-13
Movie My Days of Mercy Agatha 2018-03-31
Series Random Acts of Flyness Ripa The Reaper 2018-08-04
Movie Mr. Talented Valerie Brown 2018-08-11
Movie An Act of Terror Mary Church Terrell 2017-01-01
Movie The Book of Henry Principal Wilder 2017-06-16
Movie Collective: Unconscious Ripa the Reaper 2016-08-05
Series 11.22.63 Mia Mimi Corcoran 2016-02-15
Series Bull Judge Maynard 2016-09-20
Movie Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened... Self 2016-11-18
Series Fear the Walking Dead Martha 2015-08-23
Series Gotham Ethel Peabody 2014-09-22
Series Hostages Beth Nix 2013-09-23
Movie Newlyweeds Patrice 2013-09-18
Movie Home Esmin 2013-11-22
Movie Noah's Arc: Jumping the Broom Mrs. Robinson 2008-10-26
Series Army Wives Unknown 2007-06-03
Movie Enchanted Phoebe Banks 2007-11-20
Series Black in the 80s 2005-02-01
Series The Closer Unknown 2005-06-13
Series Criminal Minds Det. Nora Bennett 2005-09-22
Movie Romance & Cigarettes Female Medic 2005-09-13
Series Cold Case Unknown 2003-09-28
Series The Guardian Unknown 2001-09-25
Series 24 Unknown 2001-11-06
Series University Hospital 1995-01-16
Movie Above the Rim Mailika 1994-03-23
Movie Against Their Will: Women in Prison Sondra 1994-10-29
Movie Jammin': Jelly Roll Morton on Broadway Herself 1992-11-02
Series Law & Order Unknown 1990-09-13
Movie See No Evil, Hear No Evil Leslie 1989-05-12
Series Crime Story Unknown 1986-09-19
Series The Cosby Show Unknown 1984-09-20
Movie American Dream 1981-04-26
Series All My Children Unknown 1970-01-05