Maya Angelou

Transcendant as an actor, teacher, writer, civil rights activist and much more, African-American Renaissance woman Maya Angelou is a potent mixture of the spiritual and the earthy who has inspired millions with her multifaceted career. Tall (6') and proud, with a laugh as large as her formidable presence, she possesses the innate and compelling grace of a woman who has constructed a full life, one lived without concession or false excuse. Her feet, tough and covered with calluses, testify to her years as a member of Alvin Ailey's acclaimed dance company, and her exuberance can still cause her to break spontaneously into song, revealing the voice of the nightclub performer and calypso singer of her first feature film, "Calypso Heat Wave" (1957). Long one of the country's most sought-after speakers, she first gained widespread critical attention for her autobiographical "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" (1969), recounting the story of her rape at the age of seven and the five years of silence that ensued, during which she listened intensely and found the unique voice of the poet she was born to be.Acting performances in NYC productions of "Cabaret for Freedom" (1960), which Angelou also produced, and...

Transcendant as an actor, teacher, writer, civil rights activist and much more, African-American Renaissance woman Maya Angelou is a potent mixture of the spiritual and the earthy who has inspired millions with her multifaceted career. Tall (6') and proud, with a laugh as large as her formidable presence, she possesses the innate and compelling grace of a woman who has constructed a full life, one lived without concession or false excuse. Her feet, tough and covered with calluses, testify to her years as a member of Alvin Ailey's acclaimed dance company, and her exuberance can still cause her to break spontaneously into song, revealing the voice of the nightclub performer and calypso singer of her first feature film, "Calypso Heat Wave" (1957). Long one of the country's most sought-after speakers, she first gained widespread critical attention for her autobiographical "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" (1969), recounting the story of her rape at the age of seven and the five years of silence that ensued, during which she listened intensely and found the unique voice of the poet she was born to be.

Acting performances in NYC productions of "Cabaret for Freedom" (1960), which Angelou also produced, and Jean Genet's "The Blacks" (1961) preceded her move to Africa, where she lived first in Cairo and worked as editor of THE ARAB OBSERVER (the only English-language news weekly in the Middle East) before beginning her academic career at the University of Ghana. Two of her plays, "The Least of These" and "The Clawing Within", received US productions in 1966, as did her "Adijoa Amissah" the following year. Her songwriting for the feature "For Love of Ivy" (1968) brought her into collaboration with Quincy Jones, and she later wrote the songs and screenplay for "Georgia, Georgia" (1972), the interesting but uneven story of a black singer's involvement with a white photographer in Sweden. Angelou earned a Tony nomination for her Broadway acting debut in "Look Away" (1973) and, after writing and directing the short "All Day Long" (1974) for the American Film Institute, directed the musical "And Still I Rise" (1976, later publishing a book of poetry of the same name two years later), having written the libretto, as well as its music and lyrics. She returned to acting as part of the all-star cast of ABC's landmark miniseries "Roots" (1977) and then helped adapt the TV-movie version of "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" (CBS, 1979).

Once the northern coordinator for the Southern Christian leadership at the request of Martin Luther King Jr. himself, Angelou received appointments during the 70s to the Bicentennial Commission (from Gerald Ford) and the National Commission on the Observance of International Women's Year (from Jimmy Carter). During the 80s, her fame soared, primarily on the strength of her poetry, but she also wrote the screenplay for the NBC-TV movie "Sister, Sister" (1982) and the premiere episode of Oprah Winfrey's short-lived drama series "Brewster Place" (ABC, 1990), as well as works of prose. The 90s have seen an explosion of creativity from the prolific and eclectic Angelou. One of Bill Clinton's favorite poets, she presented the poem "On the Pulse of Morning" which she wrote especially for his inauguration as the 42nd President of the United States in 1993, increasing the demand for her deeply resonant and lilting voice. That same year she also supplied the poetry written by the character of Justice (Janet Jackson) in John Singleton's "Poetic Justice" and played Lelia Mae in the ABC-movie "There Are No Children Here", starring Oprah Winfrey. In addition, she portrayed Alfre Woodard's mother in the female ensemble drama "How to Make an American Quilt" (1995).

Angelou has made numerous appearances as herself on TV and served as a host (i.e., "Who Cares About Kids?" PBS, 1992) or narrator (e.g., "Elmo Saves Christmas" PBS, 1996) for a variety of shows. As for features, she narrated "The Journey of August King" (1995), provided music and narration for the "Perfect Moment" documentary, and wrote the screenplay for "Angelou on Burns", in which she explores her passion for the poetry (and life) of Robert Burns. As if her many accomplishments were not enough, she added to them with her feature directorial debut in 1998. Cast and crew of "Down on the Delta" marveled at her extraordinary vitality and stamina in making a solid and affecting piece of work that emphasized simple truths and intelligent optimism while placing great stock in the strength of family ties and the soul-enhancing value of returning to roots. Despite her fame, she remains outspoken in her opposition to the subtle racism in the United States that would willingly write off the victims of poverty, be they red, yellow, brown or white. In short, Maya Angelou is a great and courageous American.

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