Anna Deavere Smith's work in the theater explores American character and our multifaceted national identity. She has won numerous awards, among them two Obies, two Tony nominations and a MacArthur fellowship. She was runner up for the Pulitzer Prize for her play Fires In the Mirror. She is said to have created a new form of theater. Her work combines the journalistic technique of interviewing her subjects with the art of interpreting their words through performance. The New York Times called her “the ultimate impressionist, she does people’s souls.” Currently she appears as the stern hospital administrator Gloria Akalitus on Showtime’s Nurse Jackie. She’s also appeared on such television shows as The West Wing, Presidio Med, and The Practice. Films include Rachel Getting Married, The American President, Philadelphia, The Human Stain, Life Support, and Dave. Her plays include Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992; Fires in the Mirror; and House Arrest. Her books include Talk To Me and Letters to A Young Artist. She is founding director of the Institute on the Arts and Civic Dialogue, a center for artistic excellence addressing social change. She is the recipient of several honorary degrees. She is currently a professor at New York University and Artist in Residence at the Center for American Progress in Washington DC. Her new one woman show Let Me Down Easy will open at the Second Stage Theater in New York City this fall.

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