Sharon Warren is an American actress. She played

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...

' mother, Aretha Robinson, in the 2004 film ''

Ray Ray may refer to: Fish * Ray (fish), any cartilaginous fish of the superorder Batoidea * Ray (fish fin anatomy), a bony or horny spine on a fin Science and mathematics * Ray (geometry), half of a line proceeding from an initial point * Ray (gr ...

''.

Biography

Warren was born in

Opelika, Alabama Opelika (pronounced ) is a city in and the county seat of Lee County in the east-central part of the U.S. state of Alabama. It is a principal city of the Auburn-Opelika Metropolitan Area. As of the 2020 census, the population of Opelika is ...

. She is the daughter of David, a sheriff for

Macon, Georgia Macon ( ), officially Macon–Bibb County, is a consolidated city-county in the U.S. state of Georgia. Situated near the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is located southeast of Atlanta and lies near the geographic center of the state of G ...

, and Pebblin Warren, a Democratic politician. She went to

Auburn University Auburn University (AU or Auburn) is a public land-grant research university in Auburn, Alabama. With more than 24,600 undergraduate students and a total enrollment of more than 30,000 with 1,330 faculty members, Auburn is the second largest ...

, majoring in finance and business, but dropped out in 1999 to pursue an acting career. She portrayed Beneatha in a 1999 rendition of ''

A Raisin in the Sun ''A Raisin in the Sun'' is a play by Lorraine Hansberry that debuted on Broadway in 1959. The title comes from the poem "Harlem" (also known as "A Dream Deferred") by Langston Hughes. The story tells of a black family's experiences in south Chi ...

'', and acted in ''Flying Over Purgatory'' alongside

Ruby Dee Ruby Dee (October 27, 1922 – June 11, 2014) was an American actress, poet, playwright, screenwriter, journalist, and civil rights activist. She originated the role of "Ruth Younger" in the stage and film versions of '' A Raisin in the Sun'' (1 ...

. While acting on stage, Warren worked for an architectural firm to make ends meet. She worked with Atlanta theater company Alliance Theatre for many years before appearing in ''Ray''. Warren landed the role of Aretha Robinson, the mother of

, in biopic ''

''. The film's director,

Taylor Hackford Taylor Edwin Hackford (born December 31, 1944) is an American film director and former president of the Directors Guild of America. He won the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film for '' Teenage Father'' (1979). Hackford went on to direct ...

, had witnessed Warren acting in a stage production and had her audition for the role. She won the part, being the only actress considered. Warren stated she used her grandmother as a basis while in character as Aretha. She received an

NAACP Image Award The NAACP Image Awards is an annual awards ceremony presented by the U.S.-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People ( NAACP) to honor outstanding performances in film, television, theatre, music, and literature. Similar to ...

nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture for her work in the film. Warren later had a supporting role in the drama film '' Glory Road'' (2006).

Filmography

References

External links

* African-American actresses Actresses from Alabama American film actresses Living people Delta Sigma Theta members 1975 births 21st-century American actresses 21st-century African-American women 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American people 20th-century African-American women {{US-film-actor-1970s-stub