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IMDbPro

LaChanze

  • Actress
  • Producer
  • Executive
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
LaChanze
Trailer for this relationship drama
Play trailer2:26
Breaking Upwards (2009)
3 Videos
31 Photos
LaChanze was born on 16 December 1961 in St. Augustine, Florida, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for The Blacklist (2013), Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999) and The Underground Railroad (2021). She was previously married to Derek Fordjour and Calvin J. Gooding.
BornDecember 16, 1961
  • More at IMDbPro
    • Contact info
    • Agent info
    • Resume
BornDecember 16, 1961
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • View contact info at IMDbPro

    • Photos31

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    Known for

    The Blacklist (2013)
    The Blacklist
    7.9
    TV Series
    • Anne
    Mariska Hargitay in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999)
    Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
    8.1
    TV Series
    • President Rosa Freeman
    • Ms. Pivik
    • Amber
    Joel Edgerton, William Jackson Harper, Aaron Pierre, and Thuso Mbedu in The Underground Railroad (2021)
    The Underground Railroad
    7.4
    TV Mini Series
    • Ms. Reva
    Viola Davis, Bryce Dallas Howard, Octavia Spencer, and Emma Stone in The Help (2011)
    The Help
    8.1
    • Rachel(as La Chanze)
    • 2011

    Credits

    IMDbPro

    Actress

    • Mark Wahlberg and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II in By Any Means (2026)
      By Any Means
      6.9
      • Hattie Dahmer
      • 2026
    • Firebuds (2022)
      Firebuds
      5.1
      TV Series
      • Jenna Jones
      • 2022–2025
    • Denzel Washington in Highest 2 Lowest (2025)
      Highest 2 Lowest
      5.5
      • Detective Bell
      • 2025
    • Dee & Friends in Oz (2024)
      Dee & Friends in Oz
      7.1
      TV Series
      • Miss Emerald
      • Grandma
      • 2024
    • Melissa McCarthy and Paapa Essiedu in Genie (2023)
      Genie
      5.9
      • Grandma Patty
      • 2023
    • Evan Mock, Emily Alyn Lind, Thomas Doherty, Jordan Alexander, and Whitney Peak in Gossip Girl (2021)
      Gossip Girl
      5.4
      TV Series
      • Naomi
      • 2023
    • Judy Reyes and Marin Ireland in Birth/Rebirth (2023)
      Birth/Rebirth
      6.2
      • Colleen
      • 2023
    • Jimmy Smits, Richard Kind, Kevin Rankin, Elizabeth Rodriguez, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, and Amanda Warren in East New York (2022)
      East New York
      7.3
      TV Series
      • Simone Bentley
      • 2022–2023
    • Mariska Hargitay in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999)
      Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
      8.1
      TV Series
      • President Rosa Freeman
      • Ms. Pivik
      • Amber
      • 2000–2022
    • Joel Edgerton, William Jackson Harper, Aaron Pierre, and Thuso Mbedu in The Underground Railroad (2021)
      The Underground Railroad
      7.4
      TV Mini Series
      • Ms. Reva
      • 2021
    • The Blacklist (2013)
      The Blacklist
      7.9
      TV Series
      • Anne
      • 2021
    • Christine Baranski and Audra McDonald in The Good Fight (2017)
      The Good Fight
      8.3
      TV Series
      • Julius's Wife
      • 2019–2020
    • Lorraine Toussaint, Frankie Faison, Warren Christie, Moran Atias, Grace Van Dien, Michaela McManus, and Jerod Haynes in The Village (2019)
      The Village
      7.5
      TV Series
      • Wendy Parker
      • 2019
    • LaChanze and Lily Resto in Knights in Newark (2018)
      Knights in Newark
      Short
      • The Witch
      • Mrs. Conroy
      • 2018
    • Melinda (2018)
      Melinda
      • Melinda LaCroix
      • 2018

    Producer

    • Black Sorority Project: The Exodus
      8.7
      • executive producer
      • 2006

    Videos3

    Breaking Upwards
    Trailer 2:26
    Breaking Upwards
    Breaking Upwards
    Trailer 2:10
    Breaking Upwards
    Breaking Upwards
    Trailer 2:10
    Breaking Upwards
    The Help
    Featurette 2:26
    The Help

    Personal details

    • Official sites
      • Instagram
      • Official Site
    • Alternative names
      • La Chanze
    • Height
      • 5′ 6″ (1.68 m)
    • Born
      • December 16, 1961
      • St. Augustine, Florida, USA
    • Spouses
        Derek FordjourJuly 30, 2005 - March 27, 2014 (divorced)
    • Children
        Zaya LaChanze Gooding
    • Other works
      Performed as Sarah in tour of Ragtime
    • Publicity listings
      • 1 Article

    Did you know

    • Trivia
      Lost her husband to the 9/11-attacks; she was 8 months pregnant at the time.

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