Anika Noni Rose is a triple-threat in every sense of the phrase: she can act, sing, and dance on TV, in movies, and on stage. She’s probably best known for her award-winning career in musicals — she’s even got a Tony Award! — but she’s done much, much more than that. With her newest movie, Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey hitting Netflix in time for the holiday season, it’s the perfect time to look back at some of the highlights of her career.
Rose started off her career in the theater, winning a Tony Award for best leading actress in a musical in 2004 for Caroline, or Change. Right around that same time, she snagged a movie role in the infamous American Idol-branded movie From Justin to Kelly. It was in 2006, though, that she finally got a big break: starring alongside Beyoncé and Jennifer Hudson in the movie adaptation of Dreamgirls, where she played Lorrell Robinson, the “third” member of the title girl group.
Of course, Rose is best known for being an actual Disney princess: she’s the voice of Tiana in The Princess and the Frog — and, unlike some other Disney princesses, she’s both the speaking and the singing voice of the character. Two years after the movie’s 2009 release, Rose was officially named a Disney Legend, along with Jodi Benson (Ariel), Paige O&