Donzaleigh Abernathy
Donzaleigh Abernathy is an American actress, author and civil rights activist.[1][2][3]
Donzaleigh Abernathy | |
|---|---|
 Abernathy speaking at the Virginia Military Institute | |
| Born | August 5, 1957 (age 63) Montgomery, Alabama, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Emerson College |
| Occupation | Actress, author, civil rights activist |
| Years active | 1990–present |
| Parent(s) | Ralph Abernathy Juanita Abernathy |
Early life
Abernathy was born in Montgomery, Alabama and grew up in Atlanta, Georgia during the Civil Rights Movement. The Abernathy children, along with the King children, integrated Spring Street Elementary School and began mass integration in the South. Abernathy briefly attended the Northside High School for the Performing Arts, before attending and graduating from George School, a Quaker Prep School in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.[4]
Her father was Rev. Ralph Abernathy, an influential leader in the civil rights movement, and her mother was the civil rights activist Juanita Abernathy. She was able to join her parents and witness first-hand many significant events of the civil rights movement.[5] Her family was very close to that of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., another prominent figure of the civil rights movement. The Abernathy and King children went to school together, performed extracurricular activities together, spent Sunday dinners together, and spent vacations and various holidays together. According to Abernathy herself, children from both families would hold performances for their parents on these occasions with Yolanda King, one of King's daughters, acting as the director and Dr. King filming the performances. Abernathy has stated that "that's really when [she] started acting."[6] She is married to actor/producer Dar Dixon Bijarchi.[2]
Work
After graduating from Emerson College in Boston, Abernathy moved to New York. She landed her first job after auditioning for a role with the Off Off Broadway production.[6] Since then, Abernathy has played roles in many different movies and television series. In the historical drama Gods and Generals, she portrays a slave named Martha. Although the film itself was not critically well-received, Abernathy was praised for her part. One reviewer states that "Abernathy's image of Martha combines strength with glamour." She starred for four years as a series regular on Lifetime's Any Day Now. As a child of the South, Abernathy was heavily influenced by the civil rights movement. As a result, she was able to connect with the role on a personal level.[7] Donzaleigh Abernathy claims she was filming a scene with Omar Epps in May 2016 for the USA show "Shooter" where his character was supposed to murder her character, when he "completely deviated from the script" and "threw his left forearm with full force at [her] right arm," and broke it. Abernathy is suing Epps, along with Paramount Pictures, for negligence and assault and battery. She's asking for damages for her pain and suffering and wants her medical costs—present and future—covered.[8]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Camp Nowhere | Dorothy Welton | |
| 1995 | Night of the Running Man | Francine | |
| 1995 | Lone Justice 2 | Effie Petit | |
| 2003 | Gods and Generals | Martha | |
| 2003 | Leprechaun: Back 2 tha Hood | Esmeralda | Video |
| 2006 | Grilled | Karen | |
| 2015 | Fingerprints | Delphine Frost | |
| 2016 | Sleight | Mary | |
| 2016 | 59 Seconds | Katherine | |
| 2020 | The Industry Did It | Aunt Urtha | Post-production |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Murder in Mississippi | Sue | TV film |
| 1990, 1992 | L.A. Law | Jenny Manley, Naomi | Episodes: "Watts a Matter?", "Silence of the Lambskins" |
| 1992 | Grass Roots | Cora Mae Turner | TV film |
| 1993 | Sirens | Mariah Henry | Episode: "Strike Two" |
| 1993 | Bodies of Evidence | Clarissa Watson | Episode: "Endangered Species" |
| 1993 | Ned Blessing: The True Story of My Life | Effie Pettit | Episode: "Return to Plum Creek" |
| 1994 | NYPD Blue | Mrs. Danton | Episode: "Guns 'n Rosaries" |
| 1994 | Family Album | Lorrie | TV miniseries |
| 1995 | Amazing Grace | D.A. Goodwin | Episode: "Family Values" |
| 1995 | Cagney & Lacey: Together Again | Alcina Lewis | TV film |
| 1996 | Dangerous Minds | Irene Timmons | Episodes: "Pilot", "Family Ties", "Need Deep" |
| 1997 | Miss Evers' Boys | Betty | TV film |
| 1997 | EZ Streets | Patricia Wyler | Episodes: "St. Jude Took a Bullet", "One Acquainted with the Night" |
| 1997 | The Burning Zone | Nora Dawson | Episode: "Wild Fire" |
| 1997 | Don King: Only in America | Henrietta King | TV film |
| 1998 | The Pretender | Susan Healy | Episode: "Hazards" |
| 1998 | Chicago Hope | Porschia Tate | Episode: "Absent Without Leave" |
| 1998 | The Tempest | Mambo Azaleigh | TV film |
| 1998–2002 | Any Day Now | Sara Jackson | Main role |
| 1999 | The Sky's On Fire | Dr. Hellstrom | TV film |
| 2002 | Whitewash: The Clarence Brandley Story | Narrator | TV film |
| 2003 | 24 | Barbara Maccabee | Episodes: "Day 2: 5:00p.m.-6:00pm", "Day 2: 6:00pm-7:00pm" |
| 2004 | Judging Amy | Denise Lawrence | Episode: "Conditional Surrender" |
| 2005–2006 | Commander in Chief | Patricia | Recurring role (season 1) |
| 2006 | House | Brady | Episode: "Skin Deep" |
| 2008 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Carolina Bell | Episode: "For Gedda" |
| 2008–2009 | Lincoln Heights | Hazel Glass | Episodes: "The Price You Pay", "Lucky" |
| 2012–2013 | The Walking Dead | Dr. Stevens | Episodes: "Walk with Me", "Made to Suffer", "The Suicide King" |
| 2013 | Shameless | Tawny | Episode: "Civil Wrongs" |
| 2015 | Father Pete's Corner | The Fairy | TV series |
| 2016 | Suits | Gloria Danner | Episodes: "Tick Tock", "25th Hour" |
| 2016 | Shooter | Mrs. Fenn | Episodes: "Exfil", "Overwatch" |
| 2017 | Chicago P.D. | Jeanette Barnes | Episode: "Don't Read the News" |
| 2019 | Words & Actions | Monica Henderson | Episode: "Man Delights Not Me, Nor Woman Neither" |
Books
The 2001 Smithsonian Institute’s book of essays, In the spirit of Martin: the living legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Donzaleigh Abernathy was one of the contributing authors.[9] In 2003, she authored the book Partners to history: Martin Luther King, Jr., Ralph David Abernathy, and the civil rights movement in honor of her parents.[10]
Bibliography
References
- "Donzaleigh Abernathy: A Connection with Martin Luther King Jr". Retrieved January 25, 2010.
- "Donzaleigh Abernathy". National Action Network Annual Convention. Archived from the original on February 9, 2017. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
- "Donzaleigh Abernathy". Museum of Social Justice | Los Angeles. Archived from the original on August 26, 2017. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
- "Georgian Available Online - George School". George School. December 14, 2015. Archived from the original on August 26, 2017. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
- "Donzaleigh Abernathy". Literature Resource Center. 2008. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
- "Ralph Abernathy's daughter, Donzaleigh, gets role in TV western drama, 'Ned Blessing'". Jet Magazine. 84: 38–39. August 23, 1993.
- Pryce, Vinette K. (February 13, 2003). "Civil rights daughter fights civil war for 'Gods and Generals'". New York Amsterdam News. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
- http://www.tmz.com/2018/02/15/omar-epps-sued-shooter-actress-assault-battery-injury/
- "Catalog: In the spirit of Martin : the living legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr". Ann Arbor District Library. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
- "Partners to history : Martin Luther King, Jr., Ralph David Abernathy, and the civil rights movement". Toronto Public Library. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
