Biographie
Adilah Barnes is an acclaimed actor with more than 50 years of experience. She is widely recognized by television viewers for her role as Anne Marie on ABC's "Roseanne," which aired for five seasons and continues in syndication. Barnes has been fortunate to portray characters that closely reflect her true self—a woman of immense strength, resilience, and determination, dedicated to educating audiences about life, history, and the power of perseverance. This was evident in her portrayal of Ida B. Wells opposite Hilary Swank in HBO's "Iron Jawed Angels." As Ida B. Wells, Barnes fought for women's rights, mirroring her real-life commitment as an advocate and marcher supporting women of all ethnicities.
Recently, she guest-starred on CBS's "NCIS." Her other television credits include appearances on Showtime's "Shameless," NBC's "Harry's Law" and "Prime Suspect," ABC's "The Middle," CBS's "Cold Case," and TNT's "Trust Me." Additional TV roles include "Gilmore Girls," "City of Angels," "For the People," "Roswell," "The Agency," "Family Law," "Any Day Now," "Suddenly Susan," and "Mad About You." Her film work features roles alongside Sandra Bullock in CastleRock Entertainment's "Murder By Numbers" and Julia Roberts in the Universal hit "Erin Brockovich." She also appeared with Ving Rhames in the CBS Hallmark TV movie "Little John."
Barnes has extensively toured her one-woman play, "I Am That I Am: WOMAN, Black," which explores the lives of seven influential women: Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, Mary McLeod Bethune, Zora Neale Hurston, Lorraine Hansberry, Angela Davis, and Maya Angelou. This production has been performed across three continents, including 40 U.S. states, Africa, Europe, and the Caribbean.
As an author, Adilah published her first book, "On My Own Terms: One Actor's Journey," in December 2008. The book achieved the #3 non-fiction paperback spot in Essence Magazine's June 2009 issue, ranking just behind President Obama's first two books. In 2007, she established The Writer's Well, an international literary retreat for women set in a tranquil, wooded area near Atlanta. The retreat has welcomed writers from locations as diverse as Ghana and Puerto Rico.
Adilah Barnes co-founded the Los Angeles Women's Theatre Festival, an annual multicultural event celebrating female artists across dance, music, theater, spoken word, and comedy. The festival has showcased over 500 artists and is now in its twenty-seventh year. Both the festival and Barnes herself received the prestigious Women in Theatre Award in 2006.
Expanding her diverse career, Adilah hosted her own internet radio show, "Adilah," on the BlakeRadio Network's Rainbow Soul (BlakeRadio.com). Her insightful interviews with celebrity guests continue to reach a global audience.
