CCH Pounder filmography and biography
Date of birth: 25 December 1952, Guyana
CCH Pounder biography
CCH Pounder (the CCH standing for Carol Christine Hilaria, her birth
name). As can be said of other similarly styled actresses such as
Alfre Woodard and Cicely Tyson, most of Pounder's
characters are enriched with these same positive attributes and it is a
testament to this actress' abilities that she continues on such a high
plane in a nearly three-decade career.
Born on Christmas Day 1952 in Guyana, she was raised on a sugar cane
plantation. Her parents moved to the States while she was still a young
girl, but she and her sister were sent to a convent boarding school in
Britain where they were introduced to art and the classics. Following
high school graduation, she arrived in New York and studied at Ithaca
College, where her acting talents were discovered. Regional and
classical repertory theater followed, earning roles in such productions
as "The Mighty Gents" with Morgan Freeman (I) at the New York
Shakespeare Festival and "Open Admissions," her Broadway debut. Her
preference for a warmer climate led to her move to Hollywood in the
late 1970s.
After bit roles in All That Jazz and
Im Dancing as Fast as I Can, she found cult status in
the art-house film Out of Rosenheim ("Bagdad Café" in the
US) as the offbeat owner of a roadside café, but Pounder's prominence
came with television. Usually cast as a confident, strong-minded
professional, she is known for her understated intensity and earned an
Emmy nomination for her stint on the hospital drama ER.
She has performed in a number of highly acclaimed topical dramas,
including Go Tell It on the Mountain (1985) (TV),
Common Ground (1990) (TV),
Murder in Mississippi (1990) (TV),
Funny Valentines (1999) (TV) and Boycott (2001) (TV), for
which a number of kudos have come her way.
CCH Pounder trivia
- Carol, Christine, and Hilaria (CCH) are all names of female relatives.
- She appeared in the TV series ER, which is set in
Chicago's Cook County Hospital - a name that's always shortened to CCH.
- Jamie Foxx thanked her in his Oscar acceptance speech when he won
Best Actor in a Leading Role for Ray (2004/I).
- Was almost cast in the role of "C.J. Cregg" on The West Wing, until the
part was finally given to Allison Janney.
- David Johnson (III) wrote the part of Sister Abigail in
Orphan with her in mind.
- Lives in Los Angeles, California.
CCH Pounder quotes
- Applause is the most powerful thing... people talk about the sound of
it, but what I hear is glee.
- With acting, I started very young, and I'd performed for a lot of
children in boarding schools, late at night after the dormitory lights
were out. I'd have a flashlight, and I'd be Count Dracula, or
Shakespeare, or Yogi Bear, and leap from bunk to bunk. I loved the
laughter; I liked the way it made people feel.