Early life and education

McDonald was born in West Berlin, Germany, the daughter of American parents, Anna Kathryn, a university administrator, and Stanley McDonald, Jr., a high school principal. At the time of her birth, her father was stationed with the U.S. Army. McDonald was raised in Fresno, California, the elder of two daughters. She began to study acting at a young age to counteract her diagnosis as "hyperactive". McDonald graduated from the Roosevelt School of the Arts program within Theodore Roosevelt High School in Fresno. She got her start in acting with Dan Pessano and Good Company Players, beginning in their junior company. "I knew I wanted to be involved in theater when I had my first chance to perform with the Good Company Players Junior Company." "The people who have had the most impact on my life: Good Company director Dan Pessano and my mother." She studied classical voice as an undergraduate under Ellen Faull at the Juilliard School, graduating in 1993.

Career

Theatre

McDonald was a three-time Tony Award winner by age 28 for her performances in Carousel, Master Class, and Ragtime, placing her alongside Shirley Booth, Gwen Verdon and Zero Mostel by accomplishing this feat within five years. She was nominated for another Tony Award for her performance in Marie Christine before she won her fourth in 2004 for her role in A Raisin in the Sun, placing her in the company of then four-time winning actress Angela Lansbury. She reprised her Raisin role for a 2008 television adaptation, earning her a second Emmy Award nomination. On June 10, 2012, McDonald scored her fifth Tony Award win for her portrayal of Bess in Broadway's The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess, thus tying Angela Lansbury and Julie Harris. Her 2014 performance as Billie Holiday in Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill earned McDonald her sixth Tony award and made her the first person to win all four acting categories.

McDonald appeared as Lizzie in the Roundabout Theatre Company's 2007 revival of 110 in the Shade, directed by Lonny Price at Studio 54, for which she shared the Drama Desk Award for Best Actress in a Musical with Donna Murphy. On April 29, 2007, while she was in previews for the show, her father was killed when an experimental aircraft he was flying crashed north of Sacramento, California.

McDonald is known for defying racial typecasting in her various Tony Award-winning and -nominated roles. Her performances as Carrie Pipperidge in Nicholas Hytner's 1996 revival of Carousel and Lizzie Curry in Lonny Price's 2007 revival of 110 in the Shade made her the first black woman to portray those (traditionally white) roles in a major Broadway production. Of her groundbreaking work in encouraging diversity in musical theatre casting, she said in an interview for the New York Times, "I refuse to be stereotyped. If I think I am right for a role I will go for it in whatever way I can. I refuse to say no to myself. I can't control what a producer will do or say but I can at least put myself out there." In a 'Talk of the Nation' interview on NPR, Asian-American actor Thom Sesma said McDonald's performance in Carousel "transcended any kind of type at all," proving her to be "more actress than African-American."

McDonald appeared in a revised version of Porgy and Bess, at the American Repertory Theatre (in Cambridge, Massachusetts) from August through September 2011, and recreated the role on Broadway at the Richard Rodgers Theatre, which opened on January 12, 2012 and closed on September 23, 2012. For this role, McDonald won her fifth Tony Award and her first in a Leading Actress category. This American Repertory Theater production was "re-imagined by Suzan-Lori Parks and Diedre Murray as a musical for contemporary audiences."

McDonald played Billie Holiday on Broadway in the play Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill in a limited engagement that ended on August 10, 2014. After previews that began on March 25, 2014, the play opened at the Circle in the Square Theatre on April 13, 2014. Of the play, McDonald said in an interview:

It’s about a woman trying to get through a concert performance, which I know something about, and she’s doing it at a time when her liver was pickled and she was still doing heroin regularly...I might have been a little judgmental about Billie Holiday early on in my life, but what I’ve come to admire most about her - and what is fascinating in this show - is that there is never any self-pity. She’s almost laughing at how horrible her life has been. I don’t think she sees herself as a victim. And she feels an incredible connection to her music - she can’t sing a song if she doesn’t have some emotional connection to it, which I really understand.

McDonald won the Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play for this role, making her the first person to ever earn six Tony Award wins for acting (not counting honorary awards) and the first person to win a Tony Award in all four acting categories. In her acceptance speech, "she thanked her parents for encouraging her to pursue her interests as a child." She also thanked the "strong and brave and courageous" African-American women who came before her, saying in part, "I am standing on Lena Horne's shoulders. I am standing on Maya Angelou's shoulders. I am standing on Diahann Carroll and Ruby Dee, and most of all, Billie Holiday. You deserved so much more than you were given when you were on this planet. This is for you Billie." This performance was filmed at the Cafe Brasil in New Orleans and broadcast on HBO on March 12, 2016. McDonald planned to make her West End debut as Holiday in Lady Day in June 2016, but after becoming pregnant she postponed these plans.

She appeared at the Williamstown Theatre Festival, Williamstown, Massachusetts, in Eugene O'Neill's play A Moon for the Misbegotten in August 2015, co-starring with her husband Will Swenson.

In 2016, McDonald is starring on Broadway as the vaudeville performer Lottie Gee in a new musical titled Shuffle Along, or, the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed about the making of the 1921 musical Shuffle Along. McDonald is scheduled to leave the show on July 24, 2016 to begin maternity leave. She expects to return to Shuffle Along.

Also due to the pregnancy, she has had to push back her planned West End debut, which was originally planned to be a three month run as Billie Holiday in Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill. The run was originally scheduled for June through September 2016, but has been postponed. A new date will be announced later.

Recordings and concerts

McDonald has maintained ties to her classical training and repertoire. She frequently performs in concert throughout the U.S. and has performed with musical organizations such as the New York Philharmonic and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Carnegie Hall commissioned the song cycle The Seven Deadly Sins: A Song Cycle for McDonald, and she performed it at Carnegie's Zankel Hall on June 2, 2004. She sang two solo one-act operas at the Houston Grand Opera in March 2006: Francis Poulenc's La voix humaine and the world premiere of Michael John LaChiusa's Send (who are you? I love you). On February 10, 2007, McDonald starred with Patti LuPone in the Los Angeles Opera production of Kurt Weill's opera Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny directed by John Doyle. The recording of the Los Angeles Opera production of Kurt Weill's opera Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny, featuring McDonald and Patti LuPone, won two Grammy Awards, for Best Opera Recording and Best Classical Album in February 2009.

In September 2008, American composer Michael John LaChiusa was quoted in Opera News Online, as working on an adaptation of Bizet's Carmen with McDonald in mind.

McDonald has recorded five solo albums for Nonesuch Records. Her first, the 1998 Way Back to Paradise, featured songs written by a new generation of musical theatre composers who had achieved varying degrees of prominence in the 1990s, particularly LaChiusa, Adam Guettel and Jason Robert Brown.

Her next album, How Glory Goes (2000), combined both old and new works, and included composers Harold Arlen, Leonard Bernstein and Jerome Kern. Her third album, Happy Songs (2002), was big band music from the 1920s through the '40s. Her fourth album, Build a Bridge (2006), features songs from jazz and pop.

In May 2013, Audra McDonald released her first solo album in seven years, Go Back Home, with a title track from the Kander & Ebb musical The Scottsboro Boys. To coincide with the album's release, McDonald performed a concert at Avery Fisher Hall in New York City that aired on the PBS series Live from Lincoln Center titled Audra McDonald In Concert: Go Back Home.

At the 2010 BCS National Championship Game on January 7, McDonald sang America the Beautiful for the sold-out stadium fans to celebrate the final game of the college football season.

In May 2000, Audra McDonald appeared as "The Beggar Woman" in Lonny Price's concert version of Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, performed at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center, New York with the New York Philharmonic with George Hearn and Patti LuPone. She reprised the role in some performances of the March 2014 Lincoln Center concert production, again directed by Price, this time opposite Bryn Terfel and Emma Thompson.

Television and film

McDonald has also made many television appearances, both musical and dramatic. In 2001, she received her first Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie for the HBO film Wit, starring Emma Thompson and directed by Mike Nichols. She also has appeared on Homicide: Life on the Street (1999), Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2000), Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years (1999), the short-lived Mister Sterling (2003), The Bedford Diaries (2006), and Kidnapped (2006-2007), and in the 1999 television remake of Annie as Daddy Warbucks' secretary & soon-to-be wife, Miss Farrell. She sang with the New York Philharmonic in the annual New Year's Eve gala concert on December 31, 2006, featuring music from the movies; it was televised on Live from Lincoln Center by PBS. In 2013, she appeared in the HBO documentary Six by Sondheim.

McDonald appeared as Naomi Bennett in Private Practice, a spinoff of Grey's Anatomy. She replaced Merrin Dungey, who played the role in the series pilot. McDonald left Private Practice at the end of season four, but returned for the series finale at the end of season six to bring closure to Naomi's storyline.

In films, McDonald has appeared in Best Thief in the World (2004), It Runs in the Family (2003), Cradle Will Rock (1999), The Object of My Affection (1998), and Seven Servants by Daryush Shokof which was her film acting debut in (1996).

McDonald played Mother Abbess in the 2013 NBC live television production of The Sound of Music Live!.

Since 2012, McDonald has served as host for the PBS series Live From Lincoln Center, for which she shared an Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Class Program with the show's producers. With this Emmy win, McDonald is now one step closer to winning the coveted EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Awards) as she has won two Grammy Awards and six Tony Awards.

Personal life

McDonald married bassist Peter Donovan in September 2000. They have one daughter, Zoe, named after McDonald's close friend Zoe Caldwell. McDonald and Donovan divorced in 2009. She married Will Swenson on October 6, 2012. As of May 2016, the two are expecting their first child together.

McDonald attended Joan Rivers' funeral in New York on September 7, 2014, where she sang "Smile".

McDonald lives in Croton-on-Hudson, New York.

Discography

Solo recordings

• Way Back to Paradise (Nonesuch, 1998)
• How Glory Goes (2000)
• Happy Songs (2005)
• Build a Bridge (2006)
• Go Back Home (2013)

Featured recordings

• Dawn Upshaw Sings Rodgers & Hart - duet on "Why Can't I?" (1996)
• Leonard Bernstein's New York - duet with Mandy Patinkin on "A Little Bit in Love" and "Tonight" (1996)
• George and Ira Gershwin: Standards and Gems -sings"How Long Has This Been Going On?" (1998)
• George Gershwin: The 100th Birthday Celebration -sings Porgy and Bess selections (1998)
• Myths and Hymns - sings "Pegasus" (1999)
• My Favorite Broadway: The Leading Ladies - sings "The Webber Love Trio" (1999)
• Broadway In Love - sings "You Were Meant For Me" from The Object of My Affection (2000)
• Broadway Cares: Home for the Holidays - sings "White Christmas" (2001)
• Bright Eyed Joy: The Songs Of Ricky Ian Gordon - sings "Daybreak in Alabama" (2001)
• ZEITGEIST - sings "Think Twice" (2005)
• The Wonder of Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir (2004)
• Barbara Cook at the Met - sings "When Did I Fall In Love?" and "Blue Skies" (2006)
• Jule Styne in Hollywood - sings "10,432 Sheep" (2006)
• Sondheim: The Birthday Concert - sings Too Many Mornings and The Glamorous Life (2010)
• Stages - duet on "If I Loved You", 2014

Cast recordings

• Carousel (1994 Broadway Revival Cast Recording) (1994)
• Ragtime (Original Cast Recording) (1998)
• I Was Looking at the Ceiling and Then I Saw the Sky by John Adams (Studio Cast Recording) (1998)
• Wonderful Town (Berlin Cast Recording) (1999)
• Marie Christine (Original Cast Recording) (1999)
• Sweeney Todd Live at the New York Philharmonic (2000)
• Dreamgirls in Concert (2001 Concert Cast Recording) (released February 2002)
• Wonderful Town (Studio Recording) (2005)
• 110 in the Shade (2007 Broadway Revival Cast Recording) (2007)
• The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny (Concert Cast Recording) (2007)
• Rodgers & Hammerstein's Allegro (First Complete Recording) (2009)
• The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess (New Broadway Cast Recording) (2012)
• Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill (Original Broadway Cast Recording) (2014)

Video recordings

• Audra McDonald - Live at the Donmar London, VHS (1999)
• My Favorite Broadway: The Leading Ladies("The Webber Love Trio"),DVD & CD (1999)
• Bernstein - Wonderful Town with Kim Criswell, Thomas Hampson, Wayne Marshall, Simon Rattle, and Berlin Philharmonic, DVD (2005)
• The Wonder of Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square, DVD (2005)
• Weill - Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny, DVD (2007)
• Sondheim! The Birthday Concert, Blu-ray DVD (2010)

Audio books

• Alice Walker, By The Light of My Father's Smile (1998)
• Connie Briscoe, A Long Way From Home (1999)
• Rita Dove, Second-Hand Man (2003)

Feature films

Year	Film	Role
1996	Seven Servants
1998	The Object of My Affection	Wedding Singer
1999	Cradle Will Rock	Blitzstein - 'Joe Worker' Singer
2003	It Runs in the Family	Sarah Langley
2004	The Best Thief in the World	Ruth
2011	Rampart	Sarah
2015	Ricki and the Flash	Maureen
2016	Hello Again	Sally
2017	Beauty and the Beast	Garderobe

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1999	Annie	Miss Grace Farrell	TV movie
	Homicide: Life on the Street	Teresa Giardello	Episode: "Forgive Us Our Trespasses"
	Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years	Bessie in her 20s	TV movie
2000	Law & Order: Special Victims Unit	Audrey Jackson	2 episodes
	The Last Debate	Barbara Manning	TV movie
2001	Wit	Susie Monahan	Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie
2003	Mister Sterling	Jackie Brock	9 episodes
	Partners and Crime	Unknown	TV movie
	Tea Time with Roy & Sylvia	Sylvia	Short
2005	Passion: Live From Lincoln Center	Clara	TV special
2006	The Bedford Diaries	Professor Carla Bonatelle	8 episodes
2006-07	Kidnapped	Jackie Hayes	3 episodes
2007-2013	Private Practice	Dr. Naomi Bennett	77 episodes Nominated—NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
2009	Grey's Anatomy		Episode: "Before and After"
2007	Great Performances	Jenny Smith	Episode: "Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny"
2008	A Raisin in the Sun	Ruth Younger	TV movie Nominated—NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie or Mini-Series Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie
2009	She Got Problems	Herself	Short
2012/13	Sesame Street	Chicken	3 episodes
2013	The Good Wife	Liz Lawrence	Episode: "Runnin' with the Devil"
	The Sound of Music Live!	Mother Abbess	Live telecast
	Audra McDonald: Go Back Home	Self	Concert Special
	It Could Be Worse	Sharon	Episode: "Starring Veronica Bailey"
	The Ordained	Anthea	TV Movie
2014	Submissions Only	Tracy	1 episode
	Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street: Live from Lincoln Center	Lucy, the Beggar Woman	Filmed stage production
2016	Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill	Billie Holiday	Filmed stage production

Theatre

Year	Show	Role	Notes
1992	The Secret Garden	Ayah	St. James Theatre 1992 - January 3, 1993
1994	Carousel	Carrie Pipperidge	Vivian Beaumont Theater February 18, 1994 - January 15, 1995
1995	Master Class	Sharon Graham	Philadelphia Theatre Company March 1995
	Something Wonderful	Performer	Gershwin Theatre July 12, 1995
	Master Class	Sharon Graham	John Golden Theatre October 26, 1995 - June 29, 1997
1997	Ragtime	Sarah	Ford Center for the Performing Arts December 26, 1997 - October 29, 1999 January 10-16, 2000
1999	Marie Christine	Marie Christine L'Adrese	Vivian Beaumont Theater October 30, 1999 - January 9, 2000
2000	Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street	Lucy, The Beggar Woman	Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center May 4-6, 2000
2001	Dreamgirls	Deena Jones	New York Actor's Fund Benefit Concert
2003	Passion	Clara	Ravinia Festival August 22-23, 2003
	Henry IV	Lady Percy	Vivian Beaumont Theater October 28, 2003 - January 18, 2004
2004	A Raisin in the Sun	Ruth Younger	Royale Theatre March 30 - July 11, 2004
	The Seven Deadly Sins: A Song Cycle	Performer	Carnegie Hall June 2, 2004
2005	Passion	Clara	Lincoln Center March 30 - April 1, 2005
	Wonderful Town	Eileen	Berlin Philharmonic
2006	La voix humaine/Send (who are you? I love you)	Singer	Houston Grand Opera, March
2007	Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny	Jenny	Los Angeles Opera February 2007
	110 in the Shade	Lizzie Curry	Studio 54 April 13 - July 29, 2007
2009	Twelfth Night	Olivia	Delacorte Theater June 25, 2009 - July 12, 2009
2011	Porgy and Bess	Bess	American Repertory Theater August/September, 2011
			Richard Rodgers Theatre December 17, 2011 - September 23, 2012
2014	Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street	Lucy, The Beggar Woman	Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center March 5-8, 2014
	Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill	Billie Holiday	Circle in the Square Theatre March 25, 2014 - October 5, 2014
2015	A Moon for the Misbegotten	Josie	Williamstown Theatre Festival August 2015
2016	Shuffle Along, or, the Making of The Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed	Lottie Gee	Music Box Theatre March 14 - July 24, 2016
	Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill	Billie Holiday	Wyndham's Theatre originally scheduled for June 15 - September 3, 2016, postponed as of May 10, 2016

Concerts

Audra McDonald in Concert Tour

• March 9, 2013- Lund Auditorium in Chicago
• March 16, 2013- Mizner Park Amphitheater
• April 6, 2013- Stamford Center for the Arts
• May 16, 2013- Attucks Theatre
• Audra McDonald: Go Back Home at Carnegie Hall -aired on Live from Lincoln Center
• October 5, 2013- Colden Center for Performing Arts
• October 10, 2013- Library of Congress
• October 12, 2013- Chicago Symphony Hall
• October 19, 2013- Brown Theatre Wortham Center
• October 20, 2013- The Long Center for the Performing Arts
• October 22, 2013- The Smith Center
• October 25, 2013- Balboa Theatre
• October 26, 2013- Dorothy Chandler Pavilion
• November 15, 2013- Sheldon Concert Hall
• November 16, 2013- Muriel Kauffman Theatre
• December 21, 2013- Mesa Arts Center
• January 5, 2014- Kravis Center
• January 18, 2014- Sonoma State University
• February 1, 2014- Library of Congress
• February 22, 2014- Hanover Theatre in Worcester, Massachusetts
• February 26, 2014- Kravis Center
• February 28, 2014- L.J. Williams Theater in Visalia
• March 8, 2014- Atlanta Symphony Hall

23 concerts total; the gap between May and October 2013 is due to McDonald's work with television and her album coming out, causing the three and a half month gap. The tour ended due to McDonald's show, Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill opening on Broadway, but she picked up again with a new tour once the show closed.

'An Evening with Audra McDonald Tour

• December 2, 2014- Walt Disney Concert Hall
• December 5, 2014- Sonoma State University
• December 6, 2014- Zellerbach Hall
• December 12, 2014- Carnegie Hall
• January 8, 2015- Parker Playhouse
• January 17, 2015- Eastman Theatre
• January 24, 2015- Artis-Naples in Naples, Florida
• February 6, 2015- UNC Memorial Hall
• February 21, 2015- Des Moines Performing Arts Center
• February 27, 2015- Kohler Memorial Theatre
• March 1, 2015- Boston Symphony Hall
• March 12, 2015- EKU Center for the Arts in Richmond, Kentucky
• March 15, 2015- Fox Tucson Theatre
• March 21, 2015- Times Union Center for the Performing Arts
• March 22, 2015- Van Wezel Performing Arts Center
• March 24, 2015- Kravis Center
• March 27, 2015- Strathmore Music Center
• April 7, 2015- Indiana University
• April 15, 2015- Byham Theater
• April 17, 2015- McCarter Theatre
• April 19, 2015- New Jersey Performing Arts Center
• April 23, 2015- The Peace Center for the Performing Arts
• April 29, 2015- Carnegie Hall
• May 8, 2015- Bergen Performing Arts Center
• May 9, 2015- Tilles Center Concert Hall in Brookville, New York
• May 11, 2015- Byham Theater
• May 15, 2015- Virginia Arts Festival
• June 12, 2015- The Mountain Winery
• June 22, 2015- Wolf Trap
• July 19, 2015- Tanglewood Music Center
• September 1/3, 2015- Hollywood Bowl
• October 1, 2015- Carpenter Theater
• October 7, 2015- Merriam Theatre
• October 8, 2015- Jorgenson Center for the Performing Arts in Storrs Mansfield
• October 13, 2015- Peace Center
• October 31, 2015- Hamer Hall

37 concerts; this tour marked her Australian debut. The lack of August shows was due to her run in A Moon for the Misbegotten.

Other concerts

• 1999- Audra McDonald: Live at the Donmar London (filmed for a DVD)
• June 2, 2004- The Seven Deadly Sins: A Song Cycle at Carnegie Hall
• August 26, 2007- Ravinia
• March 28, 2008- Savannah Music Festival
• March 30, 2008- Ferst Center for the Arts
• April 26, 2008- Stanley Theater
• May 30, 2008- Zellerbach Hall
• February 1, 2010- Ralph Freud Playhouse
• April 26, 2010- Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall
• July 18, 2010- Ozawa Hall in Boston
• October 22, 2011- Carnegie Hall
• November 8. 2011- Curtis M Phillips Center for Performing Arts
• April 20, 2012- New Jersey Performing Arts Center
• January 2, 2016- Parker Playhouse
• January 17, 2016- Leicester Square Theatre

Awards and nominations

Stage

Year	Award	Category	Nominated work	Result
1994	Tony Award	Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical	Carousel	Won
	Drama Desk Award	Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical		Won
	Theatre World Award			Won
	Outer Critics Circle Award	Outstanding Actress in a Musical		Won
1996	Tony Award	Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play	Master Class	Won
	Ovation Award	Best Featured Actress in a Play		Won
1998	Tony Award	Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical	Ragtime	Won
	Drama League Award	Distinguished Performance		Nominated
	Outer Critics Circle Award	Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical		Nominated
2000	Tony Award	Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical	Marie Christine	Nominated
	Drama Desk Award	Outstanding Actress in a Musical		Nominated
2004	Tony Award	Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play	A Raisin in the Sun	Won
	Drama Desk Award	Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play		Won
	Drama League Award	Distinguished Performance		Nominated
	Outer Critics Circle Award	Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play		Won
	Broadway.com Audience Award	Favorite Featured Actress in a Play		Won
2005	Emmis Communications/Hot-97 "KISS-FM" Phenomenal Woman Award	Phenomenal Woman		Won
2007	Tony Award	Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical	110 in the Shade	Nominated
	Drama Desk Award	Outstanding Actress in a Musical		Won
	Drama League Award	Distinguished Performance		Nominated
	Outer Critics Circle Award	Outstanding Actress in a Musical		Won
	Broadway.com Audience Award	Favorite Actress in a Musical		Nominated
2008	Grammy Award	Best Classical Album	Los Angeles Opera production of Kurt Weill's opera Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny	Won
		Best Opera Recording		Won
2012	Tony Award	Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical	Porgy and Bess	Won
	Drama Desk Award	Outstanding Actress in a Musical		Won
	Drama League Award	Distinguished Performance		Won
	Outer Critics Circle Award	Outstanding Actress in a Musical		Won
	Broadway.com Audience Awards	Favorite Actress in a Musical		Nominated
		Favorite Onstage Pair (w/ Norm Lewis)		Nominated
2013	Grammy Award	Best Musical Theatre Album		Nominated
	Sarah Siddons Society Award	Distinguished Achievement in the Theatre		Won
2014	Tony Award	Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play	Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill	Won
	Drama Desk Award	Outstanding Actress in a Play		Won
	Outer Critics Circle Award	Outstanding Actress in a Musical		Won
	Broadway.com Audience Award	Favorite Actress in a Play		Won
		Favorite Diva Performance		Nominated
2016			Shuffle Along, or, the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed	Nominated

TV

Year	Award	Category	Nominated work	Result
2001	Emmy Award	Best Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie	Wit	Nominated
	OFTA Award	Best Supporting Actress in a TV film		Nominated
	NAACP Image Award	Outstanding Variety - Series or Special	Audra McDonald in Concert	Nominated
2008		Best Actress in a Television Movie or Miniseries	A Raisin in the Sun	Nominated
	OFTA Award	Best Supporting Actress in a TV film		Won
	Emmy Award	Best Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie		Nominated
	NAACP Image Award	Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series	Private Practice	Nominated
2009				Nominated
2010				Nominated
2013	Black Reel Award	Best Supporting Actress in a Movie	The Sound of Music Live!	Nominated
	Emmy Award	Outstanding Special Class Program	Carousel (Live from Lincoln Center)	Nominated
2015			Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Live from Lincoln Center)	Won

[ Source: Wikipedia ]