CCH Pounder


Carol Christine Hilaria Pounder, is a Guyanese American actress. She has appeared in numerous plays, films, made-for-television films and television miniseries, and has made appearances on notable television series.
Pounder is known for her role as Dr. Angela Hicks in the medical drama series ER and Detective Claudette Wyms in the FX police drama series The Shield. she has portrayed medical examiner Dr. Loretta Wade on the police drama series '.
In film, she appeared in All That Jazz, Go Tell It on the Mountain , Prizzi's Honor, Postcards from the Edge, ', Benny & Joon, Demon Knight, Face/Off, Orphan, Avatar, ', and '.

Early life

Pounder was born in Georgetown, British Guiana, daughter of Ronald Urlington Pounder and of Betsy Enid Arnella. She was educated in England, and in 1970, at age 18, she moved to the United States, where she attended Ithaca College.

Career

Pounder made her acting debut in the film All That Jazz. She continued her professional career in New York City theater, where she appeared in The Mighty Gents, by playwright Richard Wesley, and Open Admissions on Broadway. She moved to Los Angeles in 1982. She starred in the film Bagdad Café, and has made smaller appearances in many other successful films.
She has focused primarily on her television career. In the early 1980s, Pounder first appeared in guest roles on Hill Street Blues, and then on several popular shows before landing a long-running recurring role as Dr. Angela Hicks on ER, from 1994 to 1997. In the midst of this she co-starred in the Tales From the Crypt feature film Demon Knight. She then returned to guest appearances on other shows, including The Practice, ', Millennium, The West Wing, and the short-lived sitcom Women in Prison.
in December 2009
From 2002 to 2008, she starred as Detective Claudette Wyms in the FX police drama The Shield. For this role she was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 2005 and an NAACP Image Award. She had previously been nominated for an Emmy in 1995 and in 1997. She has also lent her voice to several video games and animated projects, including Aladdin and the King of Thieves, ', Gargoyles as Desdemona and Coldfire, and Justice League Unlimited as government agent Amanda Waller, which role she reprised for the animated movie adaption of the comic book ' as well as the video game ', its sequel ', and another animated film that takes place in continuity with the games, '.
Pounder was also one of the readers for the HBO film Unchained Memories: Readings from the Slave Narrative, directed by Ed Bell and Thomas Lennon. She appeared on the Syfy series Warehouse 13 until its finale on May 19, 2014. Pounder also was one of the stars of Fox's cancelled 2009 sitcom Brothers. Pounder was nominated for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for her appearance in the BBC/HBO series The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. She had a recurring role as DA Thyne Patterson on the FX crime drama series Sons of Anarchy. She co-starred in . In Disney's The Lion Guard she voices Kongwe, the wise old turtle. In October 2018, she made an appearance in the London production of Wicked.

Advocacy

As one of the founders of Artists for a New South Africa, Pounder has energized awareness of post-apartheid and HIV/AIDS issues. In an interview, she said about the pandemic: "When it's this massive disease, and it's affecting things in 5,000 different ways, it requires great strength and power—and there is power in numbers. So we need to involve as many people as we can, like we do with ANSA. I call it my little engine that could. It is a remarkable, tiny organization with a huge outreach. We use actors and artists with the biggest voices so they can use every opportunity to talk about AIDS."

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1979CoriolanusValeria
1979All That JazzNurse Blake
1980Union CityMrs. Lewis
1982I'm Dancing as Fast as I CanAnne
1985Prizzi's HonorPeaches Altamont
1987Bagdad CafeBrenda
1990Postcards from the EdgeJulie Marsden
1992The Importance of Being EarnestMiss Prism
1993Benny & JoonDr. Garvey
1993SliverLt. Victoria Hendrix
1993RoboCop 3Bertha
1995Demon KnightIrene
1996Aladdin and the King of ThievesThe Oracle Direct-to-video
1997Face/OffHollis Miller
1998RaceLucinda Davis
1999End of DaysDetective Marge Francis
1999Funny ValentinesEthel B.
2001Things Behind the SunJudge
2002Baby of the FamilyNurse Bloom
2002Tét GrennéSally
2003Unchained MemoriesReader
2008RainMs. Adams
2008Breaking the Maya CodeNarratorDocumentary
2009OrphanSister Abigail
2009'Amanda Waller Direct-to-video
2009AvatarMo'at
2013'Madame Dorothea
2014'Amanda Waller Direct-to-video
2019'Senator Williams
2022Avatar 2Mo'atFilming
2024Avatar 3Mo'atFilming

Television

Video games

Awards and nominations

In 1997, CCH Pounder was winner of the prestigious Caribbean American Heritage Award for Excellence in the Arts, presented by leading Caribbean American advocacy organization Institute of Caribbean Studies based in Washington, DC.
YearAwardCategoryWorkResult
1995Primetime Emmy AwardOutstanding Guest Actress in a Drama SeriesThe X-Files
1996NAACP Image AwardOutstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama SeriesER
1997Primetime Emmy AwardOutstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama SeriesER
1998NAACP Image AwardOutstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama SeriesER
2002Black Reel AwardBest Supporting Actress in a Television MovieBoycott
2002NAACP Image AwardOutstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series'
2003Satellite AwardBest Actress – Television Series DramaThe Shield
2003NAACP Image AwardOutstanding Actress in a Drama SeriesThe Shield
2004Satellitte AwardBest Actress – Television Series DramaThe Shield
2004Black Reel AwardBest Supporting Actress in a Television Movie'
2004NAACP Image AwardOutstanding Actress in a Drama SeriesThe Shield
2005Primetime Emmy AwardOutstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama SeriesThe Shield
2006NAACP Image AwardOutstanding Actress in a Drama SeriesThe Shield
2007NAACP Image AwardOutstanding Actress in a Drama SeriesThe Shield
2008NAACP Image AwardOutstanding Actress in a Drama SeriesThe Shield
2009NAACP Image AwardOutstanding Actress in a Drama SeriesThe Shield
2009Primetime Emmy AwardOutstanding Guest Actress in a Drama SeriesThe No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency
2010NAACP Image AwardOutstanding Actress in a Comedy SeriesBrothers
2017NAACP Image AwardOutstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series'
2019NAACP Image AwardOutstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series'