Any Day Now wouldn't be complete without Lorraine Toussaint as Rene Jackson.
The actress embodied the role and, along with Annie Potts, made a successful '90s series that became a classic. Beyond the role of Jackson, Toussaint has achieved remarkable success in many categories and even learned the value of saying "no."
Here are five facts about the actress.
Toussaint was born in Trinidad and Tobago
In a 2014 interview with HuffPost, the actress talked about what it was like to grow up in the southernmost island country.
"I grew up under the British system, which I think is horrific for children — very, very strict — a system that did not recognize children as being individuals. You were small animals earning the right to be human. Childhood for me then felt extraordinarily powerless, and as an artistic child who learned in alternative ways, it was hell."
She moved to New York City in the 1960s.
Toussaint's mother was a teacher, and she moved them to New York City in the late 1960s. This move opened up a world of endless opportunities for the actress, and in 1978, she graduated from Manhattan's High School of Performing Arts.
Toussaint attended the prestigious Juilliard.
Attending Juilliard is a dream for many performing artists and creatives. Toussaint was a part of the school's drama division as a member of group 11. Her classmates included Megan Gallagher and Jack Kenny, among many more. She graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts.
She began her career in theater.
Like many talented actresses, Toussaint started her career as a stage actress, acting in productions such as Hippolyta in Liviu Ciulei's production of A Midsummer Night's Dream and Tamara in the world premiere of Toni Morrison's Dreaming Emmett.
In the 1980s, Toussaint made her screen debut.
The transition from stage to screen can be difficult, but Toussaint's talents helped her get through it. In 1986, she portrayed a widow in the made-for-TV film A Case of Deadly Force. She then snagged a recurring role as Vera Williams in the Soap Opera One Life to Live. Toussaint made her way to other shows, including 227 and Law & Order.
She also made her film debut in the female lead role opposite Burt Reynolds in the crime comedy Breaking In (1989).
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