Happy 50th Birthday Audra McDonald

^{Audra Ann McDonald born 7/3/1970 West Berlin, Germany.}

^{Her father was in the U.S. Army, she grew up in Fresno, California.}

^{She graduated from Juilliard.}

^{She is an actress and singer.}

^{She won six Tony awards more than any other person.}

^{She has been married twice, divorced once, and has two children.}

^{She is the first person to win Tony Awards in all four acting categories.}

^{She is the first black woman to portray traditional white roles in major Broadway productions.}

^{In an acceptance speech for a Tony award, she said:}

^{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.}