Trivia

The youngest actor ever to win three Tony Awards.

She almost didn't graduate from Juilliard because of her lack of interest in classical music, but with the help of a fellow student, impressed her teachers and went on to become a huge Broadway star.

At her final "Carousel" audition, Audra fainted on stage while singing. She still got the part and went on to win her first Tony Award in 1994.

Won a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play, for playing Billie Holiday in "Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill". This was her sixth Tony Award win, and it meant that she set a number of records. She is now the first performer, male or female, to win six competitive Tonys (Julie Harris also had six Tonys, but one was honorary). McDonald is also the only performer ever to win Tonys in all four possible acting categories: Best Leading Performance in both a play and a musical, and Best Supporting Performance in both a play and a musical. (June 2014)

Suffered from long term severe depression and admitted she once attempted to take her own life in her early twenties.

Although born in Germany, she was raised in Fresno, California.

Gave birth to her second child at age 46, a daughter named Sally James McDonald-Swenson on 19 October 2016. Child's father is her husband, Will Swenson.

Daughter Zoe Madeline (pronounced ZO); named after Zoe Caldwell and the late Madeline Kahn, two good friends of McDonald's.

Married her boyfriend of two years, Will Swenson. It is the second marriage for both. (October 6, 2012)

Has won five Tony Awards in 11 years: as Best Actress (Featured Role - Musical) in 1994 for a revival of "Carousel", in 1998 for playing Sarah in Ragtime", as Best Actress (Featured Role - Play) in 1996 for playing Sharon in Terrence McNally's "Master Class", and in 2004 for her portrayal of Ruth Younger in a revival of Lorraine Hansberry's "A Raisin in the Sun". Audra won her fifth Tony award in the Leading Actress in a musical category for playing Bess in the Tony-winning revival of The Gershwin's Porgy and Bess in 2012. She was also nominated in 2000 as Best Actress (Musical) for playing the title role in "Marie Christine", and in 2007 for playing Lizzie Curry in a revival of "110 in the Shade".

While starring in the Broadway musical "Shuffle Along," McDonald announced that she would need to take a break from appearing in the show because, at 45, she unexpectedly found herself pregnant. She tweeted, "Who knew that tap dancing during perimenopause could lead 2 pregnancy? @thewillswenson & I are completely surprised but elated 2 b expecting." Although the producers ultimately decided to close the show because McDonald had to leave it, McDonald did perform a vigorous song-and-tap dance routine at that year's Tony Awards, while six months pregnant. (May 2016)

Graduated from The Juilliard School in 1993.

"Marie Christine," her first starring role on Broadway, was written specifically for her by Michael John LaChiusa after he saw her audition for "Carousel.".

Five of her aunts toured in the 1970s as the McDonald Sisters. They sang gospel music.

She was awarded the 2016 National Medal of the Arts for her services and contributions to theatre.

Husband Peter Donovan also graduated from Juilliard, where they met. He is her bass player, and they do a number together called "Beat My Dog." (Audra has also made several appearances with Evening at Pops (1970), and her concert "Live at the Donmar" [with Peter] was broadcast on PBS, as were three appearances on "Live From Lincoln Center".).

She was awarded the 1995 Los Angeles Stage Alliance Ovation Award for Best Featured Actress for "Master Class" in a Gordon Davidson/Mark Taper Forum production at the Mark Taper Forum Theatre in Los Angeles, California.

Gave birth to her first child at age 30, a daughter named Zoe Madeline Donovan on 14 February 2001. Child's father is her now-ex-first husband, Peter Donovan.

Audra is the only performer to win Tony Awards in all four acting categories: 1994, "Carousel" and 1998, "Ragtime"(Featured Actress in a Musical); 1996, "Master Class" and 2004, "A Raisin in the Sun"(Featured Actress in a Play); 2012, "Porgy and Bess"(Lead Actress in a Musical); and 2014, "Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill"(Lead Actress in a Musical).

Audra is one of three performers to receive six Tony Awards; however, Audra won hers exclusively in competition, while Julie Harris and Angela Lansbury received five Tonys in competition and received a Lifetime Achievement Award as the sixth.

Attended Roosevelt School of the Arts in Fresno with Christopher Gorham, Matthew Floyd Miller, Kurando Mitsutake, James Runcorn, and Mick Wingert.

Sister-in-law of Robert Swenson.