DREAMGIRLS' Sheryl Lee Ralph to Guest Star as Jennifer Hudson's Mother in NBC's SMASH Season 2!

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Sheryl Lee Ralph will guest star on NBC's Smash season two as Cynthia, mother of Jennifer Hudson's character Veronica Moore. Ralph starred as Deena Jones in Broadway's Dreamgirls in 1981.

Read the original report here.

Academy Award winner for the Dreamgirls film, Hudson is set to appear in a multi-episode arc as a Tony Award-winning Broadway actor who influences both Katharine McPhee's Karen and Megan Hilty's Ivy.

Aside from Dreamgirls, Ralph has also appeared in Broadway's Thoroughly Modern Millie, Reggae, Swing and more. Her film credits include Oliver & Company, The Mighty Quinn, The Distinguished Gentleman, Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit, Deterrence, Baby of the Family and more. On television, Ralph has appeared in Tyler Perry's House of Payne, Young Justice, Baldwin Hills, Hannah Montana, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, Moesha, Designing Women, It's a Living, Pros and Cons, Hunter and many more.

As previously reported, Daniel Sunjata has also recently been added to an ever-growing cast roster for SMASH's upcoming season. He will play a recurring role as a new love interest for Debra Messing's Julia. Krysta Rodriguez, Andy Mientus and Jeremy Jordan will also make appearances throughout the season. Jaime Cepero, Raza Jaffrey, Will Chase and Brian d'Arcy James will not return to the show for its midseason premiere.

"Smash" is a musical drama that celebrates the beauty and heartbreak of the Broadway theater as it follows a cross-section of dreamers and schemers who all have one common desire - to be a Broadway star The series stars Emmy Award winner Debra Messing ("Will & Grace"), Oscar winner Anjelica Huston ("Prizzi's Honor"), Jack Davenport ("Pirates of the Caribbean" films), Tony Award winner Christian Borle ("Peter and the Starcatcher"), Katharine McPhee ("American Idol"), Megan Hilty ("9 to 5: The Musical") and Tony Award nominee Jeremy Jordan ("Newsies").

From Universal Television in association with DreamWorks Television, "Smash" stemmed from an idea of executive producer and multiple Emmy and Oscar winner Steven Spielberg ("ER," "Schindler's List"). The series' executive producers also include Joshua Safran ("Gossip Girl"), Craig Zadan and Neil Meron (Oscar-winning "Chicago," "Hairspray"), Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey ("United States of Tara," "The Borgias"), Tony and Grammy Award winners Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman ("Hairspray," "Catch Me If You Can") and Theresa Rebeck ("Mauritius," "NYPD Blue").

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