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").
