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Husbandless Anna Deavere Smith, Eldest of 5 Children: Black Ethnicity Activism

By LRU Writer | On:
Marriage isn't for everyone, especially these days. Rather the people want to find their independence, without having kids and getting divorced. Some even think or realize that they don't need another person to make them happy which just feels right. Similarly, the American actress and publisher Anna Deavere Smith is not a married woman even though she is already in her mid-60s. While women of her age are busy raising their grandkids and some even getting married for the third time, Anna here doesn't seem to have a boyfriend nor a husband in her life.
Husbandless Anna Deavere Smith, Eldest of 5 Children: Black Ethnicity Activism

Marriage isn't for everyone, especially these days. Rather the people want to find their independence, without having kids and getting divorced. Some even think or realize that they don't need another person to make him/her happy which just feels right. Similarly, the American actress and publisher Anna Deavere Smith is not a married woman even though she is already in her mid-60s. But what made the actress not get married? Did she go through some rough patches in her life which made her view towards marriage different? Or does she hold her perspective regarding marriage? Without any further ado, let us find out! 

Not Married Even At The Age Of Sixty-five!

While women of Anna's age are busy raising their grandkids and some are even getting married for the third time, Anna doesn't seem to have a boyfriend nor a husband in her life. However, according to  People, Anna has no time for a personal life which unrolls the fact that she has never been married nor has outside interests besides being determined and committed towards her career. Well, we can see that Anna’s partiality for work has taken its charge.

But surprisingly, we came across some sources, which hinted towards the suspicion that Anna might be sexually gay and want to keep the matter to herself rather than be open about it. However, while talking about the Freddie Gray's death case and justice system in September 2015, in September 2015, Anna revealed about how her boyfriend had been a police victim for no reason. She said:

My boyfriend, Jake, was near — he was walking to the store. And the police jacked him up and threw him against the wall for no reason, checked him for no reason. And since that time, his momma’s like, I have got to get away from here, because, around this area, that’s all it is around here, is just drug dealers, drug dealers, drug dealers.

Well, the conversation shows a pretty strong signal that she's involved with someone else and is of straight orientation.

A Strong And Leading Activist:

Anna is one powerful and influential actress, who has moved a lot of people through her powerful portrayal in plays. Her work "Twilight," is higly recognized which was written and originally performed in 1992. The act got featured on Broadway in New York City in 1994 and was a success for 72 consecutive shows. Most importantly, Twilight was an interpretation of the violence in Los Angeles riot, also known as Rodney King riot.

 

Caption: Video done in 2006 for a presentation on the play "Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992" by Anna Deavere Smith. (Published on Sep 18, 2008 )

Most importantly, Twilight was an interpretation of the violence in Los Angeles riot, also known as Rodney King riot.

Moreover, Anna also received the 2012 National Humanities Medal from the former President Barack Obama for her portrayal of authentic American voices, making her one of the few humanitarian souls who believe in what they are doing to make a positive change in people’s lives.

Know More About Anna Deavere Smith:

Recipient of numerous prestigious awards, Anna Deavere Smith, was born on September 18, 1950, in Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America, as the eldest of five children in a middle-class family of black ethnicity. Her father Deavere Smith Jr. was a coffee merchant and her mother Anna Rosalind was a principal of an elementary school. Anna was educated at the Western High School and then graduated in 1971 from Beaver College.

She later attended the American Controversy Theatre in San Fransisco and received her MFA in Acting. After graduation, she started working in several off- Broadway shows and also appeared in some T. V roles. She is currently working with ART (American Repertory Theatre), writing and directing plays to perform for education purposes.Anna has created influential and powerful performances in her life time for her roles in Nancy McNally on "The West Wing" or Gloria Akalitus in  Nurse Jackie," Most notable ones were her documentarian- theatre performances like Fires in the Mirror and Twilight, which were based on real events. 

In 2000, Anna was assigned as University Professor at New York University where she teaches at the Tisch School of the Arts. She also taught drama at Stanford University, the University of Southern California, and Carnegie Mellon University, and has held visiting professorships at the Yale School of Medicine and UCLA.