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Welcome to Wednesday! You’re doing great, really tackling this week head on. And your reward for that is a tiny time-out to celebrate a lady that has managed to put several smiles on your face.
Tracie Thoms is a talented actress that has graced theater stages and screens of all sizes to play friends, bosses, detectives, lawyers, and so, so many more roles. She’s brought her charm, her timing, and some truly heartfelt emotion to stories that you’ll never forget. Which is why we are more than happy to declare her our Woman Crush Wednesday.
WHO’S THAT GAL: Tracie Thoms

WHY WE’RE CRUSHING: Tracie’s brought new levels of feelings to Broadway productions (and one show’s major film adaptation, but more on that later) and mastered drama acting. But that was bound to happen after she attended both Howard University and then a little school called Juilliard, maybe you’ve heard of it? She studied with the likes of Lee Pace and Anthony Mackie before she shot to the top of every casting director’s list. Tracie has worked with some of the finest directors and actors in the industry, and she’s proven that she can display more thoughts with a blank stare than most actors could with a full monologue. She’s one of those actors that proves there truly are no small roles, as some of her guest starring appearances have proved to be the most memorable episodes of a series. As soon as Tracie steps into the action, viewers may as well delightfully rub their hands together, knowing full well that things are about to get interesting.

WHERE YOU’VE SEEN HER BEFORE: Tracie got her start on the As If TV show, followed by Fox’s Wonderfalls, which was cancelled after one season. You might remember her as one of Anne Hathaway’s pals, Lilly, in The Devil Wears Prada, or from Quentin Tarantino’s Death Proof with Rosario Dawson and Mary Elizabeth Winstead, or Looper with Joseph Gordon-Levitt. She also played homicide detective Kat Miller on Cold Case for over 100 episodes! Tracie has stopped by for memorable roles on Suits, Harry’s Law, The Good Wife, and Person of Interest, but her cameos in comedies are where she really stands out. She played a mother trying to share her concerns with Selina on Veep in the hilarious “Alicia Bryce,” and last season on The Mindy Project she showed up as a fellow stage mom Mindy meets at their sons’ audition. Plus, as showrunner Susan Cheryl, Tracie was a part of some of the most LOL-worthy moments on Netflix’s Love.

But perhaps the role Tracie is best known for is that of lawyer Joanne Jefferson in Rent. She starred in the film adaptation of the Broadway show in 2005, opposite Idina Menzel who played Joanne’s lover, Maureen. She also joined the final cast of Rent on Broadway in 2008 to reprise her role as Joanne, a performance that was filmed and made available on DVD (and now on Amazon Video). Oh, and she sang her way through the “Seasons of Love” once more for Neil Patrick Harris, when he directed a production of Rent at the Hollywood Bowl in 2010.
WHERE YOU’LL SEE HER NEXT: Tracie’s got the films A New York Christmas and The California No slated for release this year, as well as the horror film The Basement with Mischa Barton scheduled for 2017. Plus, we can always count on this gal to pop up on our favorite shows and stages!