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Adilah Barnes is one of few veteran actors in Hollywood that have not only mastered the art of successfully marketing herself, but also of utilizing all of her many creative skills – all the while staying true to herself and maintaining her integrity. She has guest-starred most recently in NBC’s series Harry’s Law and Prime Suspect, ABC’s popular series, The Middle, CBS’ well-received Cold Case, and TNT’s Trust Me. Other television credits include Gilmore Girls, City of Angels, For the People, Roswell, The Agency, Family Law, City of Angels, Any Day Now, Suddenly Susan and Mad About You. Her film credits include playing opposite Sandra Bullock in the CastleRock Entertainment film, Murder By Numbers and the Universal blockbuster and award-winning Erin Brockovich with Julia Roberts. She has also appeared opposite Ving Rhames in the CBS Hallmark made-for-tv movie, Little John.

An award-winning actor with over 40 years of acting experience, Barnes is best known to television audiences for her role as Anne Marie on ABC’s Roseanne for five seasons –still running in syndication. Barnes has been fortunate in landing roles that come close to who she really is – a woman of enormous strength, steadfastness and grit on a mission to teach us about life, history and the rewards of perseverance. Her role opposite Hilary Swank, as the infamous Ida B. Wells in HBO’s Iron – Jawed Angels demonstrated this. As Ida B. Wells in Iron Jawed Angels, Barnes marched for women’s rights and ironically, in real life she is also a marcher and supporter for women of every ethnicity.

Ms. Barnes has also extensively toured her own one-woman play, I AM THAT I AM: WOMAN, BLACK, a historical journey into the lives of seven renowned women: Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, Mary McLeod Bethune, Zora Neale Hurston, Lorraine Hansberry, Angela Davis and Maya Angelou. I AM THAT I AM: WOMAN, BLACK, now in its twentieth season, has toured three continents including 40 states across the U.S, Africa, Europe and the Caribbean.

As a writer, Adilah released her first book, ON MY OWN TERMS: One Actor’s Journey in December of 2008. ON MY OWN TERMS received the #3 non-fiction paperback rating in Essence Magazine’s June 2009 issue following President Obama’s two books. She also founded in 2007 The Writer’s Well, an international literary writer’s retreat for women located in a very beautiful, woodsy and serene environment in the Atlanta area. Her retreat has attracted writers from as far away as Ghana.

Adilah Barnes is the Co-Founder of the Los Angeles Women’s Theatre Festival, an annual, multi-cultural festival that showcases female artists in the disciplines of dance, music, theatrical performances, spoken word and comedy that has produced well over 400 artists and is now in its seventeenth year. Both The Los Angeles Women’s Theatre Festival and Ms. Barnes, individually, were honored with the prestigious Women in Theatre Award in 2006.

Adding another dimension to her busy career, Adilah currently hosts her own Internet Radio show “Adilah,” on the Blake Radio Network, Rainbow Soul (BlakeRadio.com) where her thought provoking interviews with celebrity guests are heard by a worldwide audience.

Among many, Adilah’s 2010 achievement awards include X-Cel Entertainment’s Lifetime Achievement Award in Entertainment; Stop the Violence, Increase the Peace Foundation’s Spirit of Peace Award; Black Theatre Network’s Winona Fletcher Award; Oroville, CA’s Dr. Martin Luther King Day Award, and Towson University’s Program of the Year Award.

Also, in 2010, Barnes was honored with the establishment of the 1st Annual Adilah Barnes Arts and Literary Achievement Scholarship for Minneapolis, MN inner city youth.

Adilah Barnes’ Website

Kurt Kelly’s Website

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