Actor / Director Profile

Lonette McKee's career began in the music industry in hometown Detroit, Michigan as a child prodigy, where she began playing keyboards composing music and lyrics, singing and performing professionally at a young age. At fourteen she recorded her first record, "Stop Don't Worry 'Bout It" which became an instant regional Pop/R&B hit. McKee wrote the title song for feature film "Quadroon" when just fifteen. She has written and produced five solo LPs: "Natural Love" "Lonette" "Words and Music" "Acoustic Tracks" and "Lonette McKee" McKee scored the music for a well-received cable documentary on the lower Manhattan African Burial Ground, as well as numerous infomercials. She has toured extensively throughout the world in concert performances, including the JVC Jazz Festival at Carnegie Hall. McKee continues to write and produce music and will score her feature, "Dream Street" which she has written and will mark her directorial debut.Feature film credits include; 'Sparkle', 'Cuba', 'Which Way Is Up' and 'Brewsters Millions' - both opposite the legendary Richard Pryor; 'The Cotton Club' and 'Gardens of Stone' for Francis Coppola; 'Lift', for which she earned a Black Reel nomination. Other films include 'Honey', 'Men of Honor', 'Round Midnight' for the great filmmaker Bertrand Tavenier, 'A Day in Black and White', 'Fast Food Fast Women' 'Paper Mache Chase'and 'Jungle Fever', 'Malcolm X', 'He Got Game' and 'She Hate Me' for Spike Lee. Television mini series and films include; 'Women of Brewster Place', for which she received an NAACP nomination, 'Having Our Say', 'Queen' with Halle Berry, 'To Dance with Olivia' and 'For Love of Olivia' - both opposite Louis Gossett Jr. for CBS television network and 'Blind Faith' for Showtime Cable Network. Lonette also received an NAACP nomination for her appearances on the long-running CBS soap opera 'As The World Turns'.Recently, Lonette did a recurring role on the NBC hit drama 'Third Watch' and 'Missing'. She was recognized in People Magazine's 'Fifty Most Beautiful' issue. She studied film directing at The New School in New York and apprenticed film directing with Spike Lee. Lonette is producing her feature film 'Dream Street' and has production companies in New York NY. Lonette is conducting her acclaimed Actor's Workshop at City College of New york starting Feb 2012. Lonette is also producing the first ever 'Sparkle Live Concert' series, which features the original cast from the film performing together live. Lonette is featured in the new 'Honey 2' movie and 'LUV' movie opposite Common, which received accolades at Sundance Festival.