Lisa Gay Hamilton
A graduate of the Juilliard School’s drama division, Hamilton’s extensive theatre credits include Isabella in Measure for Measure at the New York Shakespeare Theatre Festival opposite Kevin Kline and Andre Braugher. She also starred as Grace in the original Broadway company of August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson.
Hamilton earned the Ovation nomination for best actress for her work as Veronica in Athol Fugard’s play, Valley Song, at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles. Mr. Fugard also directed this production. Additionally, she earned an Obie Award, the Clarence Derwent Award and a Drama Desk nomination for the role as the play toured to the Manhattan Theatre Club and the McCarter Theatre. Recently she starred on Broadway in August Wilson’s play Gem of the Ocean.
Hamilton’s film credits include Clint Eastwood’s True Crime, the independents Palookaville, Drunks, The Sum of All Fears, as Ophelia in director Campbell Scott’s film of Hamlet, and the Jonathan Demme films Beloved and The Truth About Charlie, where she stars opposite Mark Wahlberg and Thandie Newton, and Nine Lives directed by Rodrigo Garcia. She will be seen in the upcoming release The Tourist directed by Marcel Lengenegger, opposite Hugh Jackman and Ewan MacGregor.
Hamilton starred in Showtime’s A House Divided opposite Sam Waterston, a production that received rave notices and many accolades. She is well known for her regular role on the Emmy Award winning David Kelley drama, The Practice, on ABC, for which she also directed an episode. Hamilton’s documentary Beah: A Black Woman Speaks, which she directed and co-produced with Jonathan Demme, premiered on HBO and went on to win Best Documentary at the AFI Awards and a Peabody Award, and was nominated for Best Documentary by the Emmy committee and an Image Award.
