Lonette McKee

Cast in a key role in the 1976 musical drama Sparkle, McKee made an impression as a drug-addicted singer in a Supremes-like band, and she quickly caught the eye of casting agents. Appearing in such features as The Cotton Club and Brewster's Millions during the '80s, it was also during this period that she essayed her Tony-nominated role in Show Boat. Spike Lee later cast her in three of his films during the '90s: Jungle Fever, Malcolm X, and He Got Game. After being voted one of People magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People in the World" in 1995, McKee began a two-year stint on the soap opera As the World Turns. She also returned to the studio in 1992 to record Natural Love, her first album in nearly 20 years. The actress alternated between film and television in the early 2000s with parts in Men of Honor (2001), Honey (2003), and a recurring role in the NBC series Third Watch. McKee is married to a New York social worker and is the sister of dancer/actress Kathrine McKee. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide