Renn Woods
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Renn Woods is a legendary icon in stage, TV and film, an amazing
vocalist and talented emerging playwright. Born in Chicago, Renn was raised in Portland, Oregon, where she formed the girl group, Sunday's Child, at age 10. The trio gained local fame before performing on national television programs, and touring with Bob Hope in Vietnam.
As a child star and teenage heartthrob, Renn is best-known for her roles as "Fanta" in the Emmy Award-winning TV mini-series Roots (1977). Her unforgettable interpretation of "Aquarius" in Milos Forman's movie musical, Hair (1979), is an official classic.
As "Dorothy" in the first national Broadway tour of "The Wiz", her performance was hailed by the critics as a new musical theatre standard for the young performer. She returned in 2006 to that very same theatre (The Ahmanson) in Los Angeles, to the same kind of reception, in "Caroline or Change" (the role of "The Moon"). Renn's own musical, "Sold' Renn Woods in Concert", has continued to earn her respect as a published playwright. The Kennedy Center's Writers Program chose her play as one of 18 plays (out of 2,000 reviewed) to be developed. It began as a one-woman show in the Juneteenth Festival and was quickly produced at the Music Center under Gordon Davidson's tenure. The latest production of SOLD was produced in November 2013.That production is listed in Pittsburgh's "Best of Pittsburgh, as an autobiographical, Tour de Force.
As a song-writer and lyricist, Renn was asked to write a song for the late Robert Altman, when he was honored by The Malibu Celebration of Film with "The Courage Award". She called it "Ode To Altman" and performed it for him and 150 guests at the Magic Castle in 2006. She was chosen by Robert A. Iger, CEO of Disney, as the vocalist for the prestigious Legends Awards Ceremony, inducting Sir Elton John. Renn began singing at the age of six. By age ten, she and two girlfriends had taken the show business world by storm, as their group, Sunday's Child, was adored by such celebrities as Bill Cosby, Sammy Davis Jr. and Johnny Carson.
They toured the world, performing in the very last tour of duty with Bob Hope in Vietnam. Oscar-winning director Robert Zemeckis chose to include a photograph of that Christmas performance with Renn and Mr. Hope in his beloved Forrest Gump (1994), grossing 329 million and counting.
Other film credits include: Crazy World (1996), Walker (1987), Juvie, 9 to 5 (1980) (with Jane Fonda), Jumpin' Jack Flash (1986) (with Whoopi Goldberg), The Jerk (1979), A Perfect Couple (1979), Marshal Law (1996), Xanadu (1980), The Brother from Another Planet (1984), Hair (1979), Car Wash (1976), Youngblood (1978), Beer (1985), Sparkle (1976) and Forrest Gump (1994) (TV clip with Bob Hope).
Renn's TV credits include starring roles in Detention: The Siege at Johnson High (1997) (ABC movie of the week), a series regular or recurring roles in Beauty and the Beast (1987), We've Got Each Other (1977), Roc (1991), Gabriel's Fire (1990), Relativity (1996), Comedy Rush; guest starring roles in NYPD Blue (1993), That's Life (2000), Sabrina the Teenage Witch (1996), High Incident (1996), Monsters (1988).
In 2014, she is recording her third CD as song-writer and solo vocalist.
As a child star and teenage heartthrob, Renn is best-known for her roles as "Fanta" in the Emmy Award-winning TV mini-series Roots (1977). Her unforgettable interpretation of "Aquarius" in Milos Forman's movie musical, Hair (1979), is an official classic.
As "Dorothy" in the first national Broadway tour of "The Wiz", her performance was hailed by the critics as a new musical theatre standard for the young performer. She returned in 2006 to that very same theatre (The Ahmanson) in Los Angeles, to the same kind of reception, in "Caroline or Change" (the role of "The Moon"). Renn's own musical, "Sold' Renn Woods in Concert", has continued to earn her respect as a published playwright. The Kennedy Center's Writers Program chose her play as one of 18 plays (out of 2,000 reviewed) to be developed. It began as a one-woman show in the Juneteenth Festival and was quickly produced at the Music Center under Gordon Davidson's tenure. The latest production of SOLD was produced in November 2013.That production is listed in Pittsburgh's "Best of Pittsburgh, as an autobiographical, Tour de Force.
As a song-writer and lyricist, Renn was asked to write a song for the late Robert Altman, when he was honored by The Malibu Celebration of Film with "The Courage Award". She called it "Ode To Altman" and performed it for him and 150 guests at the Magic Castle in 2006. She was chosen by Robert A. Iger, CEO of Disney, as the vocalist for the prestigious Legends Awards Ceremony, inducting Sir Elton John. Renn began singing at the age of six. By age ten, she and two girlfriends had taken the show business world by storm, as their group, Sunday's Child, was adored by such celebrities as Bill Cosby, Sammy Davis Jr. and Johnny Carson.
They toured the world, performing in the very last tour of duty with Bob Hope in Vietnam. Oscar-winning director Robert Zemeckis chose to include a photograph of that Christmas performance with Renn and Mr. Hope in his beloved Forrest Gump (1994), grossing 329 million and counting.
Other film credits include: Crazy World (1996), Walker (1987), Juvie, 9 to 5 (1980) (with Jane Fonda), Jumpin' Jack Flash (1986) (with Whoopi Goldberg), The Jerk (1979), A Perfect Couple (1979), Marshal Law (1996), Xanadu (1980), The Brother from Another Planet (1984), Hair (1979), Car Wash (1976), Youngblood (1978), Beer (1985), Sparkle (1976) and Forrest Gump (1994) (TV clip with Bob Hope).
Renn's TV credits include starring roles in Detention: The Siege at Johnson High (1997) (ABC movie of the week), a series regular or recurring roles in Beauty and the Beast (1987), We've Got Each Other (1977), Roc (1991), Gabriel's Fire (1990), Relativity (1996), Comedy Rush; guest starring roles in NYPD Blue (1993), That's Life (2000), Sabrina the Teenage Witch (1996), High Incident (1996), Monsters (1988).
In 2014, she is recording her third CD as song-writer and solo vocalist.
