Odetta

Actress-musician Odetta made a splash in Hollywood both on and off-screen. Odetta began her acting career in film, appearing in such titles as the Lee Remick dramatic adaptation "Sanctuary" (1961) and "Chords of Fame" (1984) with Bill Burnett. She had an early role on the television special "The Night of Music: A Global Celebration" (PBS, 1986-87). She also appeared in the TV movie "The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman" (CBS, 1973-74). Odetta also contributed music to the dramatic adaptation "The Gospel According to St. Matthew" (1966) with Enrique Irazoqui and "James Baldwin: The Price of the Ticket" (PBS, 1988-89). She also landed a role in the miniseries "The Fire Next Time" (1992-93). She also contributed to a variety of television specials, including "Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade" (1989-1990), "Songs of Freedom" (PBS, 1991-92) and "Troubadours of Folk Music" (PBS, 1993-94). She also appeared in "Peter, Paul & Mary: Lifelines" (PBS, 1995-96) and "The Ark of the Spirit With Avery Brooks" (TBS, 1995-96). In more recent years, Odetta had roles in "Festival" (1998) with Joan Baez, the documentary "The Ballad of Ramblin' Jack" (2000) with Kris Kristofferson and the documentary "Lightning in a Bottle" (2004) with Aerosmith. She also appeared in the Wavy Gravy documentary "Saint Misbehavin': The Wavy Gravy Movie" (2010). Odetta's music was most recently used in the Ryan Reynolds drama "Mississippi Grind" (2015). Odetta also contributed music to "Everything Must Go" (2011) and "Selma" (2014). Odetta passed away in December 2008 at the age of 78.