Audra Ann McDonald, who was born on July 3, 1970 in Berlin, Germany, was raised as the elder of two daughters in Fresno, California. At a young age, she started studying acting and classical voice. She entered Juilliard School of Music and graduated in 1993. Launching her acting career, she appeared on musicals such as Carousel, Master Class, and Ragtime, which each earned her a Tony Award. Moving on to the big screen, her credits include Seven Servants (1996), The Object of My Affection (1998), Cradle Will Rock (1999), It Runs in the Family (2003) and Best Thief in the World (2004). McDonald has also appeared on television series such as Homicide: Life on the Street,
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Mister Sterling and
Kidnapped . McDonald was recently cast as Naomi Bennett on
Grey's Anatomy 's spin-off Private Practice, as replacement for Merrin Dungey.
Naomi Bennett of Private Practice is played by Audra McDonald. Naomi is a fertility specialist working at the Oceanside Wellness Centre in Los Angeles, California. Among her co-workers at the clinic is her ex-husband and health guru Dr. Jackson "Sam" Bennett, who left her for no apparent reason. The couple has a daughter named Maya, whose godmother is Naomi's best friend from medical school, Dr. Addison Montgomery. After running a fertility test on her best friend, Naomi reveals to Addison that she cannot bear children, as her antrall follicle count is just two.