What common thread does directors Steven Spielberg, Woody Allen, Alan Pacula and actors Meryl Streep, Harrison Ford, Samuel L. Jackson, Forrest Whitaker, Tom Cruise, Eddie Murphy, Morgan Freeman, Ice Cube, Christopher Reeve, Lucille Ball, Lauren Bacall and Mickey Rooney? They all worked with Harlem born actress ANNA MARIA HORSFORD.

While many think the hit NBC series AMEN was her break through project, Ms. Horsford had developed a plethora of fans by that time. Prior to coming to Hollywood, Anna had a solid list of accomplishments on and off Broadway including “for Colored Girls who have considered suicide…” the classic soap “The Guiding Light” and the TV movie “The Tap Dance Kid.”

The High School of Performing Arts graduate was born into a family of risk takers. Her father, Victor emigrated form Antigua, British West Indies and mother Lillian came from the Dominican Republic. He supported his family from his real state holding and was the first Black owner of a super market in Harlem. Her guest spots have included some TV highest rated programs. “Grey’s Anatomy”, “Entourage”, “Cold Case”, “Everybody Hates Chris”, “Las Vegas”, and most recently the Fox hit “The New Girl”, and FX’s “The League.”

Although television has been very gracious, the award-wining actress has spread her talent behind the camera as well and is a member of the Director’s Guild of America. She can be seen in Tyler Perry’s A Madea Christmas also in Our Family Wedding, Gridiron Gang, Broken Bridges, Street Smart, Minority Report, Along Came A Spider, Kiss The Girls, Set It Off, Presumed Innocent, and St. Elmo’s Fire, How High, as well as two of the Friday series with Chris Tucker. These are just a few of the movies you can watch her leave her indelible mark.

Reviewing Anna Maria’s service resume, one wonders when she had time to work. She taught a drama therapy at the College of New Rochelle, N.Y. She conducted an acting workshop for the City Volunteer Corp in Upstate, New York. She also assisted her mentor Ellis Haizlip at a creative writing workshop at Rickers Island through Hospital Audiences, Inc.

During her fist years in Hollywood, she become spoke person and fund raiser for the Institute of Black Parenting. An agency to increase adoption for black children with black families and single parent homes. Sponsored and hosted a stand up coming festival LAUGHING INSIDE at several New Jersey prisons.

In 2011, her service to autism got recognized and saluted by The Barbados Association of California. Additionally some of the honors that stand out are Lifetime Achievement Award from Dept of Black Studies at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, Commitment of Excellence and Humanity from Sigma Gamma Ro, Generations of Light from the American Bible Society, The Mayor’s award The Annie Malone Children’s Home St. Louis, and M.A.D.D. award for driving in the Celebrity Indianapolis 500 race, as well as 2010 Honoree United Negro College Fund Mask Ball. Anna Maria Horsford was recently honored with the prestigious Ambassador of Tourism of Antigua and Barbuda. Her father was a Gaveyite (following the Back to Africa teachings of Marcus Garvey and instilled in her “It’s not enough to do good for yourself, you have to do something that makes it better for the generations that come after you.”