Adilah Barnes

Adilah Barnes is one of few veteran actors in Hollywood who has mastered the art of utilizing all of her many creative skills – all the while staying true to herself and maintaining her integrity. She has guest-starred on such tv series as Showtime’s Shameless, The Middle, ABC’s Body of Proof, NBC’s Harry’s Law and Prime Suspect. She is probably best known for her role as “Anne Marie” for 6 seasons on ABC’s Roseanne.

Her film credits include playing opposite Sandra Bullock in Murder By Numbers and the Universal blockbuster, Erin Brockovich with Julia Roberts. She has also appeared opposite Ving Rhames in the heartwarming CBS Hallmark made-for-tv movie, Little John, among many other credits. In her role opposite Hilary Swank, as the infamous Ida B. Wells in HBO’s Iron - Jawed Angels, Barnes marched for women’s rights and ironically, in real life she is also a marcher and supporter for women.

As an acting instructor and coach, Barnes’ many celebrity clients have included Freda Payne, Florence LaRue, Toni Braxton, Jada Pinkett, Kym Whitley, Benjamin Bratt, Don “DC” Curry, Chris Brown and Lauren Lane, among many others.

As a writer, Barnes released her first book, ON MY OWN TERMS: One Actor’s Journey in December of 2008. ON MY OWN TERMS received the #3 non-fiction paperback rating in Essence Magazine’s June 2009 issue following President Obama’s two books. In 2007, She founded The Writer’s Well, an international literary writer’s retreat for women located in a very beautiful, woodsy and serene environment in the Atlanta area. It has attracted global writers from as far away as Ghana and Puerto Rico.

Barnes is the Co-Founder of the Los Angeles Women’s Theatre Festival, an annual, multi-cultural solo festival that has produced close to 500 artists from around the globe and celebrated its 25th Anniversary in 2018. Adilah has received numerous honors, including the 50 Most Influential Alumni at UC Santa Cruz.