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The Mighty Sparrow crooned,
“Oh, there’s no place like home for the holidays
‘Cause no matter how far away you roam
When you pine for the sunshine of a friendly gaze
For the holidays, you can’t beat home, sweet home”
This was perhaps one of the many thoughts of internationally acclaimed Guyanese-American actress, Carol Christine Hilaria Pounder aka CCH Pounder, who spent the Christmas Season in Guyana.
CCH, a Christmas child, was born on December 25, 1952 in Georgetown, Guyana to Ronald Urlington Pounder and Betsy Enid Arnella (née James).
The four-time Emmy Award nominee said as a child, whilst at boarding school, she was hit by a pickle ball in the back of her head resulting in memory problems. Recounting her lived experiences, Pounder said the nuns gave her poems to remember to try and get her memory going again, and it is that memory she counts on as an actress, which has earned her several roles in the industry, prestigious nominations and awards.
Whilst in Guyana CCH found the time to impart her knowledge to up-and-coming artists at an event hosted by attorney-at-law Nigel Hughes. Writing on his Facebook, Hughes glowingly spoke of the privilege accorded him to host “an interaction between CCH Pounder and the art community” and Pounder sharing her craft with the next generation.
CCH has not left her roots behind, evident in action and proclamation that: “I’ve got a general callout with the Caribbean world in which I’m interested in helping in any way to get their well-written good stories out to the rest of the world. I am really interested in helping those stories get to a completion and public viewing.”
An award-winning actress she appeared in numerous miniseries, plays, films, and television shows. She appeared on the CBS series NCIS: New Orleans, portraying “Dr. Loretta Wade.” She played “Mo ‘at” in the Avatar sequel, and is expected to reprise said role in Avatar 2 and 3. In the critically acclaimed FX series CCH played “Claudette Wyms” for seven years.
Her other notable projects include the television shows- Warehouse 13, Revenge, Sons of Anarchy, Brothers, Law and Order: SVU and, the Home Box Office’s No. 1, Ladies’ Detective Agency where she earned an Emmy® nomination. She has acted in “The Shield” earning herself another Emmy® nomination, the MIB Prism Award, two Golden Satellite Awards and the “Genii Excellence in TV Award.”
She recently joined the cast of Ed Solomon’s HBO Max limited series ‘Full Circle.’ As per Deadline News, in Full Circle an investigation into a botched kidnapping uncovers long-held secrets connecting multiple characters and cultures in present-day New York City.
Other honours for Pounder include an Emmy® nomination for her role as Dr. Angela Hicks on the NBC series ER, and an Emmy® nomination for her role in FOX’s The X-FILES. In addition, she received a Grammy® Award nomination for “Best Spoken Word Album” for “Grow old along with me, the best is yet to be.” Pounder won an AUDIE, the Audio Publishers Association’s top honour, for “Women in the Material World.”
Her film credits include Home Again, Rain, Prizzi’s Honour, Postcards from the Edge, Robocop 3, Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight, Face/Off, Silver, End of Days, Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, Avatar, Bagdad Café, Godzilla: King of the Monsters.
An avid art collector, patron, gallery owner and founder, Pounder has an extensive collection that includes Caribbean artists and artists of the African Diaspora. For her advocacy in art, CCH is the recipient of the Visionary Leadership Award in Performing Arts from the Museum of the African Diaspora (MOAD) in San Francisco, the 2015 Carney Awards, the Lifetime Achievement Award from Chase Brexton Health Care in Baltimore, 2015 Honoree at the Grand Performances Gala in Los Angeles.
In 2016, she was the honoree of the SweetArts Performing Arts, issued by the Contemporary Arts Center in New Orleans. In 2017 she received the Women of Power Award from the National Urban League and in 2018, the Bob Marley Award from AFUWI (American Foundation for the University of the West Indies).
(Sources: internet, Nigel Hughes’ Facebook cchpounder.net)
