C. C. H. Pounder
C. C. H. Pounder is a prominent Emmy-nominated actor and activist recognized for her compelling performances in both television and film. Born on December 25, 1952, in Georgetown, British Guiana, she grew up in a culturally rich environment before moving to Brooklyn, New York, in 1970. With a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Ithaca College, Pounder began her career in theater before transitioning into film, where she gained acclaim for her roles in productions such as "Bagdad Café" and the long-running TV series "ER." She is perhaps best known for her portrayal of Detective Claudette Wyms on the critically acclaimed series "The Shield," which solidified her status as a powerful presence on screen.
In addition to her television success, Pounder starred in major films, including "Avatar" and its sequel "Avatar: The Way of Water." Beyond acting, she founded Artists for a New South Africa, focusing on raising awareness about post-apartheid issues. A talented artist in her own right, Pounder has an extensive art collection displayed in various museums. Throughout her career, she has demonstrated a commitment to social causes, making her a respected figure in both the entertainment industry and the activist community.
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Subject Terms
C. C. H. Pounder
Actor
- Born: December 25, 1952
- Place of Birth: Georgetown, British Guiana
Contribution: C. C. H. Pounder is an Emmy-nominated actor and activist known for her roles on the crime dramas The Shield (2002–8), NCIS: New Orleans (2014– ), and the films Avatar (2009) and Avatar: The Way of Water (2022).
Background
Carol Christine Hilaria Pounder was born on December 25, 1952, in Georgetown, British Guiana (now Guyana), daughter of Ronald Urlington Pounder, a real-estate agent, and Betsy Enid James Arnella, a stay-at-home mother. She grew up on a sugar plantation in British Guiana before attending a boarding school in England with her older sister, Shelley.
In 1970, Pounder moved to the Brooklyn borough of New York City in the United States, joining her parents, who had moved there earlier. Once there, she attended Ithaca College in Ithaca, New York, where she discovered her talent for acting. She earned a bachelor of fine arts degree in drama and decided to pursue acting as a full-time career.
Career
Pounder's career began with theater, where she acted in the same classical style as she did throughout college. Her first play outside of college was The Mighty Gents with Morgan Freeman at the 1979 New York Shakespeare Festival.
Early in her career, Pounder had no concrete plans to work in film, and her first transition to film was a reluctant one. She went to a film audition simply in order to demonstrate several Caribbean accents; when director Bob Fosse decided he wanted her for the role, she responded that she was a theater actor and did not act in films. Eventually he convinced her to take the part and join the Screen Actors Guild. He walked her through her first film experience, All That Jazz (1979), which was met with positive reviews.
Her next major role was in the 1985 film Prizzi's Honor. Pounder worked with legendary director John Huston, who passed away soon after the release of the film. She then landed her first starring role, in the film Bagdad Café (1987). Her experience making Bagdad Café convinced her to pursue a film career wholeheartedly, as it made her realize how much of an impact she could make on people's lives through movies. Pounder then took a leading role in the short-lived prison drama series Women in Prison (1987–88), which lasted for a single season.
After Women in Prison, Pounder took on a slew of smaller roles, including appearances in the films Postcards from the Edge (1990), The Importance of Being Earnest (1992), and Sliver (1993), and a recurring role as a judge in four episodes of LA Law, until she landed a regular role on the popular television series ER. From 1994 to 1997, she played Dr. Angela Hicks, for which role she was nominated for a 1997 Primetime Emmy Award for best supporting actress.
Pounder then resumed taking bit parts on the big and small screens until 2002, when she began appearing in the first-billed role of Detective Claudette Wyms on the hit television series The Shield (2002–8). Wyms, a strong-willed and tough investigator, became Pounder's defining role. For seven seasons, she played the moral anchor opposite the corrupt cops in the anti-gang "Strike Force." In 2005, Pounder was nominated for an Emmy Award for outstanding supporting actress in a drama series for the role.
Following the end of The Shield, Pounder landed a leading role in the sitcom Brothers, but it only lasted for one season, in 2009. The same year, she began a recurring role on the science-fiction show Warehouse 13 (2009–14) as Irene Frederic, the mysterious caretaker of the titular warehouse. Also in 2009, Pounder was in James Cameron's Oscar-winning film Avatar as Mo'at, the matriarch of an alien society. Avatar became one of the highest-grossing films of all time. Pounder then appeared in the films My Girlfriend's Back (2010), Home Again (2012), and The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (2013).
Pounder also did voiceovers for many animated works, including several films, shows, and video games based on the Batman superhero franchise. She had a recurring part on the popular series Sons of Anarchy from 2013 to 2014, among other television appearances. Also in 2014 she landed her next long-running role, as Dr. Loretta Wade on the spinoff procedural NCIS: New Orleans. She potrayed Vinetta Clark in two episodes of The Good Fight in 2021, and in the miniseries Full Circle in 2023. The following year, she played Secretary General Lilian Joseph in two episodes of 3 Body Problem.
In 2019, Pounder returned to the screen with a supporting role in the big-budget Godzilla: King of the Monsters. In 2022, she again played Mo'at in Avatar: The Way of Water, the second film in the franchise. Pounder resumed this role in Avatar: Fire and Ash, which was scheduled for release in 2025. In 2023, she landed a role in Rustin, a film about activist Bayard Rustin, who faced racism and homophobia. Pounder portrayed Dr. Anna Arnold Hedgeman.
Impact
Though Pounder initially preferred a career on the stage and wanted nothing to do with Hollywood, she later changed her mind and went on to become a successful actor on the big and small screens. She also became known for using her star power to help others, founding Artists for a New South Africa, an organization that promoted awareness of post-apartheid HIV/AIDS-related problems.
Personal Life
Pounder married Boubacar Kone in 1991 in Senegal. They had three children together. In 1997, the two founded the Musée Boribana, Senegal's first museum of contemporary art. Kone passed away in 2016.
Pounder is also a successful artist. Her collection of more than five hundred pieces, created over forty-five years, has been on display at museums.
Bibliography
"CCH Pounder." IMDb, 2024, www.imdb.com/name/nm0001634/. Accessed 20 Sept. 2024.
Dulin, Dann. "Passion for Action." A&U: America's AIDS Magazine. A&U Mag., Jan. 2006. Web. 9 Aug. 2013.
O'Sullivan, Mike. "Hollywood Actress Rediscovers African Roots." Voice of America. VOA News and Information, 30 Oct. 2009. Web. 9 Aug. 2013.
Pounder, C. C. H. "A Talk with C. C. H. Pounder, The Shield's Claudette Wyms." Interview by Maureen Ryan. Chicago Tribune. Tribune Newspaper, 20 Aug. 2008. Web. 9 Aug. 2013.
Pounder, C. C. H. "CCH Pounder: The Definition of Success." Interview by Colleen Patrick. MovieScope Nov. 2006: 24–6. Print.
Pounder, C. C. H. Interview by Noel Murray. AV Club. Onion, 18 May 2010. Web. 9 Aug. 2013.
Scott, Chad. "Actress CCH Pounder Teams Up with the DuSable in Chicago to Show Art Collection." Forbes, 11 May 2023, www.forbes.com/sites/chaddscott/2023/05/11/actress-cch-pounder-teams-up-with-the-dusable-in-chicago-to-share-art-collection/. Accessed 20 Sept. 2024.
Sing, Kimoy Leon. "Avatar's CCH Pounder Films in T&T." Trinidad Express Newspapers. One Caribbean, 28 Jan. 2012. Web. 9 Aug. 2013.