Valarie Pettiford received a Tony
nomination for her role in the Broadway
production Fosse. She is also
known for her role as “Big Dee Dee”
Thorne on the UPN sitcom “Half & Half.”
Pettiford began her career as a principal
dancer in the the Bernice Johnson Dance
Company then moved into theatre, dancing
and singing in Award-winning productions,
touring and on Broadway in Bob
Fosse’s Dancin’ and Big Deal, Sophisticated
Ladies just to name a few. Her first
starring role was in the 30th anniversary
tour of West Side Story as Anita. She then
starred as Julie in the touring production
of Show Boat. Pettiford also received Dora
Mava Moore Award nomination, Outer
Critics, and recognized by the Drama
League nominations for her role in the
Broadway production Fosse. She then
appeared as Velma Kelly in Chicago in
the West End in London, alongside Chita
Rivera as Roxie Hart. Pettiford won the
Back Stage Bistro Award for her cabaret
debut at the Metropolitan Room, and won
an NAACP Theatre Award for her lead role
in The Wild Party. Pettiford’s first film role
was while still at the High School of Performing
Arts, as part of the ensemble in
The Wiz. She starred as Mariah Carey’s
mother in the major film Glitter, had a part
in Stomp the Yard and played Aunt Geneva
in the film, Jumping the Broom. Pettiford
appeared on daytime soap operas,
including “Another World” and “One Life
to Live” (where she originated the role of
Sheila Price). Her “Half & Half” role as Big
Dee Dee Thorne gained her three NAACP
Image Award nominations. She has guest
starred in over two dozen television
shows. And most recently American audiences
tuned in religiously to watch NBC’s
top-rated drama, “The Blacklist,” where
Pettiford has a re-occurring role as the
wife to Harry Cooper Assistant Director of
the FBI Counter-Terrorism Division.