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Sonya's first starring screen role was in the award-winning Hanelle Culpepper film "A Single Rose," which made it to the 12th cut for the 2005 Academy Awards and screened at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival. Maddox received national acclaim for her portrayal of the character “Rose.” In addition, Sonya performed three songs for the film. Sonya was cast in the HBO series "In Treatment" as Blair Underwood's wife, "Michaela." Sonya was also cast in “Spider-Man 3” - the only African American actress to have a speaking role in the Hollywood summer blockbuster. Independently, Maddox also wrote, produced, scored and starred in “Wonder,” an autobiographical one-woman show. Most recent, you will be able to recognize Sonya as the Vice-Principal on the TV show, “Parenthood.”
Following the great success of “A Single Rose,” Sonya joined forces with music legends Phil Upchurch and Howard McCrary to create "TRULY," a CD of scintillatingly original songs produced independently by WONDERVISION Entertainment & Music. Legendary music executive and trumpeter Herb Alpert was left mesmerized by Maddox and immediately offered her the stage at his first class Hollywood Hills jazz club, Vibrato. Musical icon Stevie Wonder described Sonya’s passion and style as dramatic as those of the incomparable jazz and pop star Nancy Wilson. As a classically trained singer, Sonya has been in the spotlight since the age of six, performing in musicals and classical choirs in both Atlanta and Los Angeles. She is a graduate of Atlanta's Northside School of Performing Arts where she was given the opportunity to sing with a select group of performers in Mozart's "Vespare Soleness de Confessore." Sonya continues to perform her music, today with a renewed sense of purpose.
Throughout her career, Sonya has been a leader in the entertainment community. Over the past 14 years, Sonya Y. Maddox the actor has held various positions as a Screen Actors Guild (SAG) National Board Member, including a seat on the Board of Directors, Chair, National Women's Committee, Chair, African American Subcommittee, and Chair, Equal Employment Opportunity Committee (exec), in Atlanta. Her natural leadership ability, dynamic personality and dedication have furthered the careers of innumerable actors of color, and affected significant, positive change in their representation both in SAG/AFTRA memberships and in the media at large. During her tenure, Sonya lobbied to get diverse actors involved in the guild; orchestrated seminars to teach actors their contractual rights; petitioned the media to diversify union and actor representation; and, as a result of her leadership, the world witnessed the SAG/AFTRA African American subcommittee grow from a membership of 12 to approximately 1,000. As a singer/songwriter, Sonya Y. Maddox is also an active member of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP).
Believing whole-heartedly that entertainment is her ministry; Sonya enjoys opportunities to participate in community outreach and motivational speaking. She makes frequent visits to elementary schools and outreach programs to speak to children about careers in the arts, encouraging them to realize their potential.
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