Top 33 Tamara Tunie Quotes

I grew up in a funeral home, born and raised, and everyone was always like, ‘Well, what was that like?’ and I was like, ‘It was normal’, because it’s all I knew.

I’ve been in this business a long time, and I’m very clear on what is real and what is fleeting.

The key is allowing your partner to be who they are and not having expectations that really have nothing to do with the person you married.

I grew up in a funeral home. Both my parents were morticians.

I was the first African-American woman to play Maggie in ‘Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.’ It was at the Virginia State Theatre, and we turned Richmond upside down.

I missed singing. I missed performing in a nightclub.

I’m always happy and most at home on the stage. I love film and television, but I love live performance… your immediacy with the audience, it makes all the difference in the world.

I want to play Eva Peron. I’ve already done a lot of Shakespeare, but I’d like to do Lady Macbeth.

I am always happy to use my song and dance training.

I believe that you can always learn from observation.

I have Native American blood. I have African blood. I have European blood.

My Native American heritage was not embraced by our family, and we grew up African-American, so I didn’t have a lot of access or history to that line of my family.

I wake up late, say 10 or 11, because we’ve usually been out and about town until 2 or 3 A.M. listening to music at the jazz clubs or hitting the jazz clubs post-theater.

I truly believe that when a person makes a concrete decision and takes action towards a goal that they’ve set, that the universe will step in and provide opportunities.

I appreciate being able to give back to charities I care about such as the American Diabetes Association – my older sister passed away from diabetes – and Figure Skating in Harlem, which teaches young girls about confidence, focus and goal-setting.

The stage and working in front of a camera are two completely different mediums. Each requires different techniques.

The first thing I do is brush my teeth – we like to start the morning with fresh breath – and put on my pajamas and meander down to the kitchen for a glass of orange juice. No coffee. No caffeine.

Here’s how I look at it: Life is full of challenges. Everybody has them. For some, it’s health or family crises. I had a financial challenge.

Working on a film is so great because you have the luxury of more time when you’re on a movie than when you’re on television.

Show business is fickle, and though I have been blessed with a healthy career, who knows how long that will last?

I grew up in Pittsburgh, and regularly, my parents would take us to the Holiday House Supper Club to see acts like Nancy Wilson, Sarah Vaughn, Ben Vereen, Freda Payne, Stephanie Mills, and The Temptations, to name a few.

There was a time, actually, when I hadn’t been singing, and I’d lost a lot of my ability. My range had shrunk.

I’ve always come into a show when the show was already up and running.

I believe in saying ‘yes.’ I love to work, and I always believe that the schedule can work out if everything is willing to allow it to work out.

I’m all about the drugstore beauty products. They’re affordable and get the job done.

Living in New York, for me at least, just keeps it very real and keeps my feet firmly planted on the ground.

I’m Irish on St. Patrick’s Day. I’m Italian on Columbus Day. I’m a New Yorker every day.

When I first moved to New York, all I did was musical theater. That’s what I studied at Carnegie Mellon University.

I adore the designer B. Michael’s curve-flattering gowns, but there is nothing better than jeans with a crisp white shirt.

Chuck Cooper is a friend, and I adore him. He can do so many things.

We sit and read the paper in conjunction with having a little breakfast. Usually fruit salad, or I make myself a smoothie with rice milk, coconut water and yogurt.

Fortunately, I’m known as the hardest-working woman in showbiz, not to compete with James Brown. I’ve always been a multi-tasker.

Even though you’re married, you’re still individuals. You still have to grow and nurture your individuality.