Audra McDonald won her fifth Tony Award (and her first in a leading category) at the 2012 Tonys for her passionate portrayal of drug-addicted Bess in the Gershwin opera Porgy and Bess.
During her emotional acceptance speech, McDonald remembered herself as a "hyperactive and over-dramatic" little girl who found theater. "And I found my home," she said. "And I found a place to express myself and I'm so grateful."
Thanking the entire Porgy and Bess company, McDonald specifically mentioned how grateful she is "to be in love with Norm Lewis every night, to get raped by Phillip Boykin and to do drugs with David Alan Grier."
As fiance Will Swenson (Priscilla Queen of the Desert) and the "wee posse of three" (their combined kids) looked on, McDonald gave a loving thanks to daughter Zoe.
"This is an amazing night for Mommy," she said. "But February 14, 2001, the day you were born, was the best night ever. Never forget that."
McDonald won Tonys previously for Carousel, Master Class, Ragtime and A Raisin in the Sun.