Andrae Goodnight

Andraé Goodnight (born Andraé McGary) is an award winning politician, visual artist, educator, minister, international rap artist, author, talk show radio host, and former non-profit executive. He now brings his formidable gifts and expertise to bear into the acting world. Goodnight is a graduate of the prestigious Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Dallas, Texas where he concentrated in visual arts and in theatre. Goodnight graduated cum laude with a Bachelors of Science from Carver Bible College in Atlanta and received his Masters of Divinity from Covenant Theological Seminary in Saint Louis in 2005. Upon graduating, he took up a youth pastoral position at a local church in Chattanooga, Tennessee. It was when he was offered a senior pastor position, that Goodnight ultimately felt called to pursue a life of service outside of the local church. In 2009, Goodnight was elected to the Chattanooga City Council as the 8th District representative, becoming the youngest person ever to hold a local office in Chattanooga. He produced, directed and starred in the webisode series "14 Days" to document his experience of running for local public office. In May 2010, Goodnight became the first African-American full-time talk show radio host of "Live and Local" which airs on WGOW 102.3FM. He hosted the show for two years, offering an audience of close to 250,000 listeners an entertaining insight into how local politics really works while also providing a thoughtful take on current events on the local, national, and international level. Goodnight has received the National Association of Social Workers Public Official Award in 2009, was named in Chatter's Magazine's "20 Under 40" List in 2010, and received the award for "Best Director" for his submission of "Baby Steps" in the 48hour film festival held in Chattanooga, TN in 2016. Goodnight brings the diversity of his life experiences to each and every role he accepts. He believes the wide range of his personal and professional experiences allows him to more readily capture the "real life" behind each character he plays. For Andraé acting then, is an opportunity to let out all the people and places he has been collecting and experiencing during the years. A true renaissance man, Goodnight embodies the spirit of using his talents and abilities in the service of others while also finding fresh and innovative ways to inspire and entertain. Off-screen, Andraé is married to Cheryl McGary. They have been together for 17 years and together have six children: Imani, Zion, Elijah, Isaiah, Eden, and Ephrem.