Photo by JEM Photography
Lorinda is an award-winning filmmaker and playwright, actor, author, advocate, comedian, musician and domestic violence survivor.
While transitioning from homeless to housed, she completed the Master’s program gaining her MBA from the University of Phoenix where she truly feels like a phoenix rising from the ashes.
Her first love is theater, being in her first play in elementary school where she was the lead. Lorinda was first bit by the bug when she was a child model posing in print ads.
Then came piano lessons, glee club and more plays.
In the 90’s, Lorinda had small roles in TV (Living Single, The Wayans Bros) and full-time work with educational theater companies.
In the late 90’s – early 2000’s, her life changed drastically. She lost her mom tragically and her father became a missing person. Lorinda sought solace in a dysfunctional marriage which almost cost her life.
She attributes God for her escape. Bouts of homelessness followed the separation and divorce. She is now on her feet, fighting to be heard – fighting for her voice and others’.
Lorinda’s one woman show Justice? Or…Just Me? The Bite received the 2021 Hollywood Fringe Festival Diversity Scholarship awarded to productions with powerful community impact. The first and second book in the trilogy (The Bite and The Fight) are currently available on Amazon. The third book in the trilogy, The Flight, will be released in 2023. Her multi-award winning short film, The Virus, has 8 wins in the film festival circuit. Her short film, Domestic Violence: What Is It? earned a shout-out in the Green Screen Film Festival 2022.
She is currently available for bookings.
Lorinda Hawkins Smith 