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Dwight Henry

New Orleans resident Dwight Henry parlayed his status as one of the city's most well-loved bakery owners into a critically lauded performance in the indie fantasy-drama "Beasts of the Southern Wild" (2012), which captured not only the Camera d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival but also the Sundance Film Festival's Grand Jury Prize. Born in New Orleans' Lower 9th Ward in 1963, Henry was the owner of the popular Buttermilk Drop Bakery & Café in New Orleans when he was cast in "Beasts of the Southern Wild." He had aspired to be a baker his entire life, working as a caterer while paying the bills in construction and raising five children until 1999, when he opened his first establishment, Henry's Bakery. Tragedy struck when the business was destroyed in Hurricane Katrina, but Henry soon built the Buttermilk Drop Bakery, which settled briefly in several locations before taking root in the 7th Ward. Among its regular customers was the production staff for "Beasts," which frequently posted flyers for amateur actors in the bakery. Henry decided to audition between moving arrangements, which entailed two readings for the producers.