Nell Carter
Encyclopedia
Nell Carter was an American
singer, and film, stage, and television actress. She won a Tony Award
for her performance in the Broadway musical Ain't Misbehavin', as well as an Emmy Award
for her reprisal of the role on television
. She also received Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for her starring role in the long-running 1980s’ sitcom Gimme a Break!
.
, Carter was one of nine children. She overcame adversity and personal hardships before finding success as an actress. Her father died in an accident with a power line. A man rape
d her when she was 16, and she became pregnant from the attack, giving birth to a daughter, Tracy.
, which closed after three performances. Carter appeared alongside Bette Davis
in the 1974 stage musical
Miss Moffat, based on Davis' earlier film The Corn Is Green
. The show closed before making it to Broadway
. She broke into stardom in the musical Ain't Misbehavin, for which she won a Tony Award
in 1978. She also won an Emmy
for the same role in a televised performance in 1982. Additional Broadway credits included Dude
and Annie
.
In 1979, she had a part in the Miloš Forman
-directed musical film adaptation
of Hair
. Her vocal talents are showcased throughout the motion picture soundtrack. One of the more memorable moments in the film involves her rendition of the song "White Boys" where she can be seen dancing playfully as she performs the song (alongside Ain't Misbehavin co-star, Charlayne Woodard
).
In 1978, Carter was cast as Effie White in the Broadway
musical Dreamgirls, but departed the production during development to take a television role on the ABC-TV soap opera, Ryan's Hope
in New York
. When Dreamgirls premiered in late 1981, Jennifer Holliday
had taken over the lead. Carter also took a role on television's The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo
, before landing a steady role as housekeeper
Nell Harper on the sitcom Gimme a Break!
, for which she earned Golden Globe and Emmy Award
nominations. The popular show lasted from 1981 to 1987. Carter's wardrobe designer for Gimme a Break! was James Hopkins of Jopkin Design, providing designs for the show as well as for Carter's personal wardrobe and stage performances.
Within a couple of a years after Gimme a Break!, Carter pursued new TV series projects. In 1989, she shot a pilot for NBC entitled Morton's By the Bay, which aired as a one-time special in May of that year. In this, Carter played the assistant to the owner of a banquet hall, and the focus was on her and her mad-cap staff. Alan Ruck
and Jann Karam co-starred. NBC passed on the series development. The following year, Carter surfaced as the star of the CBS comedy You Take the Kids
. The series, which was percieved as being the black answer to Roseanne
due to its portrayal of a working-class African-American family, featured Carter as a crass, no-nonsense mother and wife. You Take the Kids faced poor ratings and reviews, and had a month's run from December 1990 to January 1991.
During the early 1990s, Carter appeared in low-budget films, TV specials, and on game show
s such as Match Game '90 and To Tell the Truth
. She also co-starred in Hangin' with Mr. Cooper
. She appeared as a special guest star on the pilot episode of the new WB
show Reba
and continued with the show, making a total of three appearances in season one.
In the mid-1990s, Carter appeared on Broadway in a revival of Annie
as Miss Hannigan. She was very upset when commercials promoting the show used a different actress, Marcia Lewis
, a white actress, as Miss Hannigan. The producers claimed that the commercials, which were made during an earlier production, were too costly to reshoot. Carter felt that racism
played a part in the decision. "Maybe they don't want audiences to know Nell Carter is black", she told the New York Post
. However, the ads did mention that Carter was in the show. "It hurts a lot", Carter told the Post, "I've asked them nicely to stop it — it's insulting to me as a black woman." Carter was later replaced by another white actress, Sally Struthers
.
In 2002, Carter made two appearances on the show Ally McBeal
. The following year had her rehearsing for a production of Raisin
, a stage musical of A Raisin in the Sun
in Long Beach, California
, and filming a movie, Swing.
in 1982 (she had been born Roman Catholic and raised Presbyterian
). She attempted suicide
in the early 1980s, and entered a drug detoxification facility around 1985. Her brother, Bernard, died of AIDS
in 1989.
Carter had three children: daughter Tracy and two sons, Daniel and Joshua. She adopted both her sons as newborns over a four-month period. She attempted to adopt twice more but both adoptions fell through. In one case she brought home a child, Mary, but the birth parents demanded money before they would sign the adoption papers. In her final attempt, she allowed a young pregnant woman to move into her home with the plan that she would adopt the child, but the mother decided to keep her baby.
In 1992, Carter had surgery to repair two aneurysm
s. She divorced Krynicki and married Roger Larocque the same year, divorcing Larocque the next year. She declared bankruptcy
in 1995 and again in 2002. She also endured three miscarriage
s.
Appearing emotional and tearful on an episode of the Sally Jessy Raphael Show
, Carter explained how she went to a Liza Minnelli
concert during a turbulent time of her life. Carter told Raphael how Minnelli, seeing Carter in an agonized state, ran offstage to tell her sister, Lorna Luft
, to go out and take Carter backstage so that she could get some help. Minnelli and Luft helped get Carter into rehab for her cocaine
problem, which she conquered.
complicated by diabetes in her Beverly Hills home that she shared with her friend Ann Kaser, and her two 13-year-old boys, Joshua and Daniel. Her daughter Tracy Ruth lived away from their California home. She is interred in the Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery
in Culver City, California
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer, and film, stage, and television actress. She won a Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
for her performance in the Broadway musical Ain't Misbehavin', as well as an Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
for her reprisal of the role on television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
. She also received Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for her starring role in the long-running 1980s’ sitcom Gimme a Break!
Gimme a Break!
Gimme a Break! is an American sitcom which aired on NBC from October 29, 1981, until May 12, 1987. The series stars Nell Carter as the housekeeper for a widowed police chief and his three daughters.-Premise:...
.
Early life
Born Nell Ruth Hardy to Horace and Edna Mae Hardy in Birmingham, AlabamaBirmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
, Carter was one of nine children. She overcame adversity and personal hardships before finding success as an actress. Her father died in an accident with a power line. A man rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
d her when she was 16, and she became pregnant from the attack, giving birth to a daughter, Tracy.
Career
She was in the 1971 rock opera SoonSoon (musical)
Soon is a rock opera with a music by Joseph M. Kookolis and Scott Fagan, lyrics by Fagan, and a book by Martin Duberman and Robert Greenwald. It is based on a story by Fagan and Kookolis....
, which closed after three performances. Carter appeared alongside Bette Davis
Bette Davis
Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis was an American actress of film, television and theater. Noted for her willingness to play unsympathetic characters, she was highly regarded for her performances in a range of film genres, from contemporary crime melodramas to historical and period films and occasional...
in the 1974 stage musical
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
Miss Moffat, based on Davis' earlier film The Corn Is Green
The Corn Is Green (1945 film)
The Corn Is Green is a 1945 drama film starring Bette Davis as a schoolteacher determined to bring education to a Welsh coal mining town, despite great opposition...
. The show closed before making it to Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
. She broke into stardom in the musical Ain't Misbehavin, for which she won a Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
in 1978. She also won an Emmy
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
for the same role in a televised performance in 1982. Additional Broadway credits included Dude
Dude (musical)
Dude is a rock musical with a book and lyrics by Gerome Ragni and music by Galt MacDermot. It is an allegory about good and evil, the conflict between mankind's creative and destructive urges, the power of love, and the joy to be found in simple pleasures...
and Annie
Annie (musical)
Annie is a Broadway musical based upon the popular Harold Gray comic strip Little Orphan Annie, with music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Charnin, and the book by Thomas Meehan. The original Broadway production opened in 1977 and ran for nearly six years with a blonde Annie as the poster...
.
In 1979, she had a part in the Miloš Forman
Miloš Forman
Jan Tomáš Forman , better known as Miloš Forman , is a Czech-American director, screenwriter, professor, and an emigrant from Czechoslovakia. Two of his films, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Amadeus, are among the most celebrated in the history of film, both gaining him the Academy Award for...
-directed musical film adaptation
Film adaptation
Film adaptation is the transfer of a written work to a feature film. It is a type of derivative work.A common form of film adaptation is the use of a novel as the basis of a feature film, but film adaptation includes the use of non-fiction , autobiography, comic book, scripture, plays, and even...
of Hair
Hair (film)
Hair is a 1979 American film adaptation of the 1968 Broadway musical of the same name about a Vietnam war draftee who meets and befriends a tribe of long-haired hippies on his way to the army induction center...
. Her vocal talents are showcased throughout the motion picture soundtrack. One of the more memorable moments in the film involves her rendition of the song "White Boys" where she can be seen dancing playfully as she performs the song (alongside Ain't Misbehavin co-star, Charlayne Woodard
Charlayne Woodard
Charlaine "Charlayne" Woodard is an American film, stage and television actress and playwright. She has written four plays, titled Pretty Fire, Neat, In Real Life, which she starred in, and "Flight"....
).
In 1978, Carter was cast as Effie White in the Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
musical Dreamgirls, but departed the production during development to take a television role on the ABC-TV soap opera, Ryan's Hope
Ryan's Hope
Ryan's Hope is an American soap opera, revolving around 13 years of trials and tribulations within a large Irish American family in the Riverside district of New York City. It aired from July 7, 1975 to January 13, 1989 on ABC...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. When Dreamgirls premiered in late 1981, Jennifer Holliday
Jennifer Holliday
Jennifer-Yvette Holliday is an African-American singer and Tony Award-winning actress. She started her career on Broadway in musicals such as Dreamgirls, and later became a successful recording artist...
had taken over the lead. Carter also took a role on television's The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo
The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo
The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo is an American action/adventure sitcom that ran on NBC from 1979 to 1981. For its second season the show was renamed Lobo. The program aired Tuesday nights, at 8 p.m. Eastern time. The lead character, Sheriff Elroy P. Lobo, played by Claude Akins, was a spin-off...
, before landing a steady role as housekeeper
Housekeeper (servant)
A housekeeper is an individual responsible for the cleaning and maintenance of the interior of a residence, including direction of subordinate maids...
Nell Harper on the sitcom Gimme a Break!
Gimme a Break!
Gimme a Break! is an American sitcom which aired on NBC from October 29, 1981, until May 12, 1987. The series stars Nell Carter as the housekeeper for a widowed police chief and his three daughters.-Premise:...
, for which she earned Golden Globe and Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
nominations. The popular show lasted from 1981 to 1987. Carter's wardrobe designer for Gimme a Break! was James Hopkins of Jopkin Design, providing designs for the show as well as for Carter's personal wardrobe and stage performances.
Within a couple of a years after Gimme a Break!, Carter pursued new TV series projects. In 1989, she shot a pilot for NBC entitled Morton's By the Bay, which aired as a one-time special in May of that year. In this, Carter played the assistant to the owner of a banquet hall, and the focus was on her and her mad-cap staff. Alan Ruck
Alan Ruck
Alan Ruck is an American film, stage and television actor, perhaps best known for his roles as Cameron Frye in Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Stuart Bondek on Spin City.-Early life:...
and Jann Karam co-starred. NBC passed on the series development. The following year, Carter surfaced as the star of the CBS comedy You Take the Kids
You Take the Kids
You Take the Kids is an American sitcom that aired on CBS from December 1990 to January 1991. The series stars Nell Carter who also performed the theme song "Nobody's Got It Easy".-Synopsis:...
. The series, which was percieved as being the black answer to Roseanne
Roseanne (TV series)
Roseanne is an American sitcom broadcast on ABC from October 18, 1988 to May 20, 1997. Starring Roseanne Barr, the show revolved around the Conners, an Illinois working class family...
due to its portrayal of a working-class African-American family, featured Carter as a crass, no-nonsense mother and wife. You Take the Kids faced poor ratings and reviews, and had a month's run from December 1990 to January 1991.
During the early 1990s, Carter appeared in low-budget films, TV specials, and on game show
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
s such as Match Game '90 and To Tell the Truth
To Tell the Truth
To Tell the Truth is an American television panel game show created by Bob Stewart and produced by Goodson-Todman Productions that has aired in various forms since 1956 both on networks and in syndication...
. She also co-starred in Hangin' with Mr. Cooper
Hangin' with Mr. Cooper
Hangin' with Mr. Cooper is an American television sitcom that originally aired on ABC from 1992 to 1997, starring Mark Curry and Holly Robinson. The show took place in Curry's hometown of Oakland, California. Hangin' with Mr. Cooper was produced by Jeff Franklin Productions, in association with...
. She appeared as a special guest star on the pilot episode of the new WB
The WB Television Network
The WB Television Network is a former television network in the United States that was launched on January 11, 1995 as a joint venture between Warner Bros. and Tribune Broadcasting. On January 24, 2006, CBS Corporation and Warner Bros...
show Reba
Reba (TV series)
Reba is an American sitcom starring Reba McEntire, which ran from 2001 to 2007. For the show's first five seasons, it ran on The WB, with the show transitioning to The CW in its last year.-Synopsis:...
and continued with the show, making a total of three appearances in season one.
In the mid-1990s, Carter appeared on Broadway in a revival of Annie
Annie (musical)
Annie is a Broadway musical based upon the popular Harold Gray comic strip Little Orphan Annie, with music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Charnin, and the book by Thomas Meehan. The original Broadway production opened in 1977 and ran for nearly six years with a blonde Annie as the poster...
as Miss Hannigan. She was very upset when commercials promoting the show used a different actress, Marcia Lewis
Marcia Lewis
Marcia Lewis was an American character actress and singer. She has been nominated twice for the Tony Award as Best Featured Actress in a Musical and twice for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical .-Biography:Lewis was born in Melrose, Massachusetts and raised in...
, a white actress, as Miss Hannigan. The producers claimed that the commercials, which were made during an earlier production, were too costly to reshoot. Carter felt that racism
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
played a part in the decision. "Maybe they don't want audiences to know Nell Carter is black", she told the New York Post
New York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
. However, the ads did mention that Carter was in the show. "It hurts a lot", Carter told the Post, "I've asked them nicely to stop it — it's insulting to me as a black woman." Carter was later replaced by another white actress, Sally Struthers
Sally Struthers
Sally Ann Struthers is an American actress and spokeswoman, best-known for her roles as Gloria Stivic on All in the Family, for which she won two Emmy awards, and as Babette on Gilmore Girls.-Personal life:...
.
In 2002, Carter made two appearances on the show Ally McBeal
Ally McBeal
Ally McBeal is an American legal comedy-drama series which aired on the Fox network from 1997 to 2002. The series was created by David E. Kelley, who also served as the executive producer, along with Bill D'Elia...
. The following year had her rehearsing for a production of Raisin
Raisin (musical)
Raisin is a musical theatre adaptation of the Lorraine Hansberry play A Raisin in the Sun, with songs by Judd Woldin and Robert Brittan, and a book by Robert Nemiroff and Charlotte Zaltzberg....
, a stage musical of A Raisin in the Sun
A Raisin in the Sun
A Raisin in the Sun is a play by Lorraine Hansberry that debuted on Broadway in 1959. The title comes from the poem "Harlem" by Langston Hughes...
in Long Beach, California
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
, and filming a movie, Swing.
Personal life
After Gimme a Break! began, Carter's life took a turbulent turn. She married mathematician and lumber executive George Krynicki, and converted to JudaismConversion to Judaism
Conversion to Judaism is a formal act undertaken by a non-Jewish person who wishes to be recognised as a full member of the Jewish community. A Jewish conversion is both a religious act and an expression of association with the Jewish people...
in 1982 (she had been born Roman Catholic and raised Presbyterian
Presbyterianism
Presbyterianism refers to a number of Christian churches adhering to the Calvinist theological tradition within Protestantism, which are organized according to a characteristic Presbyterian polity. Presbyterian theology typically emphasizes the sovereignty of God, the authority of the Scriptures,...
). She attempted suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
in the early 1980s, and entered a drug detoxification facility around 1985. Her brother, Bernard, died of AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
in 1989.
Carter had three children: daughter Tracy and two sons, Daniel and Joshua. She adopted both her sons as newborns over a four-month period. She attempted to adopt twice more but both adoptions fell through. In one case she brought home a child, Mary, but the birth parents demanded money before they would sign the adoption papers. In her final attempt, she allowed a young pregnant woman to move into her home with the plan that she would adopt the child, but the mother decided to keep her baby.
In 1992, Carter had surgery to repair two aneurysm
Aneurysm
An aneurysm or aneurism is a localized, blood-filled balloon-like bulge in the wall of a blood vessel. Aneurysms can commonly occur in arteries at the base of the brain and an aortic aneurysm occurs in the main artery carrying blood from the left ventricle of the heart...
s. She divorced Krynicki and married Roger Larocque the same year, divorcing Larocque the next year. She declared bankruptcy
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
in 1995 and again in 2002. She also endured three miscarriage
Miscarriage
Miscarriage or spontaneous abortion is the spontaneous end of a pregnancy at a stage where the embryo or fetus is incapable of surviving independently, generally defined in humans at prior to 20 weeks of gestation...
s.
Appearing emotional and tearful on an episode of the Sally Jessy Raphael Show
Sally Jessy Raphaël show
Sally is an American syndicated tabloid talk show that was hosted by radio talk show host Sally Jessy Raphael. It originally was a local St...
, Carter explained how she went to a Liza Minnelli
Liza Minnelli
Liza May Minnelli is an American actress and singer. She is the daughter of singer and actress Judy Garland and film director Vincente Minnelli....
concert during a turbulent time of her life. Carter told Raphael how Minnelli, seeing Carter in an agonized state, ran offstage to tell her sister, Lorna Luft
Lorna Luft
Lorna Luft is an American television, stage, and film actress and singer. She is the daughter of singer and actress Judy Garland and Sid Luft, and the half-sister of singer and actress Liza Minnelli.-Biography:...
, to go out and take Carter backstage so that she could get some help. Minnelli and Luft helped get Carter into rehab for her cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
problem, which she conquered.
Death
Having previously survived two brain aneurysms, Carter died at the age of 54 on January 23, 2003, from heart diseaseHeart disease
Heart disease, cardiac disease or cardiopathy is an umbrella term for a variety of diseases affecting the heart. , it is the leading cause of death in the United States, England, Canada and Wales, accounting for 25.4% of the total deaths in the United States.-Types:-Coronary heart disease:Coronary...
complicated by diabetes in her Beverly Hills home that she shared with her friend Ann Kaser, and her two 13-year-old boys, Joshua and Daniel. Her daughter Tracy Ruth lived away from their California home. She is interred in the Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery
Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery
The Hillside Memorial Park and Mortuary is a Jewish cemetery located at 6001 West Centinela Avenue, in Culver City, California, USA. Many Jewish people from the entertainment industry are buried here.-Notable interments:*Irving Aaronson, composer...
in Culver City, California
Culver City, California
Culver City is a city in western Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 38,883, up from 38,816 at the 2000 census. It is mostly surrounded by the city of Los Angeles, but also shares a border with unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County. Culver...
.
Filmography
- 2003: SwingSwing (2003 film)Swing is an American romantic comedy film starring Constance Brenneman, Innis Casey, Tom Skerritt, Jacqueline Bisset, Jonathan Winters, Nell Carter, Dahlia Waingort, Adam Tomei, Barry Bostwick, Mindy Cohn and directed by Martin Guigui.-Plot:...
.... Grace - 2002: Ally McBealAlly McBealAlly McBeal is an American legal comedy-drama series which aired on the Fox network from 1997 to 2002. The series was created by David E. Kelley, who also served as the executive producer, along with Bill D'Elia...
.... Harriet Pumple (2 episodes, 2002) - 2002: Back by MidnightBack by MidnightBack By Midnight is a 2002 comedy film starring Rodney Dangerfield, Phil LaMarr, Harland Williams, Randy Quaid, Gilbert Gottfried, and Kirstie Alley. However, it was not released until 2005...
.... Waitress - 2001: RebaReba (TV series)Reba is an American sitcom starring Reba McEntire, which ran from 2001 to 2007. For the show's first five seasons, it ran on The WB, with the show transitioning to The CW in its last year.-Synopsis:...
.... Dr. Susan Peters (3 episodes, 2001) - 2001: Seven Days .... Lucy (1 episode, 2001)
- 2001: Touched by an AngelTouched by an AngelTouched by an Angel is an American drama series that premiered on CBS on September 21, 1994 and ran for 211 episodes and nine seasons until its conclusion on April 27, 2003. Created by John Masius and produced by Martha Williamson, the series stars Roma Downey, as an angel named Monica, and Della...
.... Cynthia Winslow (2 episodes, 2001) - 2001: Blue's CluesBlue's CluesBlue's Clues is an American children's television show airing on the Nickelodeon family of channels. The show premiered on September 8, 1996 and airs on Nick Jr. and other channels, although production of new episodes ceased by 2006. Versions of the show have been produced in other countries,...
.... Mother Nature (1 episode, 2001) - 1999: Sealed with a Kiss (TV) .... Mrs. Wheatley
- 1999: Perfect Fit .... Mrs. Gordy
- 1999: We Wish You a Merry Christmas (V) (voice) .... Mrs. Claus
- 1999: Special Delivery
- 1997: SparksSparks (TV series)Sparks is an American sitcom that aired on UPN from August 26, 1996 to March 2, 1998. The series stars James Avery, Robin Givens, Terrence Howard, and Miguel A. Núñez, Jr.. The sitcom is set in Compton, California, and is about the every day lives of a family of lawyers running a family owned law...
.... Barbara Rogers (1 episode, 1997) - 1997: Brotherly Love .... Nell Bascombe (1 episode, 1997)
- 1997: Spider-ManSpider-Man (1994 TV series)Spider-Man, also known as Spider-Man: The Animated Series, is an American animated series starring the Marvel Comics superhero, Spider-Man. The show ran on Fox Kids from November 19, 1994, to January 31, 1998. The producer/story editor was John Semper, Jr. and production company was Marvel Films...
.... Glory Grant (2 episodes, 1995–1997) - 1997: Fakin' Da FunkFakin' Da FunkFakin' Da Funk is a 1997 comedy film starring Pam Grier and Dante Basco about a Chinese son adopted by black parents who relocates to South Central Los Angeles. A second story involves Mai-Ling, an exchange student played by Margaret Cho, who by another twist, gets sent to the wrong 'hood'...
.... Claire - 199?: The Blues Brothers Animated Series .... Betty Smythe (1 episode) (voice)
- 1996: The ProprietorThe ProprietorThe Proprietor is a 1996 film. It is a U.S.-French co-production Merchant Ivory film, directed by Ismail Merchant for Jeanne Moreau's request.-Starring:*Jeanne Moreau - Adrienne Mark*Sean Young - Virginia Kelly*Sam Waterston - Harry Bancroft...
.... Millie Jackson - 1996: Can't Hurry LoveCan't Hurry LoveCan't Hurry Love is a US sitcom that ran for less than five months between September 1995 and February 1996.The show starred Nancy McKeon as a 20-something placement coordinator at a New York City personnel agency. McKeon plays Annie O'Donnell, a single career woman living in New York City and...
.... Mrs. Bradstock (1 episode, 1996) - 1995: The Grass Harp .... Catherine Creek
- 1992: Hangin' with Mr. CooperHangin' with Mr. CooperHangin' with Mr. Cooper is an American television sitcom that originally aired on ABC from 1992 to 1997, starring Mark Curry and Holly Robinson. The show took place in Curry's hometown of Oakland, California. Hangin' with Mr. Cooper was produced by Jeff Franklin Productions, in association with...
... P.J. Moore / ... (42 episodes, 1992–1995) - 1995: Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every ChildHappily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every ChildHappily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child is an American animated television series that premiered March 26, 1995, on HBO. Narrated by Robert Guillaume, the series aired 39 episodes from 1995 to 2000, and is currently airing on the HBO Family digital cable television channel in the United...
TV series .... Mary (unknown episodes) - 1995: The Crazysitter .... The Warden
- 1992: Bébé's KidsBebe's KidsBébé's Kids is a 1992 animated comedy film produced by the Reginald Hudlin and Hyperion Pictures, directed by Bruce W...
(voice) .... Vivian - 1992: Jake and the FatmanJake and the FatmanJake and the Fatman is a television crime drama starring William Conrad as prosecutor J. L. "Fatman" McCabe and Joe Penny as investigator Jake Styles. The series ran on CBS for five seasons from 1987 to 1992. Diagnosis: Murder was a spin-off of this series...
.... Ethel Mae Haven (1 episode, 1992) - 1992: Final Shot: The Hank Gathers StoryFinal Shot: The Hank Gathers StoryFinal Shot: The Hank Gathers Story is an American 1992 sports drama biography television film about the life of Loyola Marymount basketball player Eric "Hank" Gathers, written for Tribune Entertainment by Fred Johnson, Don Enright and Ed Fields, and directed by Charles...
(TV) .... Lucille Gathers - 1992: Maid for Each OtherMaid for Each OtherMaid for Each Other is a 1992 made-for-TV movie starring Nell Carter and Dinah Manoff. It was written by Manoff, Robb Gilmer, Les Alexander, Don Enright and Andrew Smith, produced by Enright and Alexander, and directed by Paul Schneider....
(TV) .... Jasmine Jones - 1990: You Take the KidsYou Take the KidsYou Take the Kids is an American sitcom that aired on CBS from December 1990 to January 1991. The series stars Nell Carter who also performed the theme song "Nobody's Got It Easy".-Synopsis:...
.... Nell Kirkland (6 episodes, 1990–1991) - 1989: 227227 (TV series)227 is an American situation comedy that originally aired on NBC from September 14, 1985, until May 6, 1990. The series starred Marla Gibbs as a sharp-tongued, inner-city resident gossip and housewife, Mary Jenkins...
... Beverly Morris (1 episode, 1989) - 1986: AmenAmenThe word amen is a declaration of affirmation found in the Hebrew Bible and New Testament. Its use in Judaism dates back to its earliest texts. It has been generally adopted in Christian worship as a concluding word for prayers and hymns. In Islam, it is the standard ending to Dua and the...
.... Bess Richards (1 episode, 1986) - 1982: The Billy Crystal Comedy Hour (1 episode, 1982)
- 1981: Gimme a Break!Gimme a Break!Gimme a Break! is an American sitcom which aired on NBC from October 29, 1981, until May 12, 1987. The series stars Nell Carter as the housekeeper for a widowed police chief and his three daughters.-Premise:...
.... Nellie Ruth 'Nell' Harper (137 episodes, 1981–1987) - 1981: Modern ProblemsModern ProblemsModern Problems is a 1981 comedy film written and directed by Ken Shapiro and starring Chevy Chase, Patti D'Arbanville and Dabney Coleman. The film grossed $26,154,211 in the United States. A DVD release of the film was issued in 2005.-Plot:...
.... Dorita - 1981: ScannersScannersScanners is a 1981 science-fiction horror film written and directed by David Cronenberg and starring Jennifer O'Neill, Stephen Lack, Michael Ironside, and Patrick McGoohan...
.... Alisha Hendricks - 1980: The Misadventures of Sheriff LoboThe Misadventures of Sheriff LoboThe Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo is an American action/adventure sitcom that ran on NBC from 1979 to 1981. For its second season the show was renamed Lobo. The program aired Tuesday nights, at 8 p.m. Eastern time. The lead character, Sheriff Elroy P. Lobo, played by Claude Akins, was a spin-off...
.... Sgt. Hildy Jones (15 episodes, 1980–1981) - 1981: Back Roads .... Waitress
- 1979: HairHair (film)Hair is a 1979 American film adaptation of the 1968 Broadway musical of the same name about a Vietnam war draftee who meets and befriends a tribe of long-haired hippies on his way to the army induction center...
.... Ain't Got No/White Boys - 1978: Ryan's HopeRyan's HopeRyan's Hope is an American soap opera, revolving around 13 years of trials and tribulations within a large Irish American family in the Riverside district of New York City. It aired from July 7, 1975 to January 13, 1989 on ABC...
.... Ethel Green (11 episodes, 1978–1979) - 1978: Cindy (TV) (as Nell-Ruth Carter) .... Olive