Jo Marie Payton
Encyclopedia
Jo Marie Payton is an American television actress, and singer, who starred most notably as Harriette Winslow on the ABC
sitcom
, Family Matters
, and its parent series Perfect Strangers. From 2001 to 2005 Jo Marie Payton provided the voice for Suga Mama Proud on Bruce W. Smith
's The Proud Family
, which reunited her with her former co-star Orlando Brown. The role earned her an NAACP Image Award nomination in 2005. Payton also had a recurring role as the personal assistant to Gregory Hines
' character, Ben Doucette (Will Truman
's boss), during season two of Will & Grace
(1999–2000).
. In later years, her family moved to Opa-Locka, Florida
and completed high school at North Dade Jr./ Sr. High School
in Bunche Park, Florida
. Miami Carol City Senior High School in Dade County, Florida. She graduated from Albany State University
in Albany, Georgia and continued to donate, host charitable events, and support her alma mater while also continuing her education and making a successful career. From 1989 to 1997, Payton won over television audiences as Harriette Winslow, a quick-witted and long-suffering wife and mother, on the situation comedy Family Matters. Her character actually originated on the sitcom Perfect Strangers in a recurring role as a sarcastic elevator operator from 1987 to 1989. Audiences liked the sharp-talking Harriette so much that the character was spun off into her own show.
Payton left Family Matters partway through its final season, appearing for the last time on December 19, 1997. Her character was played by Judyann Elder
in the show's remaining episodes.
In 2002, she appeared on the "TV Moms" episode of the Anne Robinson
version of The Weakest Link
, where she was the third one voted off.
In 2003, Payton and her daughter appeared on a Mother's Day episode of Lingo, playing against fellow TV mom Meredith Baxter
and her daughter. Baxter and her daughter won. In 2005, Jo Marie Payton provided the voice of Suga Mama in The Proud Family Movie
.
Her other television credits include Desperate Housewives
, Reba
, Girlfriends
, Wanda at Large
, Judging Amy
, The Parkers
, Will & Grace
, The Hughleys
, 7th Heaven
, Moesha
, The Jamie Foxx Show
, 227
, Silver Spoons
, Small Wonder and The New Odd Couple
. She also appeared in the Canadian TV mini series The Rev as Mama. She left Family Matters in the middle of the ninth season under suspicious circumstances, with seven episodes left in the series.
In 2005, Payton co-hosted the 15th Annual NAACP Theatre Awards
with Glynn Turman
. In August 2009, she appeared on Meet the Browns
as Shirley Van owen.
sorority. In 1999, she released a jazz album, entitled 'Southern Shadows'. She has been married and divorced three times, and has a daughter with first husband Marc France.
, she wrote letters to alumni urging them to donate money in amounts from $18.65 to $186,500, in honor of the University's founding date of 1865.
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
sitcom
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
, Family Matters
Family Matters (TV series)
Family Matters is an American sitcom about a middle-class African-American family living in Chicago, Illinois, which ran on national television for nine full seasons. The series was a spin-off of Perfect Strangers, but revolves around the Winslow family...
, and its parent series Perfect Strangers. From 2001 to 2005 Jo Marie Payton provided the voice for Suga Mama Proud on Bruce W. Smith
Bruce W. Smith
Bruce W. Smith is an American character animator, film director, and television producer, best known as the creator of Disney's The Proud Family....
's The Proud Family
The Proud Family
The Proud Family is an American animated television series that premiered on Disney Channel from September 15, 2001 to August 19, 2005.-Production:...
, which reunited her with her former co-star Orlando Brown. The role earned her an NAACP Image Award nomination in 2005. Payton also had a recurring role as the personal assistant to Gregory Hines
Gregory Hines
Gregory Oliver Hines was an American actor, singer, dancer and choreographer.-Early years:Born in New York City, Hines and his older brother Maurice started dancing at an early age, studying with choreographer Henry LeTang...
' character, Ben Doucette (Will Truman
Will Truman
William Pierce "Will" Truman is a fictional character on the American sitcom Will & Grace, portrayed by Eric McCormack. He is a gay lawyer who lives in the Upper West Side of New York City with his best friend, Grace Adler.-Fictional character history:...
's boss), during season two of Will & Grace
Will & Grace
Will & Grace was an American television sitcom that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 21, 1998 to May 18, 2006 for a total of eight seasons. Will & Grace remains the most successful television series with gay principal characters...
(1999–2000).
Biography
Jo Marie Payton was born on August 3, 1950, in Albany, GeorgiaAlbany, Georgia
Albany is a city in and the county seat of Dougherty County, Georgia, United States, in the southwestern part of the state. It is the principal city of the Albany, Georgia metropolitan area and the southwest part of the state. The population was 77,434 at the 2010 U.S. Census, making it the...
. In later years, her family moved to Opa-Locka, Florida
Opa-locka, Florida
Opa-locka is a city located in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. As of the mid decade census, the population was 15,376 as recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau....
and completed high school at North Dade Jr./ Sr. High School
North Dade Junior/ Senior High School
-History:This institution opened in Bunche Park, Fla. serving the blacks in the upper Dade County area from 1957 to 1966, as Mr. Charles Wyche serving as the first principal hiring teachers that graduated from Booker T. Washington Sr. High...
in Bunche Park, Florida
Bunche Park, Florida
Bunche Park was a census-designated place in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The population was 3,972 at the 2000 census. The community is named after Ralph Bunche, a very prominent leader in civil rights...
. Miami Carol City Senior High School in Dade County, Florida. She graduated from Albany State University
Albany State University
Albany State University is a four-year, state-supported, historically black university located in Albany, Georgia, United States. It is one of three HBCU's in the University System of Georgia.-History:-Establishment:...
in Albany, Georgia and continued to donate, host charitable events, and support her alma mater while also continuing her education and making a successful career. From 1989 to 1997, Payton won over television audiences as Harriette Winslow, a quick-witted and long-suffering wife and mother, on the situation comedy Family Matters. Her character actually originated on the sitcom Perfect Strangers in a recurring role as a sarcastic elevator operator from 1987 to 1989. Audiences liked the sharp-talking Harriette so much that the character was spun off into her own show.
Career
Jo Marie's big break came when she was cast as the elevator operator on the ABC sitcom Perfect Strangers in 1987. Her performance was so well received by audiences that she was given her own sitcom, entitled Family Matters, in 1989. Continuing her character Harriette Winslow from Perfect Strangers, she played a mother in an African-American middle-class family living in Chicago.Payton left Family Matters partway through its final season, appearing for the last time on December 19, 1997. Her character was played by Judyann Elder
Judyann Elder
Judyann Elder is an American actress, director, and writer. She is a veteran of stage and screen who has appeared in scores of theatrical productions throughout the United States and Europe as well as popular television shows, including Family Matters, Martin, and Murphy Brown.- Biography :Judyann...
in the show's remaining episodes.
In 2002, she appeared on the "TV Moms" episode of the Anne Robinson
Anne Robinson
Anne Josephine Robinson is an English journalist and television presenter, known for her assertive views and acerbic style of presenting. She was one of the presenters on the long-running British consumer affairs series, Watchdog, from 1993 to 2001 before returning in 2009...
version of The Weakest Link
Weakest Link (US game show)
The Weakest Link is an American game show that aired on NBC from April 16, 2001 to July 14, 2002. It is based on the British show of the same name. Ten episodes were left unaired until appearing on PAX in 2002, with the remainder eventually airing on GSN...
, where she was the third one voted off.
In 2003, Payton and her daughter appeared on a Mother's Day episode of Lingo, playing against fellow TV mom Meredith Baxter
Meredith Baxter
Meredith Baxter , also known for some years as Meredith Baxter-Birney, is an American actress and producer. She is known for her acting roles including three television series: Family , an ABC television-network drama, Family Ties , an NBC television-network situation comedy, and Dan Vs. , a...
and her daughter. Baxter and her daughter won. In 2005, Jo Marie Payton provided the voice of Suga Mama in The Proud Family Movie
The Proud Family Movie
The Proud Family Movie is a Disney Channel Original Movie which premiered on August 19, 2005. It also marked the end of The Proud Family animated Disney series.-Plot:...
.
Her other television credits include Desperate Housewives
Desperate Housewives
Desperate Housewives is an American television comedy-drama series created by Marc Cherry and produced by ABC Studios and Cherry Productions. Executive producer Cherry serves as Showrunner. Other executive producers since the fourth season include Marc Cherry, Bob Daily, George W...
, 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:...
, Girlfriends
Girlfriends
Girlfriends is an American comedy-drama sitcom that premiered on September 11, 2000, on UPN and aired on UPN's successor network, The CW, before being cancelled in 2008...
, Wanda at Large
Wanda at Large
Wanda at Large is an American sitcom that ran for two seasons on the Fox network in 2003. The series was created by and stars comedian Wanda Sykes.-Synopsis:...
, Judging Amy
Judging Amy
Judging Amy is an American television drama that was telecast from September 19, 1999, through May 3, 2005, on CBS-TV. This TV series starred Amy Brenneman and Tyne Daly...
, The Parkers
The Parkers
The Parkers is an American sitcom . A spin-off of UPN's Moesha, The Parkers featured the mother-daughter team of Nikki and Kim Parker . The Parkers' signature "Heeyyy" greeting made its way into popular vernacular in the early 2000s.-Premise:The series centered around a mother and daughter who...
, Will & Grace
Will & Grace
Will & Grace was an American television sitcom that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 21, 1998 to May 18, 2006 for a total of eight seasons. Will & Grace remains the most successful television series with gay principal characters...
, The Hughleys
The Hughleys
The Hughleys is an American sitcom that aired on ABC from September 22, 1998 to April 28, 2000 and on the UPN network from September 11, 2000 to May 20, 2002. It starred comedian D. L...
, 7th Heaven
7th Heaven
7th Heaven is an American family drama television series, created and produced by Brenda Hampton. The series premiered on August 26, 1996, on the WB, the first time that the network aired Monday night programming, and was originally broadcast from August 26, 1996 to May 13, 2007...
, Moesha
Moesha
Moesha is an American sitcom series that aired on the UPN network from January 23, 1996 to May 14, 2001. The series stars R&B singer Brandy Norwood as Moesha Mitchell, a high school student living with her family in the Leimert Park neighborhood of South Central Los Angeles.-Overview:The show...
, The Jamie Foxx Show
The Jamie Foxx Show
The Jamie Foxx Show is an American television sitcom that aired on the WB Network from August 28, 1996 to January 14, 2001. The series starred Jamie Foxx, Garcelle Beauvais, Christopher B. Duncan, Ellia English, and Garrett Morris.-Synopsis:...
, 227
227 (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...
, Silver Spoons
Silver Spoons
Silver Spoons is an American sitcom that aired on NBC from September 25, 1982 to May 11, 1986 and in first-run syndication from September 15, 1986 to March 4, 1987...
, Small Wonder and The New Odd Couple
The New Odd Couple
The New Odd Couple is an American sitcom that aired on ABC from 1982 to 83, and was an updated version of the 1970s television series The Odd Couple. The New Odd Couple was the second attempt to remake a series of one of Neil Simon's plays with a primarily African-American cast...
. She also appeared in the Canadian TV mini series The Rev as Mama. She left Family Matters in the middle of the ninth season under suspicious circumstances, with seven episodes left in the series.
In 2005, Payton co-hosted the 15th Annual NAACP Theatre Awards
NAACP Theatre Awards
The NAACP Theatre Awards is an award presented annually by the Beverly Hills-Hollywood branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People to honor outstanding people of color in theatre....
with Glynn Turman
Glynn Turman
Glynn Russell Turman is an American stage, television, and film actor as well as a writer, director, and producer. He is perhaps best known for his roles as high school student Leroy "Preach" Jackson in the 1975 coming-of-age film Cooley High, math professor and retired Army colonel Bradford...
. In August 2009, she appeared on Meet the Browns
Meet the Browns (TV series)
Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns is an American sitcom created and produced by playwright, director, and producer Tyler Perry. The show revolves around a senior family living under one roof in Decatur, Georgia led by patriarch Mr. Brown and his daughter Cora Simmons. The show premiered on Wednesday,...
as Shirley Van owen.
Personal life
She is a member of Alpha Kappa AlphaAlpha Kappa Alpha
Alpha Kappa Alpha is the first Greek-lettered sorority established and incorporated by African American college women. The sorority was founded on January 15, 1908, at Howard University in Washington, D.C., by a group of nine students, led by Ethel Hedgeman Lyle...
sorority. In 1999, she released a jazz album, entitled 'Southern Shadows'. She has been married and divorced three times, and has a daughter with first husband Marc France.
Personal career
In 2004, in an effort to help raise funds for Virginia Union UniversityVirginia Union University
Virginia Union University is a historically black university located in Richmond, Virginia, United States. It took its present name in 1899 upon the merger of two older schools, Richmond Theological Institute and Wayland Seminary, each founded after the end of American Civil War by the American...
, she wrote letters to alumni urging them to donate money in amounts from $18.65 to $186,500, in honor of the University's founding date of 1865.
Filmography
- The New Odd CoupleThe New Odd CoupleThe New Odd Couple is an American sitcom that aired on ABC from 1982 to 83, and was an updated version of the 1970s television series The Odd Couple. The New Odd Couple was the second attempt to remake a series of one of Neil Simon's plays with a primarily African-American cast...
(1982–1983) as Mona - Small Wonder (1986–1989) as Sergeant Pepper, Meter Maid
- 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...
(1987) as Miss Herman - Perfect StrangersPerfect Strangers (TV series)Perfect Strangers is an American sitcom that ran for eight seasons from March 25, 1986, to August 6, 1993, on the ABC television network. Created by Dale McRaven, the series chronicles the rocky coexistence of midwestern American Larry Appleton and his distant cousin from eastern Mediterranean...
(1987–1989) as Harriett Winslow - LingoLingo, Chris Hernandez is an American Christian rap artist, producer, and label owner-Early years:Lingo was born to Richard and Carmen Hernandez in Dallas, TX. Born into a faith based and God fearing family, Lingo knew the Lord at a young age...
- Troop Beverly HillsTroop Beverly HillsTroop Beverly Hills is a 1989 American comedy film. Produced by Weintraub Entertainment Group and directed by Jeff Kanew, it starred Shelley Long, Craig T...
(1989) - Family Matters (1989–1998) as Harriett Winslow
- MoeshaMoeshaMoesha is an American sitcom series that aired on the UPN network from January 23, 1996 to May 14, 2001. The series stars R&B singer Brandy Norwood as Moesha Mitchell, a high school student living with her family in the Leimert Park neighborhood of South Central Los Angeles.-Overview:The show...
(1996–1999) as Bernetta Campbell - The Jamie Foxx ShowThe Jamie Foxx ShowThe Jamie Foxx Show is an American television sitcom that aired on the WB Network from August 28, 1996 to January 14, 2001. The series starred Jamie Foxx, Garcelle Beauvais, Christopher B. Duncan, Ellia English, and Garrett Morris.-Synopsis:...
(1998) as Jaime's mother - 7th Heaven7th Heaven7th Heaven is an American family drama television series, created and produced by Brenda Hampton. The series premiered on August 26, 1996, on the WB, the first time that the network aired Monday night programming, and was originally broadcast from August 26, 1996 to May 13, 2007...
(2000) as Dr. Sharon Peacock - Wanda at LargeWanda at LargeWanda at Large is an American sitcom that ran for two seasons on the Fox network in 2003. The series was created by and stars comedian Wanda Sykes.-Synopsis:...
(2003) as Mother Hawkins - Will & GraceWill & GraceWill & Grace was an American television sitcom that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 21, 1998 to May 18, 2006 for a total of eight seasons. Will & Grace remains the most successful television series with gay principal characters...
(1999–2000) as Ms. Freeman - The ParkersThe ParkersThe Parkers is an American sitcom . A spin-off of UPN's Moesha, The Parkers featured the mother-daughter team of Nikki and Kim Parker . The Parkers' signature "Heeyyy" greeting made its way into popular vernacular in the early 2000s.-Premise:The series centered around a mother and daughter who...
(2002) as Bernetta Campbell - Judging AmyJudging AmyJudging Amy is an American television drama that was telecast from September 19, 1999, through May 3, 2005, on CBS-TV. This TV series starred Amy Brenneman and Tyne Daly...
(2002) as Mrs. Kahn - GirlfriendsGirlfriendsGirlfriends is an American comedy-drama sitcom that premiered on September 11, 2000, on UPN and aired on UPN's successor network, The CW, before being cancelled in 2008...
(2004) as Annette Miles - The Proud FamilyThe Proud FamilyThe Proud Family is an American animated television series that premiered on Disney Channel from September 15, 2001 to August 19, 2005.-Production:...
(2001–2005) Voice Suga Mamma - Reba (2005) as Grandma Ruby
- Desperate HousewivesDesperate HousewivesDesperate Housewives is an American television comedy-drama series created by Marc Cherry and produced by ABC Studios and Cherry Productions. Executive producer Cherry serves as Showrunner. Other executive producers since the fourth season include Marc Cherry, Bob Daily, George W...
2006 as Charlene - The Proud Family MovieThe Proud Family MovieThe Proud Family Movie is a Disney Channel Original Movie which premiered on August 19, 2005. It also marked the end of The Proud Family animated Disney series.-Plot:...
(2005) voice Suga Mamma - Tyler Perry's Meet the BrownsMeet the Browns (TV series)Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns is an American sitcom created and produced by playwright, director, and producer Tyler Perry. The show revolves around a senior family living under one roof in Decatur, Georgia led by patriarch Mr. Brown and his daughter Cora Simmons. The show premiered on Wednesday,...
(2009) as Shirley - The GladesThe Glades (TV series)The Glades is an A&E Network drama television series created by Clifton Campbell. The one-hour drama premiered on Sunday, July 11, 2010. The series stars Matt Passmore as Det...
(2010) as Remelle
External links
- http://www.bet.com/Assets/BET/Published/image/jpeg/6c8ce39e-82da-33b9-e12f-3ddc230d8c37-ent_cakeicecream0803_payton.jpg