Loretta Devine
Encyclopedia
Loretta Devine is an American stage, film and television actress known for her roles on Boston Public
, Grey's Anatomy
, and Eli Stone
. She also provided her voice for the stop motion
animated television series The PJs
. Devine is a NAACP Image Award
and Emmy award
winning actress.
. Her mother, Eunice O'Neal (née
Toliver), was a beautician, and her father, James Devine, worked as a laborer. She grew up in the Acres Homes area of Houston. She was very active on the pep squad, and performed in talent shows at George Washington Carver High School. Devine graduated from the University of Houston
in 1971 with a Bachelor of Arts
in Speech
and Drama
and Brandeis University
in 1976 with a MFA
in Theater. Devine is a member of The Epsilon Lambda Chapter of the Alpha Kappa Alpha
Sorority.
, which closed after one performance. She captured attention in Dreamgirls, a Broadway musical loosely based on the history of The Supremes
, in which she originated the role of Lorrell Robinson (a fictional character based on Mary Wilson
). It premiered on December 20, 1981 and ran for over 1500 performances; it eventually won six Tony award
s. Minor roles for Devine followed in films such as Little Nikita
and Stanley & Iris. She has a cameo performance in the film version of Dreamgirls
.
She was a repertory character in the play The Colored Museum
with Vickilyn Reynolds
. They both went on to play sisters in the short-lived TV series Sugar and Spice
. During the period between the play and the series, Devine appeared in the first season of the TV series A Different World as Stevie Rallen, dormitory director at fictional Hillman College.
In 1995, she landed a high-profile role as Gloria Matthews in Waiting to Exhale
, joined in the cast by Whitney Houston
, Gregory Hines
, and Angela Bassett
, among others. The role earned her an NAACP Image Award
for Best Supporting Actress
, as did her next movie, The Preacher's Wife
, her second movie with Houston and Hines.
In 2000, Devine took on the role of impassioned high school
teacher Marla Hendricks on the Fox
TV drama Boston Public
. Devine won three more Image Awards for her work in the series. She also continued to work in film, playing prominent roles in Urban Legend
, Urban Legends: Final Cut
, and I Am Sam
. Devine earned yet another Image Award nomination and an Independent Spirit Award nomination for her work in the 2004
film Woman Thou Art Loosed
. She also appeared in the 2005
Academy Awards
Best Picture
winning film Crash. She also played Rochelle's mother, Maxine, who's always picking on her, on the sitcom, Everybody Hates Chris
.
In 2007, she appeared in This Christmas
, a Screen Gems
production co-starring Delroy Lindo
, Mekhi Phifer
, and Regina King
.
Devine also appeared in Grey's Anatomy
as Dr. Richard Webber
's wife, Adele Webber and in 2011 she was nominated for an Emmy Award for her performance, which she won.
Devine played Patti on Eli Stone
, an ABC
television series which began airing in 2008.
In 2009, Devine played the character of Jeanette in the rejected pilot for the David E. Kelly television series that was supposed to air on NBC
, Legally Mad
. Devine also recently appeared on Cold Case.
In 2011, She had played the role of Aunt Honey on ABC Family's original comedy State of Georgia
alongside Raven Symone and Majandra Delfino
.
Boston Public
Boston Public is an American drama television series created by David E. Kelley and broadcast on Fox. It centered on Winslow High School, a fictional public high school located in Boston, Massachusetts. The show was named for the real public school district in which it takes place...
, Grey's Anatomy
Grey's Anatomy
Grey's Anatomy is an American medical drama television series created by Shonda Rhimes. The series premiered on March 27, 2005 on ABC; since then, seven seasons have aired. The series follows the lives of interns, residents and their mentors in the fictional Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital in...
, and Eli Stone
Eli Stone
Eli Stone is an American TV series, and also the name of the title character.San Francisco lawyer Eli Stone begins to see things, which leads him to discover a brain aneurysm...
. She also provided her voice for the stop motion
Stop motion
Stop motion is an animation technique to make a physically manipulated object appear to move on its own. The object is moved in small increments between individually photographed frames, creating the illusion of movement when the series of frames is played as a continuous sequence...
animated television series The PJs
The PJs
The PJs is an American stop-motion animated television series created by Eddie Murphy, Larry Wilmore, and Steve Tompkins. It portrayed life in an urban public housing project, modeled after the Brewster-Douglass housing projects in Detroit that once housed Diana Ross & Lilly Tomlin...
. Devine is a NAACP Image Award
NAACP Image Award
An NAACP Image Award is an accolade presented by the American National Association for the Advancement of Colored People to honor outstanding people of color in film, television, music, and literature....
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...
winning actress.
Early life
Devine was born in Houston, TexasTexas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. Her mother, Eunice O'Neal (née
Married and maiden names
A married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage. When a person assumes the family name of her spouse, the new name replaces the maiden name....
Toliver), was a beautician, and her father, James Devine, worked as a laborer. She grew up in the Acres Homes area of Houston. She was very active on the pep squad, and performed in talent shows at George Washington Carver High School. Devine graduated from the University of Houston
University of Houston
The University of Houston is a state research university, and is the flagship institution of the University of Houston System. Founded in 1927, it is Texas's third-largest university with nearly 40,000 students. Its campus spans 667 acres in southeast Houston, and was known as University of...
in 1971 with a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in Speech
Public speaking
Public speaking is the process of speaking to a group of people in a structured, deliberate manner intended to inform, influence, or entertain the listeners...
and Drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
and Brandeis University
Brandeis University
Brandeis University is an American private research university with a liberal arts focus. It is located in the southwestern corner of Waltham, Massachusetts, nine miles west of Boston. The University has an enrollment of approximately 3,200 undergraduate and 2,100 graduate students. In 2011, it...
in 1976 with a MFA
Master of Fine Arts
A Master of Fine Arts is a graduate degree typically requiring 2–3 years of postgraduate study beyond the bachelor's degree , although the term of study will vary by country or by university. The MFA is usually awarded in visual arts, creative writing, filmmaking, dance, or theatre/performing arts...
in Theater. Devine is a member of The Epsilon Lambda Chapter of the Alpha Kappa Alpha
Alpha 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.
Career
Devine appeared in the 1978 flop A Broadway MusicalA Broadway Musical
A Broadway Musical is a musical with a book by William F. Brown, lyrics by Lee Adams, and music by Charles Strouse. The Broadway production closed after 14 previews and only one performance on December 21, 1978....
, which closed after one performance. She captured attention in Dreamgirls, a Broadway musical loosely based on the history of The Supremes
The Supremes
The Supremes, an American female singing group, were the premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s.Originally founded as The Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, The Supremes' repertoire included doo-wop, pop, soul, Broadway show tunes, psychedelic soul, and disco...
, in which she originated the role of Lorrell Robinson (a fictional character based on Mary Wilson
Mary Wilson (singer)
Mary Wilson is an American singer, formerlymember of the Motown female singing group The Supremes during the 1960s and 1970s. Wilson was the only singer to be a consistent member of the group in its eighteen-year tenure...
). It premiered on December 20, 1981 and ran for over 1500 performances; it eventually won six 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...
s. Minor roles for Devine followed in films such as Little Nikita
Little Nikita
Little Nikita is a cult 1988 American drama film directed by Richard Benjamin and starring Sidney Poitier and River Phoenix.-Plot synopsis:...
and Stanley & Iris. She has a cameo performance in the film version of Dreamgirls
Dreamgirls (film)
Dreamgirls is a 2006 musical drama film, directed by Bill Condon and jointly produced and released by DreamWorks and Paramount Pictures. The film debuted in three special road show engagements beginning December 15, 2006 before its nationwide release on December 25, 2006...
.
She was a repertory character in the play The Colored Museum
The Colored Museum
The Colored Museum is a play by the African American dramatist George C. Wolfe. It had its premiere in 1986 at The Crossroads Theatre in New Brunswick, NJ and won its author the Dramatists Guild Award in the same year....
with Vickilyn Reynolds
Vickilyn Reynolds
Vickilyn Reynolds is an American film and television actress and singer.-Biography:Vickilyn Reynolds, an African-American, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She first appeared on television in 1987 where she appeared on Kate & Allie, the following year she had appeared in two films,...
. They both went on to play sisters in the short-lived TV series Sugar and Spice
Sugar and Spice (US TV series)
Sugar and Spice was a short-lived American sitcom that premiered on March 30, 1990 on CBS.-Premise:The small town of Ponca City, Oklahoma, was the setting for this blue collar series about two middle-aged African American sisters. Loretta and Vickilyn had very different personalities...
. During the period between the play and the series, Devine appeared in the first season of the TV series A Different World as Stevie Rallen, dormitory director at fictional Hillman College.
In 1995, she landed a high-profile role as Gloria Matthews in Waiting to Exhale
Waiting to Exhale
Waiting to Exhale is a 1995 romance film starring Whitney Houston and Angela Bassett, directed by Forest Whitaker. The movie was adapted from the 1992 novel of the same name by Terry McMillan. Loretta Devine, Lela Rochon, Dennis Haysbert, Michael Beach, Gregory Hines, Donald Faison and Mykelti...
, joined in the cast by Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston
Whitney Elizabeth Houston is an American singer, actress, producer and a former model. Houston is the most awarded female act of all time, according to Guinness World Records, and her list of awards include 1 Emmy Award, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among...
, 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...
, and Angela Bassett
Angela Bassett
Angela Evelyn Bassett is an American actress. She has become well known for her biographical film roles portraying real life women in African American culture, including singer Tina Turner in the motion picture What's Love Got to Do with It, as well as Betty Shabazz in the films Malcolm X and...
, among others. The role earned her an NAACP Image Award
NAACP Image Award
An NAACP Image Award is an accolade presented by the American National Association for the Advancement of Colored People to honor outstanding people of color in film, television, music, and literature....
for Best Supporting Actress
NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
The NAACP Image Award winners for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture:-Stats:Performances that earned Oscar nominations or wins* Sophie Okonedo - Hotel Rwanda* Jennifer Hudson - Dreamgirls [won Image Award]...
, as did her next movie, The Preacher's Wife
The Preacher's Wife
The Preacher's Wife is a 1996 romantic-family-dramedy-christmas film directed by Penny Marshall, and starring Denzel Washington, Whitney Houston, and Loretta Devine. It is a remake of the 1947 film The Bishop's Wife....
, her second movie with Houston and Hines.
In 2000, Devine took on the role of impassioned high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
teacher Marla Hendricks on the Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
TV drama Boston Public
Boston Public
Boston Public is an American drama television series created by David E. Kelley and broadcast on Fox. It centered on Winslow High School, a fictional public high school located in Boston, Massachusetts. The show was named for the real public school district in which it takes place...
. Devine won three more Image Awards for her work in the series. She also continued to work in film, playing prominent roles in Urban Legend
Urban Legend (film)
Urban Legend is a 1998 horror film starring Alicia Witt, Rebecca Gayheart, Jared Leto, Michael Rosenbaum, Natasha Gregson Wagner, Loretta Devine, Robert Englund, John Neville, Joshua Jackson, Regina King, and Tara Reid...
, Urban Legends: Final Cut
Urban Legends: Final Cut
Urban Legends: Final Cut is a 2000 slasher film and sequel to the 1998 film Urban Legend. It stars Jennifer Morrison, Matthew Davis, Loretta Devine, Anthony Anderson, Hart Bochner, Rebecca Gayheart, Regina Hall, Yani Gellman, and Eva Mendes...
, and I Am Sam
I Am Sam
I Am Sam is a 2001 American drama film written and directed by Jessie Nelson, and starring Sean Penn as a father with a developmental disability, Dakota Fanning as his inquisitive seven-year-old daughter, and Michelle Pfeiffer as his lawyer...
. Devine earned yet another Image Award nomination and an Independent Spirit Award nomination for her work in the 2004
2004 in film
The year 2004 in film involved some significant events. Major releases of sequels took place. It included blockbuster films like Shrek 2, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, The Passion of the Christ, Meet the Fockers, Blade: Trinity, Spider-Man 2, Alien vs. Predator, Kill Bill Vol...
film Woman Thou Art Loosed
Woman Thou Art Loosed
Woman Thou Art Loosed is a 2004 film directed by Michael Schultz and written by Stan Foster. It was produced by Stan Foster and Reuben Cannon. It is the 44th film or series directed by Schultz and is adopted from the self-help novel by Bishop T.D. Jakes. The film tells the story of a young woman...
. She also appeared in the 2005
2005 in film
- Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2005...
Academy Awards
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
Best Picture
Academy Award for Best Picture
The Academy Award for Best Picture is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to artists working in the motion picture industry. The Best Picture category is the only category in which every member of the Academy is eligible not only...
winning film Crash. She also played Rochelle's mother, Maxine, who's always picking on her, on the sitcom, Everybody Hates Chris
Everybody Hates Chris
Everybody Hates Chris is an African American television period sitcom inspired by the teenage experiences of comedian Chris Rock , while growing up in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York . The show is set from 1982 to 1987; however, Rock himself was a teenager during years...
.
In 2007, she appeared in This Christmas
This Christmas (film)
This Christmas is a 2007 Christmas comedy-drama film produced by and distributed by Screen Gems. Written, produced and directed by Preston A. Whitmore II, it is a Christmastime story that centers around the Whitfield family, whose eldest son has come home for the first time in four years...
, a Screen Gems
Screen Gems
Screen Gems is an American movie production company and subsidiary company of Sony Pictures Entertainment's Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group that has served several different purposes for its parent companies over the decades since its incorporation....
production co-starring Delroy Lindo
Delroy Lindo
Delroy George Lindo is an English actor and theatre director. Lindo has been nominated for the Tony and Screen Actors Guild awards and has won a Satellite Award...
, Mekhi Phifer
Mekhi Phifer
Mekhi Thira Phifer is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his multi-year role as Dr. Greg Pratt on NBC's long-running medical drama ER and his co-starring role opposite Eminem in the feature film 8 Mile...
, and Regina King
Regina King
Regina King is an American film and television actress. She is well known for her role as Mary Jenkins's studious daughter, Brenda Jenkins, on the 1980s sitcom, 227, and for her critically acclaimed supporting role in the feature film Jerry Maguire...
.
Devine also appeared in Grey's Anatomy
Grey's Anatomy
Grey's Anatomy is an American medical drama television series created by Shonda Rhimes. The series premiered on March 27, 2005 on ABC; since then, seven seasons have aired. The series follows the lives of interns, residents and their mentors in the fictional Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital in...
as Dr. Richard Webber
Richard Webber
Richard Webber is a fictional surgeon from the ABC television series Grey's Anatomy. The character is portrayed by actor James Pickens, Jr., and was created by Shonda Rhimes...
's wife, Adele Webber and in 2011 she was nominated for an Emmy Award for her performance, which she won.
Devine played Patti on Eli Stone
Eli Stone
Eli Stone is an American TV series, and also the name of the title character.San Francisco lawyer Eli Stone begins to see things, which leads him to discover a brain aneurysm...
, an ABC
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...
television series which began airing in 2008.
In 2009, Devine played the character of Jeanette in the rejected pilot for the David E. Kelly television series that was supposed to air on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
, Legally Mad
Legally Mad
Legally Mad is a proposed American television series. It takes place in a Chicago law firm. On May 4, 2009, NBC announced it would be picking up the show and was expected to debut in spring 2010...
. Devine also recently appeared on Cold Case.
In 2011, She had played the role of Aunt Honey on ABC Family's original comedy State of Georgia
State of Georgia (TV series)
State of Georgia is an American television situation comedy. It stars Raven-Symoné, Majandra Delfino and Loretta Devine. The half-hour multi-cam comedy series stars Raven-Symoné as Georgia, an aspiring actress with a larger-than-life personality, and her science geek best friend, Jo , who are...
alongside Raven Symone and Majandra Delfino
Majandra Delfino
Majandra Delfino is an Alma Award-nominated Venezuelan-American actress and singer best known for her role as Maria DeLuca on the television series Roswell and Georgia's best friend, Jo Pye on the State of Georgia.-Personal life:Delfino was born in Caracas, Venezuela, the daughter of an...
.
Stage appearances
- Minister, Godsong, La Mama Etc., New York City, 1978
- (Broadway debut) Dionne, Hair — Revival, Biltmore Theatre, 1977
- Soloist, Langston Hughes, AMAS Repertory Theatre, 1977
- Title role, Karma, Richard Allen Center, New York City, 1977
- Gloria, Verandah, New Dramatists, 1977
- Soloists, Seasons Reasons, Henry Street Settlement Playhouse, New York City, 1977
- Yenta lady, A Broadway Musical, Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, New York City, 1978
- Loretta, Miss Truth, Apollo Theatre, New York City, 1978
- Bones, Circle in the Square, New York City, 1978
- Ms. Dabney, Mahalia, Henry Street Settlement Playhouse, 1978
- Virtue, The Blacks, Richard Allen Center, New York City, 1978
- Young Mary, Comin' Uptown, Winter Garden Theatre, New York City, 1979
- Jewel, Lion and the Jewel, Lincoln Center, New York City, 1980
- Precious, Dementos, City Center, New York City, 1980
- Lorell Robinson, Dreamgirls, Imperial Theatre, New York City, 1981
- The Casting of Kevin Christian, Shepherd Street Art Gallery, 1983
- Mermaid, Gotta Getaway!, Radio City Music Hall, New York City, 1984
- Janeen Earl-Taylor, Long Time Since Yesterday, Henry Street Settlement Playhouse, New York City, 1985
- Lilly, Big Deal, Broadway Theater, New York City, 1986
- Lala, Wigs, and model, The Colored Museum, Public Theaters/Susan Stein Shiva Theater, New York City, 1986
- Delia, Spunk, Mark Taper Forum, Los Angeles, 1990
- Billie Holiday, Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill, Old GlobeTheatre, San Diego, CA, then Little Theatre, Phoenix, AZ, 1991
- Holly Day, Rabbit Foot, Los Angeles Theatre Center, Los Angeles, 1991
- Charlesetta, East Texas Hot Links, The Met, Los Angeles, 1991
- Soloist, Rodgers, Hart, Hammerstein Tribute, Embassy Theatre, 1991
- Soloist, Big Moments on Broadway, Kennedy Center Opera House, Washington, DC, 1991
- Also appeared as Cissy, Woman from the Town and in A Midsummer Night's Dream and The Hot Mikado in 1990.
Filmography
- 2012: Norm of the North
- 2011: State of GeorgiaState of Georgia (TV series)State of Georgia is an American television situation comedy. It stars Raven-Symoné, Majandra Delfino and Loretta Devine. The half-hour multi-cam comedy series stars Raven-Symoné as Georgia, an aspiring actress with a larger-than-life personality, and her science geek best friend, Jo , who are...
(TV Series) Aunt Honey - 2011: Madea's Big Happy FamilyMadea's Big Happy Family (film)Tyler Perry's Madea's Big Happy Family is a 2011 comedy-drama film based on Tyler Perry's 2010 play of the same name and the eleventh film in the Tyler Perry film franchise, and the fifth in the Madea franchise.-Plot:...
- 2011: GleeGlee (TV series)Glee is an American musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States, and on GlobalTV in Canada. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality and social issues...
Sister Mary Constance - 2011: Jumping the Broom
- 2010: Politics of LovePolitics of LovePolitics of Love is a 2011 film directed by William Dear. Bollywood actress Mallika Sherawat and American actor Brian J...
Shirlee Gupta - 2010: For Colored Girls Juanita Sims
- 2010: Lottery TicketLottery Ticket (film)For the common Lottery, see Lottery. For other uses, see Lottery .Lottery Ticket is a comedy film starring Bow Wow, Brandon T...
Grandma - 2010: Party DownParty DownParty Down is an American comedy television series created and primarily written by John Enbom, Rob Thomas, Dan Etheridge, and Paul Rudd that aired on the Starz network in the United States.-Conception:...
(TV series) Diane Ellison - 2010: Death at a FuneralDeath at a Funeral (2010 film)Death at a Funeral is a 2010 American comedy film directed by Neil LaBute and starring an ensemble cast. The film is a remake of the 2007 British film of the same name.-Plot:...
Cynthia - 2010: Legally MadLegally MadLegally Mad is a proposed American television series. It takes place in a Chicago law firm. On May 4, 2009, NBC announced it would be picking up the show and was expected to debut in spring 2010...
(TV movie) Jeanette - 2005: Grey's AnatomyGrey's AnatomyGrey's Anatomy is an American medical drama television series created by Shonda Rhimes. The series premiered on March 27, 2005 on ABC; since then, seven seasons have aired. The series follows the lives of interns, residents and their mentors in the fictional Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital in...
(TV series) Adele Webber (2005–present) - 2009: Cold Case (TV series) Chandra Patterson '09
- 2009: My Son, My Son, What Have Ye DoneMy Son, My Son, What Have Ye DoneMy Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done? is a film directed by Werner Herzog and produced by David Lynch, inspired by the story of murderer Mark Yavorsky...
Miss Roberts - 2008: Eli StoneEli StoneEli Stone is an American TV series, and also the name of the title character.San Francisco lawyer Eli Stone begins to see things, which leads him to discover a brain aneurysm...
(TV series) Patti Dellacroix (2008–2009) - 2009: Spring BreakdownSpring BreakdownSpring Breakdown is a comedy film starring Amy Poehler, Parker Posey, and Rachel Dratch. Three years after principal photography, and after the film's owner, Warner Independent Pictures, was shut down by its parent company, it was released direct-to-video in 2009.-Plot:The film begins with Gayle,...
Dr. Marguerite - 2008: Beverly Hills ChihuahuaBeverly Hills ChihuahuaBeverly Hills Chihuahua is a 2008 family comedy film produced by Walt Disney Pictures. It is directed by Raja Gosnell and released on October 3, 2008...
Delta (voice) - 2008: First SundayFirst SundayFirst Sunday is a 2008 American comedy film from Screen Gems, written, produced and directed by David E. Talbert, and is his first feature film.-Synopsis:...
Sister Doris - 1999: The PJsThe PJsThe PJs is an American stop-motion animated television series created by Eddie Murphy, Larry Wilmore, and Steve Tompkins. It portrayed life in an urban public housing project, modeled after the Brewster-Douglass housing projects in Detroit that once housed Diana Ross & Lilly Tomlin...
(TV series) Muriel Stubbs (1999–2008) - 2006: Boston LegalBoston LegalBoston Legal is an American legal dramedy created by David E. Kelley, which was produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television for the ABC...
(TV series) Annabelle Carruthers / Judge Victoria Thomson - 2007: This ChristmasThis Christmas (film)This Christmas is a 2007 Christmas comedy-drama film produced by and distributed by Screen Gems. Written, produced and directed by Preston A. Whitmore II, it is a Christmastime story that centers around the Whitfield family, whose eldest son has come home for the first time in four years...
Ma'Dere / Shirley Ann Whitfield - 2007: Cougar ClubCougar ClubCougar Club is a 2007 American film directed by Christopher Duddy. The film details the attempts of two college graduates, Marshall Hogan III and Spence Holmes, to find direction in life...
Dolly - 2006: Everybody Hates ChrisEverybody Hates ChrisEverybody Hates Chris is an African American television period sitcom inspired by the teenage experiences of comedian Chris Rock , while growing up in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York . The show is set from 1982 to 1987; however, Rock himself was a teenager during years...
(TV series) Maxine (2006–2007) - 2006: DreamgirlsDreamgirls (film)Dreamgirls is a 2006 musical drama film, directed by Bill Condon and jointly produced and released by DreamWorks and Paramount Pictures. The film debuted in three special road show engagements beginning December 15, 2006 before its nationwide release on December 25, 2006...
Jazz Singer - 2006: Life Is Not a Fairy TaleLife Is Not a Fairy TaleLife Is Not a Fairy Tale is a book describing the life of American Idol winner, Fantasia Barrino, and her rise to national prominence...
The Fantasia BarrinoFantasia BarrinoFantasia Monique Barrino commonly known as Fantasia, is an American R&B singer, Broadway and television actress who rose to fame as the winner of the third season of the reality television series American Idol in 2004. Following her victory, she released her debut single, "I Believe", which...
Story (TV movie) Addie Collins - 2006: Dirty LaundryDirty Laundry (film)Dirty Laundry is a 2007 drama film written, directed, and starring Maurice Jamal. It was produced by 20th Century Fox and distributed by Codeblack Entertainment. It is available on DVD and is rated PG-13.-Plot summary:...
Evelyn - 2005: 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...
(TV series) Judge Jackson / Judge Vashti Jackson (2005–2006) - 2005: SupernaturalSupernatural (TV series)Supernatural is an American supernatural and horror television series created by Eric Kripke, which debuted on September 13, 2005 on The WB, and is now part of The CW's lineup. Starring Jared Padalecki as Sam Winchester and Jensen Ackles as Dean Winchester, the series follows the brothers as they...
(TV series) Missouri Moseley - 2004: Wild CardWild Card (TV series)Wild Card is an American comedy-drama series starring Joely Fisher. It was broadcast in the United States on Lifetime, and on the Global Television Network in Canada from August 2003 to July 2005.-Synopsis:...
(TV series) M. Pearl McGuire (2004–2005) - 2005: King's RansomKing's RansomKing's Ransom is a 2005 comedy film, directed by Jeffrey W. Byrd and written by Wayne Conley, who was a writer for Kenan & Kel.-Plot:Malcolm King is a wealthy, selfish, obnoxious businessman who is about to divorce his wife Renee...
Miss Gladys - 2004: Crash Shaniqua Johnson
- 2000: Boston PublicBoston PublicBoston Public is an American drama television series created by David E. Kelley and broadcast on Fox. It centered on Winslow High School, a fictional public high school located in Boston, Massachusetts. The show was named for the real public school district in which it takes place...
(TV series) Marla Hendricks (2000–2004) - 2004: Woman Thou Art LoosedWoman Thou Art LoosedWoman Thou Art Loosed is a 2004 film directed by Michael Schultz and written by Stan Foster. It was produced by Stan Foster and Reuben Cannon. It is the 44th film or series directed by Schultz and is adopted from the self-help novel by Bishop T.D. Jakes. The film tells the story of a young woman...
Cassey Jordan - 2003: Half & HalfHalf & HalfHalf & Half is an American sitcom that aired on UPN from September 23, 2002, to May 15, 2006. The show focuses on the lives of two paternal half-sisters in their twenties who were estranged throughout their childhood, and are finally developing a close relationship...
(TV series) Erika - 2003: The System (TV series) Mrs. Marsha Waters
- 2003: Zoe Busiek: Wild Card
- 2002: Book of LoveBook of Love (2002 film)Book of Love, also known as Book of Love: The Definitive Reason Why Men Are Dogs, is a 2002 romantic comedy film, written and directed by Jeffrey W. Byrd, and starring Anthony "Treach" Criss, Eric K. George, and Richard T. Jones as its three male protagonists, respectively.-Plot:Book of Love is a...
- 2002: Baby of the Family Delores
- 2001: I Am SamI Am SamI Am Sam is a 2001 American drama film written and directed by Jessie Nelson, and starring Sean Penn as a father with a developmental disability, Dakota Fanning as his inquisitive seven-year-old daughter, and Michelle Pfeiffer as his lawyer...
Margaret Calgrove - 2001: Kingdom ComeKingdom Come (2001 film)Kingdom Come is a 2001 comedy-drama film, written by David Bottrell and Jessie Jones, and directed by Doug McHenry. This film stars LL Cool J, Jada Pinkett Smith, Vivica A...
Marguerite Slocumb - 2000: What Women WantWhat Women WantWhat Women Want is a 2000 American romantic comedy film, directed by Nancy Meyers and starring Mel Gibson and Helen Hunt. The movie was a box office success with a domestic gross of $182,811,707 and a worldwide gross of $374,111,707, against a budget of $70 million.-Plot:Nick Marshall, a Chicago...
Flo the Doorwoman - 2000: Urban Legends: Final CutUrban Legends: Final CutUrban Legends: Final Cut is a 2000 slasher film and sequel to the 1998 film Urban Legend. It stars Jennifer Morrison, Matthew Davis, Loretta Devine, Anthony Anderson, Hart Bochner, Rebecca Gayheart, Regina Hall, Yani Gellman, and Eva Mendes...
Reese Wilson - 2000: 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...
(TV series) Nora Mills - 2000: Family LawFamily lawFamily law is an area of the law that deals with family-related issues and domestic relations including:*the nature of marriage, civil unions, and domestic partnerships;...
(TV series) Gloria Rivers - 2000: Best Actress (TV movie) Connie Travers
- 2000: Freedom SongFreedom SongFreedom Song is a 1982 live album by Oscar Peterson, recorded in Japan.-Track listing:# "'Round Midnight" – 6:41...
(TV movie) Evelyn Walker - 2000: Punks Health Counselor
- 1999: Introducing Dorothy DandridgeIntroducing Dorothy DandridgeIntroducing Dorothy Dandridge is a television film directed by Martha Coolidge. Filmed over a span of a few weeks in early 1998, the film was aired in the United States on August 21, 1999. The original music score was composed by Elmer Bernstein. The film is marketed with the tagline: "Right woman....
(TV movie) Ruby Dandridge - 1999: Jackie's Back! (TV movie) Snookie Tate (Jackie's Childhood Friend)
- 1999: CluelessClueless (TV series)Clueless is a television series spun off from the 1995 teen film of the same name . The series originally premiered on ABC on September 20, 1996 as a part of the TGIF lineup during its first season...
(TV series) Phyliss Holiday - 1999: 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...
(TV series) Steph - 1999: The BreaksThe BreaksThe Breaks is an American 1999 comedy film written by and starring Mitch Mullany and directed by Eric Meza. The plot involves a day in the life of Derrick King, an Irish kid raised by a black family in Los Angeles, as he is kicked out of his house and suffers various other mishaps before eventually...
Floria - 1999: The PJsThe PJsThe PJs is an American stop-motion animated television series created by Eddie Murphy, Larry Wilmore, and Steve Tompkins. It portrayed life in an urban public housing project, modeled after the Brewster-Douglass housing projects in Detroit that once housed Diana Ross & Lilly Tomlin...
- 1999: Funny Valentines (TV movie) Dearie B.
- 1999: Operation Splitsville Principal
- 1999: LillieLillieLillie is a British television serial made by London Weekend Television for ITV and broadcast in 1978.This period serial starred Francesca Annis in the title role of Lillie Langtry...
Michelle - 1998: Urban LegendUrban Legend (film)Urban Legend is a 1998 horror film starring Alicia Witt, Rebecca Gayheart, Jared Leto, Michael Rosenbaum, Natasha Gregson Wagner, Loretta Devine, Robert Englund, John Neville, Joshua Jackson, Regina King, and Tara Reid...
Reese Wilson - 1998: Down in the DeltaDown in the DeltaDown in the Delta is a 1998 drama film directed by Maya Angelou. The film stars Alfre Woodard, Al Freeman, Jr., Esther Rolle, Loretta Devine, and Wesley Snipes.-Cast:* Alfre Woodard ... Loretta Sinclair* Al Freeman Jr. ... Earl Sinclair...
Zenia - 1998: Love Kills Sylvia Finkelstein
- 1998: Alyson's Closet (short) Raul's Mother (voice)
- 1997: Don King: Only in AmericaDon King: Only in AmericaDon King: Only in America is a 1997 television film directed by John Herzfeld and written by Kario Salem...
(TV movie) Connie Harper - 1997: Lover GirlLover Girl-Tracklisting:# Man in My Life# To Sir With Love#Love Is What We Want#Baby Face#We Need Love#Find a Good Man#Hardcore#Heads of Government#Wife and Sweetheart#Bare as You Dare#Welding Touch#Bad Rooster#Bad Inna Bed#Stab Out the Meat [Remix]#Informer...
Leticia/'Coco' - 1997: CloverCloverClover , or trefoil, is a genus of about 300 species of plants in the leguminous pea family Fabaceae. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution; the highest diversity is found in the temperate Northern Hemisphere, but many species also occur in South America and Africa, including at high altitudes...
(TV movie) Everleen - 1997: Hoodlum Pigfoot Mary
- 1997: The Price of Kissing Jackee
- 1997: 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...
(TV series) Tonya Hawkins - 1997: 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) Mother - 1996: The Preacher's WifeThe Preacher's WifeThe Preacher's Wife is a 1996 romantic-family-dramedy-christmas film directed by Penny Marshall, and starring Denzel Washington, Whitney Houston, and Loretta Devine. It is a remake of the 1947 film The Bishop's Wife....
Beverly - 1996: Rebound: The Legend of Earl 'The Goat' Manigault (TV movie) Miss Mary
- 1995: Waiting to ExhaleWaiting to ExhaleWaiting to Exhale is a 1995 romance film starring Whitney Houston and Angela Bassett, directed by Forest Whitaker. The movie was adapted from the 1992 novel of the same name by Terry McMillan. Loretta Devine, Lela Rochon, Dennis Haysbert, Michael Beach, Gregory Hines, Donald Faison and Mykelti...
Gloria Matthews - 1995: Ned and Stacey (TV series) Mrs. Duncan
- 1995: Picket FencesPicket FencesPicket Fences is a 60-minute American television drama about the residents of the fictional town of Rome, Wisconsin, created and produced by David E. Kelley. The show initially ran from September 18, 1992, to June 26, 1996, on the CBS television network in the United States...
(TV series) Marla Melrose - 1994: The Hard Truth Nichols' secretary
- 1993: The American ClockThe American ClockThe American Clock is a play by Arthur Miller. The play is about 1930s America during The Great Depression. It is based in part on Studs Terkel's Hard Times: An Oral History of the Great Depression. The play premiered on Broadway at the Biltmore Theatre on November 11, 1980; closing on November 30,...
(TV movie) Irene - 1992: RocRoc (TV series)Roc is an American comedy-drama television series which ran on Fox from August 1991 to May 1994. The series stars Charles S. Dutton as Baltimore garbage collector Roc Emerson and Ella Joyce as his wife Eleanor.-Early episodes:...
(TV series) Cynthia (1992–1993) - 1993: Amos & AndrewAmos & AndrewAmos & Andrew is a 1993 comedy starring Nicolas Cage and Samuel L. Jackson, filmed in and around Wilmington, North Carolina. It concerns wealthy African-American playwright Andrew Sterling's purchase of a summer home on a predominantly white island.-Plot:When Andrew Sterling Amos & Andrew is a...
Ula - 1992: Class ActClass ActClass Act is a 1992 comedy film, directed by Randall Miller and starring hip-hop duo Kid 'n Play. An urban retelling of Mark Twain's The Prince and the Pauper, the screenplay is by Cynthia Friedlob and John Semper from a story by Michael Swerdlick, Richard Brenne and Wayne Allan Rice...
Blade's Mom - 1992: Caged Fear Judy
- 1991: Reasonable DoubtsReasonable DoubtsReasonable Doubts is a police drama broadcast in the United States by NBC that ran from 1991 to 1993.-Synopsis:Reasonable Doubts is primarily about the working relationship between Assistant District Attorney Tess Kaufman , a prosecutor very sensitive to the rights of the accused, and...
(TV series) Valerie Hall - 1991: Livin' LargeLivin' LargeLivin' Large! is a 1991 comedy movie starring Terrence "T.C." Carlson, Lisa Arrindell Anderson, and Loretta Devine.- Plot :Carson portrays Dexter Jackson, a young, black deliveryman in Atlanta, Georgia who aspires to become a news reporter. Jackson gets what he considers his big break, when he...
Nadine Biggs - 1991: Great PerformancesGreat PerformancesGreat Performances, a television series devoted to the performing arts, has been telecast on Public Broadcasting Service public television since 1972...
(TV series) Janine - 1990: Cop Rock(TV series) Juror
- 1990: Chris Brown Loretta Fontaine
- 1990: Murphy BrownMurphy BrownMurphy Brown is an American situation comedy which aired on CBS from November 14, 1988, to May 18, 1998, for a total of 247 episodes. The program starred Candice Bergen as the eponymous Murphy Brown, a famous investigative journalist and news anchor for FYI, a fictional CBS television...
(TV series) Nurse Hawking - 1989: Stanley & Iris Bertha
- 1989: Heart and SoulHeart and Soul"Heart and Soul" or "Heart & Soul" may refer to:-Albums:*Heart & Soul, a Natalie Cole album*Heart & Soul , 2004*Heart and Soul , 2005*Heart and Soul , 1997...
(TV short) Tonia Harris - 1989: Parent Trap III (TV movie) Thelma
- 1988: 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...
(TV series) Lyndia Cummings - 1988: Sticky Fingers Diane
- 1987: A Different World Stevie Rallen (1987–1988)
- 1988: Little NikitaLittle NikitaLittle Nikita is a cult 1988 American drama film directed by Richard Benjamin and starring Sidney Poitier and River Phoenix.-Plot synopsis:...
Verna McLaughlin - 1988: The Murder of Mary PhaganThe Murder of Mary PhaganThe Murder of Mary Phagan, a 1987 two-part TV miniseries made by Orion Pictures Corporation and distributed by National Broadcasting Company , is a dramatization of the story of Leo Frank, a factory manager charged and convicted with murdering a 13-year-old girl, a factory worker named Mary Phagan,...
(TV movie) Annie Maude Carter - 1987: CBS Summer PlayhouseCBS Summer PlayhouseCBS Summer Playhouse is an American anthology series that ran from June 12, 1987 to August 22, 1989 on CBS. It aired unsold television pilots during the summer season.-Overview:...
(TV series) Cheryl - 1983: Anna to the Infinite PowerAnna to the Infinite PowerAnna to the Infinite Power is a 1983 science fiction/thriller film about a young teenager who learns that she was the product of a cloning experiment. The film was based on the novel of the same name by Mildred Ames...
Ms. Benson (Schoolteacher) - 1981: Will