Teresa Graves
Encyclopedia
Teresa Graves was an American actress and singer. As the star of Get Christie Love!
, Graves is credited as being the first African American
woman to star in her own hour long drama television series
.
, Graves began her career singing with The Doodletown Pipers. She soon turned to acting and became a regular in the two variety flops Our Place
(1967) and Turn-On
(1969). She then became a regular on Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
during its third season. Graves appeared in a number of films before her pivotal role in the 1974 television movie
Get Christie Love!. She reprised the role of police investigator "Christie Love" in a short-lived TV series of the same name which featured Charles Cioffi
and Jack Kelly
as Lieutenants Reardon and Ryan, respectively, Love's supervisors. Jet magazine described Graves as "television's most delightful detective, the epitome of a tough lady cop with more feminine features than Venus".
Graves was baptized as one of Jehovah's Witnesses
in 1974, and almost immediately began using her celebrity to bring international awareness to the persecution of Witnesses in Malawi under then-leader Hastings Kamuzu Banda's "one-party rule". In 1983, she retired from show business to devote her time to the religion. For the rest of her life, Graves resided in the Hyde Park
neighborhood in Los Angeles
, California
and took care of her mother.
Get Christie Love!
Get Christie Love! is a 1974 made-for-television film starring Teresa Graves as an undercover female police detective who is determined to overthrow a drug ring. This film is based on Dorothy Uhnak's crime-thriller novel, The Ledger...
, Graves is credited as being the first African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
woman to star in her own hour long drama television series
Dramatic programming
Dramatic programming in the UK, or television drama and television drama series in the US, is television program content that is scripted and fictional along the lines of √a traditional drama. This excludes, for example, sports television, television news, reality show and game shows, stand-up...
.
Early life and career
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...
, Graves began her career singing with The Doodletown Pipers. She soon turned to acting and became a regular in the two variety flops Our Place
Our Place (U.S. TV series)
Our Place was an hour-long variety show on CBS during the summer of 1967. The official host was one of Jim Henson's early puppets, Rowlf the Muppet Hound. The show's other regulars were comedians Jack Burns and Avery Schreiber and the singing Doodletown Pipers.Our Place, a summer replacement for...
(1967) and Turn-On
Turn-On
Turn-On is an American sketch comedy series that aired on ABC in February 1969. Only one episode was shown and the show is considered one of the most infamous flops in TV history....
(1969). She then became a regular on Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In is an American sketch comedy television program which ran for 140 episodes from January 22, 1968, to May 14, 1973. It was hosted by comedians Dan Rowan and Dick Martin and was broadcast over NBC...
during its third season. Graves appeared in a number of films before her pivotal role in the 1974 television movie
Television movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
Get Christie Love!. She reprised the role of police investigator "Christie Love" in a short-lived TV series of the same name which featured Charles Cioffi
Charles Cioffi
Charles Cioffi , also credited as Charles M. Cioffi, is an American movie and television actor.-Biography:He was born in New York City and attended Michigan State University, where he became a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity....
and Jack Kelly
Jack Kelly (actor)
Jack Kelly was an American film and television actor most noted for the role of "Bart Maverick" in the TV series Maverick, which ran on ABC from 1957 to 1962...
as Lieutenants Reardon and Ryan, respectively, Love's supervisors. Jet magazine described Graves as "television's most delightful detective, the epitome of a tough lady cop with more feminine features than Venus".
Graves was baptized as one of Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. The religion reports worldwide membership of over 7 million adherents involved in evangelism, convention attendance of over 12 million, and annual...
in 1974, and almost immediately began using her celebrity to bring international awareness to the persecution of Witnesses in Malawi under then-leader Hastings Kamuzu Banda's "one-party rule". In 1983, she retired from show business to devote her time to the religion. For the rest of her life, Graves resided in the Hyde Park
Hyde Park, Los Angeles, California
-History:Hyde Park is one of the oldest neighborhoods in the city of Los Angeles. It was established in 1887 as a stop on the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway's Harbor Subdivision, which ran from Downtown Los Angeles to the port at Wilmington in a westward loop.It was incorporated as a city...
neighborhood in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and took care of her mother.
Death
On October 10, 2002, Graves' home caught fire. She was found unconscious in a bedroom before being rushed to the hospital where she later died. She was 54 years old.Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | Turn-On Turn-On Turn-On is an American sketch comedy series that aired on ABC in February 1969. Only one episode was shown and the show is considered one of the most infamous flops in TV history.... |
Regular Performer | 1 episode |
| 1969–1970 | Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In is an American sketch comedy television program which ran for 140 episodes from January 22, 1968, to May 14, 1973. It was hosted by comedians Dan Rowan and Dick Martin and was broadcast over NBC... |
Regular performer | 5 episodes |
| 1971 | The Funny Side The Funny Side The Funny Side is an American sketch comedy program that aired on NBC as part of its 1971 fall lineup.-Synopsis:The Funny Side was hosted by Gene Kelly and starred five pairs of actors and actresses who were presented as married couples... |
Minority Wife | Unknown episodes |
| 1972 | Keeping Up with the Joneses | Television movie | |
| 1972 | The New Dick Van Dyke Show The New Dick Van Dyke Show The New Dick Van Dyke Show is an American sitcom starring Dick Van Dyke that aired on CBS from 1971 to 1974. This was Van Dyke's first return to series television since The Dick Van Dyke Show.-Production:... |
Nurse Allen | 1 episode |
| 1973 | The Rookies The Rookies The Rookies is an American crime drama series that aired on ABC from 1972 until 1976. It followed the exploits of three rookie police officers in an unidentified city for the fictitious Southern California Police Department .-History:... |
Susan Davis | 1 episode |
| 1973 | That Man Bolt | Samantha Nightingale | |
| 1974 | Vampira Vampira (film) Vampira is a 1974 comedy/horror film spoofing the vampire genre. It stars David Niven and Teresa Graves. Following the success of Young Frankenstein, Vampira was renamed Old Dracula for release in the United States in an attempt to cash in on Young Frankenstein's success.-Plot:Count Dracula is an... |
Countess Vampira | Alternative titles: Old Dracula Old Drac |
| 1974 | Black Eye | Cynthia | |
| 1974 | Get Christie Love! Get Christie Love! Get Christie Love! is a 1974 made-for-television film starring Teresa Graves as an undercover female police detective who is determined to overthrow a drug ring. This film is based on Dorothy Uhnak's crime-thriller novel, The Ledger... |
Christie Love | Television movie |
| 1974 | Get Christie Love! | Christie Love | 21 episodes |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Result | Category | Film or series |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Golden Globe Award Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Award is an accolade bestowed by the 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign... |
Nominated | Best TV Actress - Drama | Get Christie Love! |
| 1977 | TP de Oro TP de Oro The TP de Oro is a Spanish award given since 1973, to honour, mostly, Spanish, but also foreign television series. The TP de Oro is considered to be the most prestigious Spanish awards for television.-External links:* *... |
Won | Best Foreign Actress (Mejor Actriz Extranjera) | Get Christie Love! |