Jo Marie Payton (born August 3, 1950)^[2] is an American actress. She portrayed Harriette Baines Winslow on theABC/CBS sitcomFamily Matters (1989–1997), a role she originated on its forerunner seriesPerfect Strangers. From 2001 to 2005, Payton provided the voice for Suga Mama Proud (Penny Proud's paternal grandmother) onDisney Channel's animated seriesThe Proud Family and reprised the role in the 2005 television filmThe Proud Family Movie and also onDisney+'s revivalThe Proud Family: Louder and Prouder.^[2] The role earned her anNAACP Image Award nomination in 2005.^[3] Payton also had a recurring role as the personal assistant toGregory Hines' character, Ben Doucette (Will Truman's boss), during season two ofWill & Grace (1999–2000).

Jo Marie Payton was born on August 3, 1950, inAlbany, Georgia.^[2] Sometime during her early teens, her family relocated toOpa-locka, Florida. Payton attended high school atNorth Dade Jr./ Sr. High School and later graduated fromMiami Carol City Senior High School in 1968.^[4] Continuing her education, Payton graduated fromAlbany State University.^[5] She then moved to California, where she joined the national touring company of the musicalPurlie.^[6]

Payton's big break came when she was cast as Harriette Winslow, the elevator operator on the ABC sitcomPerfect Strangers, in 1987.^[1] Her performance was so well received by audiences that she was given her own sitcom,Family Matters, in 1989. Continuing her character Harriette Winslow fromPerfect Strangers, she played a mother in a middle-class black family living in Chicago, Illinois. Payton leftFamily Matters partway through its final season, appearing for the last time on December 19, 1997, during increasing tension between her and starJaleel White (the two nearly came to blows and had to be physically separated during Payton's penultimate episode).^[7] Harriette Winslow was played byJudyann Elder in the show's remaining eight episodes.

In 2002, Payton appeared on the "TV Moms" episode of theAnne Robinson version ofThe Weakest Link,^[8] and was the third one voted off. In 2003, Payton and her daughter appeared on a Mother's Day episode ofLingo, playing against fellow TV momMeredith Baxter and her daughter. Baxter and her daughter won. In 2005, Jo Marie Payton provided the voice of Suga Mama inThe Proud Family Movie. Her other television credits includeDesperate Housewives^[9],Reba,Girlfriends,Wanda at Large,^[10]Judging Amy,The Parkers,Will & Grace,The Hughleys,7th Heaven,Moesha,The Jamie Foxx Show,227,Silver Spoons,Small Wonder andThe New Odd Couple. She also appeared as Mama in the Canadian television miniseriesThe Rev.

In 2005, Payton co-hosted the 15th AnnualNAACP Theatre Awards withGlynn Turman.^[11] In August 2009, she guest starred onMeet the Browns as Shirley Van Owen. Payton then hosted her own show,Second Chance with Jomarie Payton, on the Hometeam Network. In 2012, Payton appeared in theGMC TV specialFrom This Day Forward.

In 2004, in an effort to help raise funds forVirginia Union University, Payton 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.^[12]

Until 1998, Payton was married to Rodney Noble.^[13]

• Jo Marie Payton atIMDb

• 1950 births
• 20th-century African-American actresses
• 20th-century American actresses
• 21st-century African-American actresses
• 21st-century American actresses
• Living people
• Actresses from Miami-Dade County, Florida
• Actresses from Georgia (U.S. state)
• Albany State University alumni
• American film actresses
• American television actresses
• American voice actresses
• Miami Carol City Senior High School alumni
• People from Albany, Georgia
• People from Opa-locka, Florida

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