Mary Alice | |
|---|---|
 Alice at the 45thEmmy Awards Governor's Ball, 1993 | |
| Born | Mary Alice Smith December 3, 1936[1][a] Indianola, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Died | July 27, 2022(2022-07-27) (aged 85)[2] Manhattan, New York, U.S. |
| Education | Chicago Teacher's College |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1969–2005 |
| Known for | Effie Williams –Sparkle Leticia "Lettie" Bostic –A Different World |
Mary Alice Smith (December 3, 1936[1][a] – July 27, 2022), known professionally asMary Alice, was an American television, film, and stage actress. Alice was known for her roles as Leticia "Lettie" Bostic on the sitcomA Different World (1987–1989) and Effie Williams in the 1976 musical dramaSparkle, and won anEmmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress for her recurring role on the seriesI'll Fly Away. Alice also performed on the stage, and received aTony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her appearance in the 1987 production ofAugust Wilson'sFences.[3][4]
Born Mary Alice Smith inIndianola, Mississippi, Alice was the daughter of Ozelar (née Jurnakin/Journakin) and Sam Smith.[1][citation needed] She showed an early and natural ability for acting, and began her stage career in her hometown.[5] Her family moved from Mississippi toChicago when she was two years old. She graduated fromChicago Teacher's College (now known as Chicago State University), and taught at anelementary school.[6]
Mary Alice returned to acting in the mid-1960s through community theater and appeared in threeDouglass Turner Ward's plays, includingDays of Absence andHappy Endings. Mary Alice also washed the cast's laundry for a salary of $200 a week.[7] She did some acting inNew York City during the late 1960s and early 1970s, performing in multiple productions atLa MaMa Experimental Theatre Club inManhattan's East Village between 1969 and 1973. Her first production at La MaMa wasAdrienne Kennedy'sA Rat's Mass in September 1969.[8] She reprised her role as Sister Rat in the October 1969 production,[9] and again in the January 1971 production.[10] All three productions were directed by Seth Allen. In 1970, Mary Alice performed inEd Bullins'Street Sounds, directed by Hugh Gittens.[11] She later performed in Lamar Alford'sThoughts in December 1972[12] and January 1973.[13]
Mary Alice made her screen début in the 1974 filmThe Education of Sonny Carson, and later appeared in the television showsPolice Woman andSanford and Son. She played Ellie Grant Hubbard on thesoap operaAll My Children during the mid-1980s, and the role of Cora inStan Lathan's 1984 cult-classicBeat Street, as well as co–starred inA Different World as Leticia 'Lettie' Bostic from the series' start in 1987 until the end of the second season in 1989.[5] She won anEmmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 1993 forI'll Fly Away.[5] Her other film credits includeMalcolm X (1992),The Inkwell (1994), andDown in the Delta (1998).[5]
In 2000, she was inducted into theAmerican Theatre Hall of Fame.[14] She replacedGloria Foster as theOracle in the sequelThe Matrix Revolutions (2003)[15] and thevideo game tie-inEnter the Matrix (2003) after Foster, who originated the role, died in 2001. Alice reprised the role one last time inThe Matrix Online prior to retiring from acting in 2005.[16]
Alice died on July 27, 2022, at her residence in Manhattan at the age of 85 due tonatural causes.[17][18][19]
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| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | The Education of Sonny Carson | Moms | |
| 1976 | Sparkle | Effie Williams | |
| 1981 | The Color of Friendship | Mrs. Garth | |
| 1984 | Beat Street | Cora Kirkland | |
| Concealed Enemies | Edith Murray | ||
| Teachers | Linda Ganz | ||
| 1990 | To Sleep with Anger | Suzie | Nominated —Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead |
| The Bonfire of the Vanities | Annie Lamb | ||
| Awakenings | Nurse Margaret | ||
| 1992 | Malcolm X | School Teacher | |
| 1993 | A Perfect World | Dottie | |
| Life with Mikey | Mrs. Gordon | ||
| 1994 | The Inkwell | Evelyn | |
| 1996 | Bed of Roses | Alice | |
| 1998 | Down in the Delta | Rosa Lynn Sinclair | |
| 1999 | Catfish in Black Bean Sauce | Dolores Williams | |
| 1999 | The Wishing Tree | Mattie Collier | |
| 2000 | The Photographer | Violet | |
| 2002 | Sunshine State | Mrs. Eunice Stokes | |
| 2003 | The Matrix Revolutions | The Oracle | Nominated —Black Reel Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Police Woman | Marnie | 1 episode |
| 1975 | Sanford and Son | Frances Victor | 2 episodes |
| 1975 | Good Times | Loretta Simpson | 1 episode |
| 1975 | The Family Holvak | Samantha Wilson | 1 episode |
| 1976 | Insight | Karen Fuller | 1 episode |
| 1976 | Just an Old Sweet Song | Helen Mayfield | Television movie |
| 1976 | Serpico | Angel | 1 episode |
| 1976 | Visions | Evelyn Burrell | 1 episode |
| 1979 | Lawman Without a Gun | Minnie Hayward | Television film |
| 1980 | All My Children | Ellie Grant Hubbard | unknown episode(s) |
| 1987–1989 | A Different World | Leticia "Lettie" Bostic | Main role, 25 episodes |
| 1989 | The Women of Brewster Place | Fannie Michael | 2 episodes |
| 1990 | L.A. Law | Maxine Manley | 1 episode |
| 1992 | I'll Fly Away | Marguerite Peck | Recurring role, 7 episodes Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series |
| 1993 | Laurel Avenue | Maggie Arnett | Television film Nominated —CableACE Award for Best Actress in a Movie or Miniseries |
| 1993 | Law & Order | Virginia Bryan | 1 episode |
| 1994 | Great Performances | 1 episode | |
| 1997 | Orleans | Ella Clark | 1 episode |
| 1999 | Cosby | Loretta | 4 episodes |
| 2000 | Touched by an Angel | Georgia Bishop | 1 episode |
| 2000 | Providence | Abby Franklin | 1 episode |
| 2001 | Soul Food | Mrs. Pettaway | 1 episode |
| 2002 | Oz | Eugenia Hill | 1 episode |
| 2004 | Line of Fire | Jackie Simon | 1 episode |
| 2004 | The Jury | Elaine Nebatoff | 1 episode |
| 2005 | Kojak | Joyce | 1 episode |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1969–1971 | No Place to Be Somebody | Cora Beasley | |
| 1981 | A Full-Length Portrait of America | Emma | |
| 1987–1988 | Fences | Rose | Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play; Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play |
| 1994–1995 | The Shadow Box | Maggie | |
| 1995 | Having Our Say | Dr. Bessie Delaney | Nominated —Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Play; Nominated —Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Enter the Matrix | The Oracle | [20] |
| 2005 | The Matrix Online | The Oracle |
| This sectionneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Mary Alice" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(July 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Tony Awards | Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play | Fences | Won |
| 1987 | Drama Desk Award | Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play | Fences | Won |
| 1990 | Independent Spirit Awards | Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead | To Sleep with Anger | Nominated |
| 1992 | Emmy Awards | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series | I'll Fly Away | Nominated |
| 1993 | Emmy Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series | I'll Fly Away | Won |
| 1994 | CableACE Award | Best Actress in a Movie or Miniseries | Laurel Avenue | Nominated |
| 1995 | Tony Awards | Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play | Having Our Say | Nominated |
| 1995 | Drama Desk Awards | Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Play | Having Our Say | Nominated |
| 2004 | Black Reel Awards | Black Reel Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress | The Matrix Revolutions | Nominated |
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