Mary Alice

Co-starred as the adoptive mother of a pair of Vietnamese orphans in "Catfish and Black Bean Sauce"

Starred on Broadway in "Having Our Say: The Delaney Sisters' First 100 Years"

Starred in HBO limited series "Laurel Avenue"

Played memorable role on "I'll Fly Away" (NBC)

Starred in film "To Sleep With Anger"

Played mother to Oprah Winfrey in miniseries "The Women of Brewster Place" (ABC)

Was regular on the NBC sitcom "A Different World"

Starred on Broadway and on tour in "Fences"; won Tony Award

Performed in Australian production of "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf"

Made TV-movie debut in "Just an Old Sweet Song" (CBS)

Appeared in memorable episode of "Sanford and Son" as Fred's sister-in-law

Film debut, "The Education of Sonny Carson"

TV debut, "The Sty of the Blind Pit" on PBS' "Hollywood Television Theatre"

Broadway debut, "No Place to Be Somebody"

Made Off-Broadway debut in "Trials of Jero" and "The Strong Breed"

Moved to New York and trained for the stage with Lloyd Richards at the Negro Ensemble Company

Considered retiring from acting and returning to teaching in the 1980s

Had regular role on the CBS soap opera "Edge of Night"

Made stage debut in Chicago production of "Purlie Victorious"

Raised in Chicago, Illinois

Taught grammar school in Chicago