| ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Clarice Taylor as Moms Mabley in a 1987 stage production about the late comedienne. | ||||
| Vital Information | ||||
| Gender: | Female | |||
| Born: | September 20, 1917 | |||
| Birthplace: | Buckingham County, Virginia, U.S. | |||
| Died | May 30, 2011 (aged 93) | |||
| Deathplace: | Englewood, New Jersey, U.S. | |||
| Occupation/ Career: |
Stage, television & film actress | |||
| Years active: | 1970-1988, as Hollywood actress | |||
| Family/Personal information | ||||
| Related to: | William and James (sons) >br> Gizele (daughter-in-law) 4 grandchildren: Jason, Kristen, Raul Jr. and Jared. | |||
| Character/series involvement | ||||
| Appeared on/ Involved with: |
Sanford and Son | |||
| Episodes appeared in: | "Hello Cousin Emma, Goodbye Cousin Emma" in Season 3 | |||
| Character(s) played: | Cousin Emma | |||
Clarice Taylor (September 20, 1917 – May 30, 2011)[1][2] was an American stage, film and television actress.
Biography[]
Born in Buckingham County, Virginia but raised in Harlem, New York, Clarice was best known for her recurring role on television on Wikipedia:The Cosby Show as Dr. Heathcliff "Cliff" Huxtable's (Bill Cosby) mother, Anna Huxtable. She was nominated for an Emmy Award in 1986 for the role. She was also a regular on Nurse, played Harriet on Sesame Street and also appeared as Grady's Cousin Emma on Sanford and Son.[3]
Clarice started working in the theatre—with the American Negro Theatre—at a time when there were few opportunities for African-American actors. To support herself she followed in the footsteps of her father, Leon B. Taylor, Sr., and went to work for the U.S. Post Office. In the 1960s she got her big break that enabled her to act full-time. Taylor was one of the founding members of the Negro Ensemble Company, headquartered in New York's East Village, in Manhattan on 8th Street / St. Mark's Place.
Film work[]
While working with the NEC she got her first offer of a movie role in Change of Mind. Her next film role was as "Minnie" in Otto Preminger's Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon. In 1971 she played Birdie in Clint Eastwood's Play Misty For Me. In 1973, she brought a role she had pioneered off-Broadway to film, playing Gladys Brooks in Five on the Blackhand Side.
Stage[]
Taylor appeared in The Wiz as Addaperle, the Good Witch of the North. Her most recent performance was in a touring production of her own one-woman show, Moms, for which she won an Obie Award. Her most recent film appearance was a small role in Wayne Wang's film Smoke.
Death[]
Clarice Taylor died at her home in Englewood, New Jersey from congestive heart failure, aged 93. She is survived by her two sons: William and James, her daughter-in-law, Gizele, and four grandchildren: Jason, Kristen, Raul Jr. and Jared.
References[]
- ↑ Clarice Taylor of 'The Cosby Show' dies at 93, Boston.com, published and first accessed June 2, 2011.
- ↑ Cosby Show Actress Clarice Taylor Dies, People.com article, first accessed June 2, 2011.
- ↑ Clarice Taylor Dies at 93; TV’s Cosby Called her Mom, by Dennis Hevesi, The New York Times, published and accessed June 3, 2011.
External links[]
Clarice Taylor at the Internet Movie Database- Clarice Taylor at the Internet Broadway Database
- Clarice Taylor article at Wikipedia
