Rosanne Katon

Rosanne Katon
	; Rosanne Katon played the part of Louise, Grady Wilson's granddaughter on the NBC-TV series Grady.
Born	February 5, 1954 (age 70)
Birthplace	New York City, New York, U.S.
Occupation	Actress, Fashion Model, comedienne, former Playboy centerfold (1978)
Years active	1974-1991
Episode appearances	as Laurie Marshall "The Family Man" on Sanford and Son (also served as the original pilot for Grady series); 10 episodes of Grady in 1975-76

Rosanne Katon (born February 5, 1954)^[1] played the part of Louise Marshall, the granddaughter of Grady Wilson on the NBC Sanford and Son spinoff series Grady. A beautiful fashion model, talented actress, comedian and activist, Rosanne was Playboy magazine's Playmate of the Month for its September 1978 issue. Her centerfold was photographed by Mario Casilli.

Background[]

Katon was born in New York City to a Jamaican-born father, and African-American mother.

Career[]

Beginning in the mid-1970s, Katon worked steadily in Hollywood, including a stint on Grady, the short-lived spin-off of the hit sitcom, Sanford and Son and guest appearances on the ABC-TV sitcom What's Happening!!, where she acted again with former Grady castmate Haywood Nelson, and CBS-TV's Good Times. However, the shapely actress was often typecast in sex kitten roles in R-Rated sexploitation/farce comedies such as Chesty Anderson, USN (1976), Lunch Wagon (1981) and Bachelor Party. This was solidified by her appearance as the September 1978 Playboy centerfold. Notable exceptions to this rule were a recurring role opposite Denzel Washington on the NBC-TV medical drama series St. Elsewhere and her appearance in two award-winning UCLA student films, Julie Dash's "Illusions" (1982) (in which she played a singer who doubles for a white actress in 1940s Hollywood) and [[S. Torriano Berry's "Rich" (playing the supportive girlfriend of the title character).^[2]^[3]

Rosanne also had leading roles in two Cirio Santiago action films released in 1976, Ebony, Ivory & Jade (in which she received top billing) and The Muthers (playing opposite former Playboy centerfold, Jean Bell).

Additionally, Katon has had several stage credits including a Broadway lead role in Godspell, and a featured role in the parody of women in prison movies, Women Behind Bars.

At one point, Katon segued into the world of stand-up comedy, even appearing in Playboy's June 1991 pictorial "Funny Girls," which covered female comedians.

Humanitarian work[]

In 1984, Katon married Richard M. Walden, who is the president and chief executive officer of Operation USA, an international organization that supplies relief to Third World areas in need such as Rwanda, Cambodia and, more recently, tsunami-ravaged Sri Lanka, Thailand and Indonesia; and to Hurricane Katrina-ravaged areas of Louisiana and Mississippi. Rosanne is an active participant with Operation USA and also serves on its Advisory Board. The relief group is based in California.

Personal life[]

The Waldens have two children, including a son who is autistic and an expert cellist. The family is featured in the 2007 documentary Autism: The Musical which won the 2007 Emmy for Best TV Documentary Special (HBO).

References[]

↑ Playboy Playmate listing, accessed June 5, 2009.
↑ Illusions, by Allyson Nadia Field for the UCLA Film and Television Archives, Los Angeles, California, accessed 2011-11-05. Quote: "Set in Hollywood during WWII, Illusions tells the story of Mignon Duprée, a studio executive passing for white, and Ester Jeeter, an African American singer hired to dub the voice of a white movie star. The film is a gripping critique of the power of the movies to shape perception as it explores the multiple illusions created by Hollywood and the very illusion of racial identity."
↑ [http://www.cinema.ucla.edu/events/2011-10-21/ujamii-uhuru-schule-shorts Ujamii Uhuru Schule Community Freedom School (1974); Define (1988); Excerpt from Dawn at My Back: Memoir of a Black Texas Upbringing (2003); Shipley Street (1981); Brick by Brick (1982); Rich (1982), by Mark Quigley, UCLA Film and Television Archives ,Los Angeles, California, accessed 2011-11-05. Quote: "At once gritty and tender, the character study features an intimate scene shot chiaroscuro on location at the Watts Towers."

External links[]

Rosanne Katon at the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)
[http://www.playboy.com/girls/view/rosanne-katon Rosanne Katon at Playboy Online

[1] Playboy Playmate listing, accessed June 5, 2009.

[2] Illusions, by Allyson Nadia Field for the UCLA Film and Television Archives, Los Angeles, California, accessed 2011-11-05. Quote: "Set in Hollywood during WWII, Illusions tells the story of Mignon Duprée, a studio executive passing for white, and Ester Jeeter, an African American singer hired to dub the voice of a white movie star. The film is a gripping critique of the power of the movies to shape perception as it explores the multiple illusions created by Hollywood and the very illusion of racial identity."

[3] [http://www.cinema.ucla.edu/events/2011-10-21/ujamii-uhuru-schule-shorts Ujamii Uhuru Schule Community Freedom School (1974); Define (1988); Excerpt from Dawn at My Back: Memoir of a Black Texas Upbringing (2003); Shipley Street (1981); Brick by Brick (1982); Rich (1982), by Mark Quigley, UCLA Film and Television Archives ,Los Angeles, California, accessed 2011-11-05. Quote: "At once gritty and tender, the character study features an intimate scene shot chiaroscuro on location at the Watts Towers."

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