Mary Alice

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Born

1936-12-03

Place of Birth

Indianola, Mississippi, USA

Mary Alice

Biography

Mary Alice was born on December 3, 1936 in Indianola, Mississippi, USA to parents Ozelar Jurnakin (Smith) and Sam Smith. She was an actress, known for The Matrix Revolutions (2003), Awakenings (1990) and Malcolm X (1992). She taught in Elementary School before her acting career took off. When she was still a struggling actress doing stage plays, she made a living doing her castmate's laundry for a salary of $200 a week. She was a lifelong liberal Democrat, feminist, and civil rights activist. Was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 2000. She retired from acting in 2005. She died of natural causes on July 27, 2022 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA. Upon her death, she was buried with her siblings at Oak Wood Cemetery in Chicago, Illinois, in regard for her last wishes.

Gallery

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Acting History

2005
Kojak as Joyce
2004
The Burly Man Chronicles
2004
The Jury
2004
The Matrix Recalibrated as Self
2003
What I Want My Words to Do to You as Self
2003
The Matrix Revolutions as The Oracle
2002
Sunshine State as Eunice Stokes
2001
The Last Brickmaker in America as Dorothy Cobb
2000
Soul Food as Mrs. Pettaway
2000
The Photographer as Violet
1999
Catfish in Black Bean Sauce as Dolores Williams
1999
Providence as Abby Franklin
1999
The Wishing Tree as Mattie
1998
Down in the Delta as Rosa Lynn Sinclair
1997
Oz as Eugenia Hill
1996
Cosby
1996
Bed of Roses as Alice
1995
Heading Home as Mary Jones
1995
Ray Alexander: A Menu for Murder
1994
The Mother as Black Lady
1994
Touched by an Angel as Georgia Bishop
1994
The Inkwell as Evelyn
1994
The Vernon Johns Story as Altona
1993
A Perfect World as Lottie
1993
Laurel Avenue as Maggie Arnett
1993
Life with Mikey as Mrs. Gordon
1992
Malcolm X as School Teacher
1991
I'll Fly Away
1991
I'll Fly Away as Marguerite Peck
1991
Performance as Black lady
1990
The Bonfire of the Vanities as Annie Lamb
1990
Awakenings as Nurse Margaret
1990
To Sleep with Anger as Suzie
1990
Law & Order as Virginia Bryan
1989
The Women of Brewster Place as Fannie Michael
1989
The Women of Brewster Place as Fannie Michael
1987
A Different World as Lettie Bostic
1987
A Different World as Leticia Bostic
1986
L.A. Law as Maxine Manley
1985
Charlotte Forten's Mission: Experiment in Freedom as Blind Lily
1984
Teachers as Linda Ganz
1984
Beat Street as Cora
1984
The Killing Floor as Lilah Dean
1983
The Brass Ring as Mrs. Hauser
1982
A House Divided: Denmark Vessey's Rebellion as Beck
1980
Joshua's World as Housekeeper
1979
Lawman Without a Gun as Minnie Hayward
1976
Just an Old Sweet Song as Helen Mayfield
1976
Sparkle as Effie
1974
Police Woman
1974
The Education of Sonny Carson as Moms
1974
Sty of the Blind Pig as Alberta Warren
1974
Good Times
1972
Sanford and Son
1971
Great Performances
1965
Green Acres