
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


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









