Clarice Taylor was born on September 20, 1917 in Buckingham County, Virginia, USA. She was an actress, known for Play Misty for Me (1971), Sommersby (1993) and Smoke (1995). She died on May 30, 2011 in Englewood, New Jersey, USA.
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Performer in a Comedy Series
Movies
Smoke, Sommersby, Five on the Black Hand Side, Play Misty for Me, Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon
Star Sign
Virgo
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Fact
1
New Jersey, USA: Retired from acting. [August 2009]
2
Played the role of Addaperle, the Good Witch of the North, in the musical The Wiz (1978). Later recreated the role in the film version released at the same time as the the film that starred Diana Ross, The Wiz (1978), in which the character was known as Miss One.
3
Best known on TV for playing the recurring role of Harriet (David's grandmother) on Sesame Street (1969) and Bill Cosby's mother on The Cosby Show (1984).
4
Involved in a lawsuit in the late 1980s over ownership rights of the play "Moms," based on the life of Chitlin' Circuit comedienne Moms Mabley. Ms. Taylor developed interest in creating a full-length play after portraying Moms in a sketch in an off-off-Broadway production in the early 1980s. Taylor collaborated with friend and Obie-winning writer Alice Childress on the play with Childress receiving sole copyright for her writing of the play, although Taylor provided much of the research material and suggested characters and scenes. Eventually, personal and professional relations broke down between the two, and Taylor produced a new play based on the comedienne. Alleged copyright infringements eventually led to a legal action with Childress emerging victorious.
5
African-American actress for over five decades, performing on stage, radio, television, and in film; co-founder of Harlem's American Negro Theater.
Actress
Title
Year
Status
Character
History of the World in Eight Minutes
1998
Short
Renata
Smoke
1995
Grandma Ethel
Due South
1995
TV Series
Mrs. Chaffey
Sommersby
1993
Esther
The Cosby Show
1985-1992
TV Series
Anna Huxtable
Sesame Street
1989
TV Series
David's Grandma
Spenser: For Hire
1986
TV Series
Miss Emma
Lady Blue
1985
TV Series
Pearl McKinley
Heart's Island
1985
TV Series
Mattie
Nothing Lasts Forever
1984
Lu
Purlie
1981
TV Movie
Idella Landy
Nurse
1981
TV Series
Nurse Bailey
The Torture of Mothers
1980
Beulah Land
1980
TV Mini-Series
Lovey
The Wiz
1978
Video
Addaperle, the Good Witch of the North
Wedding Band
1974
TV Movie
Fanny Johnson
Sanford and Son
1974
TV Series
Cousin Emma
Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law
1974
TV Series
Mrs. Simpson
Ironside
1973
TV Series
Clotilde Loggins
Five on the Black Hand Side
1973
Mrs. Brooks
Such Good Friends
1971
Mrs. McKay
Play Misty for Me
1971
Birdie
Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon
1970
Minnie
Change of Mind
1969
Rose Landis
The Doctors
1968-1969
TV Series
Hope Stark
Self
Title
Year
Status
Character
The Cosby Show: A Look Back
2002
TV Movie documentary
Herself - Anna Huxtable
Showtime at the Apollo
1987
TV Series
Herself / Moms Mabley
The 38th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards
1986
TV Special
Herself - Nominee for Outstanding Guest Performer in Comedy Series
$7 Million
