Della Reese Net Worth
Della Reese Net Worth is
$3 Million
Della Reese Bio/Wiki, Net Worth, Married 2018
Delloreese Patricia Early, known professionally as Della Reese, is an American actress, singer, game show panelist of the 1970s, one-time talk-show hostess and ordained minister. She started her career in the 1950s as a gospel, pop and jazz singer, scoring a hit with her 195... | Full Name | Della Reese |
| Net Worth | $3 Million |
| Date Of Birth | July 6, 1931 |
| Died | July 6, 1931 |
| Place Of Birth | Black Bottom, Detroit, Michigan, United States |
| Height | 5 ft 1 in (1.57 m) |
| Profession | Singer, Actor, Minister, Presenter |
| Education | Wayne State University, Cass Technical High School |
| Nationality | United States of America |
| Spouse | Franklin Lett (m. 1983), Leroy Gray (m. 1959–1961), Vermont Taliaferro (m. 1951–1958) |
| Children | Franklin Reese, Deloreese Reese, James Reese, Dominique Reese |
| Parents | Nellie Mitchelle, Richard Thaddeus Early |
| Nicknames | Della Resse , Delloreese Patricia Early , Reese, Della , Rev. Dr. Della Reese Lett |
| Awards | NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series |
| Albums | Della, Della Della Cha Cha Cha, The Classic Della |
| Music Groups | Meditation Singers |
| Nominations | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Miniseries, or Motion Picture Made for Television, Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Fem... |
| Movies | Harlem Nights, Christmas Angel, Chasing Secrets, A Thin Line Between Love and Hate, Beauty Shop, Miracle in the Woods, Expecting Mary, Anya's Bell, The Moving of Sophia Myles, Psychic Killer, Me Again, Emma's Wish, If I Had Known I Was a Genius, Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years, D... |
| TV Shows | Touched by an Angel, The Royal Family, Charlie & Co., It Takes Two, Chico and the Man |
| Star Sign | Cancer |
| # | Trademark |
|---|---|
| 1 | The role of Tess on _"Touched By An Angel" (1994)_. |
| 2 | Deep, husky voice |
| 3 | Her self-effacing humor |
| 4 | Her sly smile |
| # | Quote |
|---|---|
| 1 | [In 1973]: Up until she started school, Dumpsey traveled with me all the time. I wasn't trying to prove you could have a baby on the road. I had no husband and no one to stay with her. Necessity makes you work things out. Luckily, she wasn't a sickly baby. She's always been independent. Out of necessity, she's had to take care of herself. When things got better, I could afford a sitter. I was never lonely on the road, because of Dumpsey. I used to have to get up, feed her, take her to the park. |
| 2 | [on her popularity while playing the sixty-something "Tess" on Touched by an Angel (1994)]: But I know we need a show like this in our lives because people want to hear that God loves them. I believe she [co-star Roma Downey] and I were together in some other life, but if I say that, people look at me strange. |
| 3 | [In 2010] If somebody hits you upside your head long enough, enough times, they'll tell you they will hit you, you believe it. Why couldn't you believe it? The last lick you had almost killed you, so you see, why would you, not believe that they would do that? |
| 4 | [In 2009] But I was doing a talk show. I love to say this. I was before [Oprah Winfrey]. |
| 5 | [When questioned if she had any recollections] No, my life doesn't seem remarkable to me. I assume once I have prayed, the answer is on its way. |
| 6 | What was so upsetting was I didn't really know anything about diabetes except that Ella Fitzgerald lost her legs and later died from it. So I all knew was you lost your limbs and you died from it. I was scared silly. |
| 7 | [About her stroke, when Doc Severinsen and Richard Dawson both rescued her, while the doctor appeared onstage from the audience] I never lost consciousness, but I wasn't in control. Lord, help me. God, help me. |
| 8 | [on the cancellation of Touched by an Angel (1994)] This is a business of ratings. When the show was on Sunday, we were a program that people came home and extended their Sunday services with. People are out on Saturday nights. It changed our audience base. |
| 9 | [In 2005] Diabetes doesn't necessarily hurt, you see. You wake up and say, "I'm not in pain, I won't take this [medicine] today". |
| 10 | Anything is possible with God. People told me, there are just some things you can't do. But I saw no reason why I couldn't have everything I wanted, and frankly, the reasons they gave about why I couldn't have things didn't impress me. |
| 11 | [Of her struggle in show business] We had no rights or privileges, I was told that there was no need to go to school, because we'd never have jobs that we'd need schooling for. I didn't really like that idea. |
| 12 | [Of Roma Downey] Roma and I have only grown closer and more fond of each other as time has gone on . . . Roma Downey is an angel in my life. It is no accident that our paths have crossed. |
| 13 | [In 1993] I never intended to become a minister, I wanted to teach these principles. But I had so many requests for people wanting me to officiate weddings and funerals and such that I finally asked God and he told me to do it. |
| 14 | [Of her 1980 stroke] I was in the middle of the song when my body began to twitch uncontrollably. Before I knew it, I fell to my knees in front of everyone and was suddenly unconscious. |
| 15 | [on why she went to three different hospitals before her condition was properly diagnosed] At first doctors were looking in everywhere but the right place. I suppose because I'm an actress and entertainer, they initially presumed I was suffering from some sort of alcohol or drug problem. That was more than insulting, it was a potentially fatal misperception. |
| 16 | [In 2001] But what people must realize is that time is of the essence. You must know the warning signs of a stroke, and you must seek emergency assistance immediately. |
| 17 | [In 1997] It's tough to be an angel in Hollywood when you're underpaid. |
| 18 | [on why she was offered substantially less than the 100% raise that co-star Roma Downey got in 1997] It was 12-1/2% they offered me. But for year number one and number two and number three, whatever Roma received, I received equal parts. This year, I did not. |
| 19 | I use February 14 as the day to remember all the men in my life. Not just boyfriends, but business associates too. I show them I care by sending floral arrangements. [Why are they only sent to women? Men enjoy flowers too!] My beau gets gardenias and my colleagues get plants. When they receive them, they know I really do care. |
| 20 | [In 1996] I don't ever remember not singing. My agent said Touched by an Angel (1994) probably wouldn't go to series, but I'd get a lot of money to make the pilot. I knew it wouldn't work because the two angels didn't like each other. But how could that be? How could angels have hate? I was always saying something smart to Roma Downey's character and vice-versa. CBS spent $2 million on it, and you'll never see it. The only thing they liked was the rapport between Roma and me. |
| 21 | [on being cast in Touched by an Angel (1994)] They called [Roma Downey] and me in to meet Martha Williamson. The conversation is going really nice, and Martha stands up and tells me, "It's not that I don't respect you, but I go to church and I'm a Christian and this show will have God in it". |
| 22 | I'm hoping that there is a correlation between all the work that I do. Touched by an Angel (1994) gave me a chance to speak on the things that I espouse, and "Faith in Action" also gives me a chance to do that". |
| 23 | [on being a spokesperson] It's such a simple thing. You find people who need help, and you find people who can give help, and you put the two together. Just simply people helping people. |
| 24 | [In 2003] We were taping Touched by an Angel (1994), and I was coming down the stairs of my house in Salt Lake City, and it felt like someone split my head in half and I blacked out. I don't know how long I was there but, when I came to, I didn't feel anything so I just went on to work. |
| 25 | [on why she didn't want to do another TV series] But it always comes down to me in my bed talking to God, and he said, "Do this for me for 10 years and you can retire". Since I am a devout coward, I cannot go against the will of the Lord. |
| 26 | [on how she "ticked off" Duke Ellington and Carmen McRae] We were all just trying to make a living. Nobody had any attitude. We were all "getting up", as we used to say. |
| 27 | [Of Ed Sullivan] Ed helped a lot of people. |
| 28 | [on being a talk show hostess] I was tired of the road, and doing TV meant I could stay home. It was very obvious to me I was the first black woman with her own show when one executive told me they had a hard time finding sponsors because my gums were blue. |
| 29 | [In 1998] I had done what I set out to do: I had the money, the gowns, the jewelry and I was happy to have them, but they did not make me happy. My daughter filled that void: she saved my life. |
| 30 | [Of her parents] He was the toastmaster in our neighborhood. My father was a man who knew how to walk the walk and talk the talk. My mother was the kind of woman who when she looked you in the eyes, you stood at attention. |
| 31 | [on being the first black woman to host a talk show of the 1960s, long before Oprah Winfrey] I've had so many different chapters in my career, so many different audiences, but it always comes back to me talking to God. |
| 32 | The Lord has planned my life. I'm not a great planner but I have been open to what God has in store for me, and it's worked. |
| 33 | I was black when they hired me. They knew how old I was when they hired me. |
| # | Fact |
|---|---|
| 1 | She collapsed on the set of Touched by an Angel (1994), and was hospitalized. [2000]. |
| 2 | She contributed to her diabetes, after years of eating her old, nightly snacks of fried chicken, potato chips, ice cream, candy bars and cola. |
| 3 | The IRS Criminal Division began investigating the disappearance of nearly $2 million from vanishing church banking investments, as well as very questionable/misappropriation of church funds and not paying church employees their earned wages at Understanding Principles for Better Living. [2014]. |
| 4 | Sold her Beverly Hills, California, mansion, on the market for $7.5 million. [7 November 2014]. |
| 5 | She is using a wheelchair, after having 2 serious brain surgeries. [29 August 2016]. |
| 6 | After her final guest-starring role on Signed, Sealed, Delivered (2014), she has retired from acting at age 84. |
| 7 | She is most widely known to be a social butterfly. |
| 8 | Is the first gospel singer to perform in Las Vegas. |
| 9 | Had nearly died of a stroke. |
| 10 | Every weekend for 9 seasons, she commuted from her Los Angeles house to Salt Lake City, Utah, to film Touched by an Angel (1994). |
| 11 | On a few episodes of Touched by an Angel (1994), her character sang, in real-life, she is also a singer. |
| 12 | Lives not too far from Marla Gibbs, in Inglewood, California. |
| 13 | She had rheumatoid fever, when she was only 2. |
| 14 | Reese had decided to become an actress, because when she was singing, she acted out the lyrics of the song, and emotions came towards her. |
| 15 | Every Christmas, when Reese was growing up, her mother had baked her favorite cake, made her favorite dinner, and made her crocheted items. |
| 16 | Her favorite subject in school was: Music. |
| 17 | Her favorite Touched by an Angel (1994) episode is each and every one of them. |
| 18 | Is a Republican. |
| 19 | Is a close friend of Cissy Houston and knows the entire Houston family, very well. She frequently gave Cissy permission to discuss their exchange. |
| 20 | Met Nipsey Russell at one of the clubs in New York City, where the two became good friends, until Russell's death in 2005. |
| 21 | Became a surrogate mother to Dr. James Barger, after he lost his own mother, in 1969. |
| 22 | Ed Sullivan was a favorite of hers. |
| 23 | Lived in West Chester, New York, from 1962 to 1969. |
| 24 | Before she was a successful actress, she became the director of the young's people's church choir. |
| 25 | Future Motown singer Martha Reeves sites Reese as a major influence, and said she named her group The Vandellas after Van Dyke Street in Detroit and Della Reese. |
| 26 | Was born in and grew up in the Black Bottom neighborhood of Detroit, Michigan. |
| 27 | Created the character of Tess in Touched by an Angel (1994). |
| 28 | Began acting at an early age. |
| 29 | A coupon collector from every Detroit church, Reese won a coupon-clipping contest sponsored by the local black paper, The Michigan Chronicle. |
| 30 | Began her show Touched by an Angel (1994) at age 63. |
| 31 | Her father was her mother's primary caregiver, while Della was in college. |
| 32 | Was a fan of both shows: The Jackie Gleason Show (1952) and The Ed Sullivan Show (1948). |
| 33 | Her eldest sister was age 20 when Della was born. |
| 34 | Of Cherokee ancestry. |
| 35 | Her popular song, 'Don't You Know?,' was adapted from Puccini's music for La Bohème, specifically, the aria Musetta's Waltz. |
| 36 | Worked with longtime friend, Marla Gibbs, on episodes of both series: 227 (1985) and Touched by an Angel (1994). |
| 37 | Was a fan of The Jackie Gleason Show (1952) and The Ed Sullivan Show (1948). |
| 38 | Childhood friend of Marla Gibbs. |
| 39 | Her song, 'Don't You Know?,' reached the #2 spot on the Pop Charts and topping the R&B charts in 1959, which were then called the 'Hot R&B Sides,' that year. |
| 40 | Acting mentor and friends of Roma Downey. |
| 41 | As of 2011, she was promoted from ordained minister to senior minister and founder of the Understanding Principles for Better Living Church, in Los Angeles, California. |
| 42 | Longtime friend of the late Rosa Parks, who attended her funeral on 2 November 2005. Just before her death, Parks guest-starred with her on Touched by an Angel (1994). |
| 43 | Her childhood friend, Marla Gibbs attended her 80th birthday party on 19 August 2011. |
| 44 | Met Merv Griffin when she was working in New York City doing a radio show. Basically, Helen Basiley wrote a song where Griffin began singing the weather report to this groove as did Reese herself, and was hired to co-host alongside him on his talk show in the 1960s. |
| 45 | Was a spokesperson for Campbell Soup Products in 1980. |
| 46 | Met Redd Foxx at a nightclub in Chicago, where they became best friends for 40 years. |
| 47 | Was a fan of The Ed Sullivan Show (1948), The Jackie Gleason Show (1952) and Your Show of Shows (1950). |
| 48 | Had appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962), 33 times. |
| 49 | A lyric-soprano. |
| 50 | Had always wanted to be a singer. |
| 51 | Was also friends with Nat 'King' Cole's family. |
| 52 | Appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show (1948), 18 times. |
| 53 | While working at the LaFlame Showbar in Detroit, Michigan, comedian Soupy Sales gave her a shot at becoming a star on television. |
| 54 | Through Erskine Hawkins, she also toured with Nat 'King' Cole. |
| 55 | Before she was a successful actress, she used to work at a nightclub with all the unfamiliar and legendary singers of the 1950s in New York City. |
| 56 | The death of her mother along with a lack of money had caused her to drop out of college, because her father wouldn't allow her to finish. |
| 57 | Victor Taliaferro assaulted her when they were married and she was hospitalized. This situation led her to divorce him. |
| 58 | She was the producers' first choice for the secondary lead role of Tess on Touched by an Angel (1994), she was reluctant but went ahead and auditioned. |
| 59 | She and the rest of Foxx's The Royal Family (1991) cast paid a visit to see Redd Foxx in the hospital, just hours before he died. |
| 60 | Received a Grammy nomination for her album 'Della' in 1960. |
| 61 | Didn't start acting until she was 36. |
| 62 | Her idols when she was young were: Jane Wyman, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan and Billie Holiday. |
| 63 | Is the first African-American actress to host a talk show long before Oprah Winfrey. |
| 64 | Is a longtime, good friend with Kristoff St. John. They both worked together on The Young and the Restless (1973). |
| 65 | Was honored by Oprah Winfrey at her Legends Ball ceremony along with 25 other African-American women, in 2005. |
| 66 | Before she was a successful actress, she did everything from a very young age from directing a young people's choir in church, to being a truck driver, to being a dental receptionist, to that of a switchboard girl. |
| 67 | Future talk show host and friend Larry King said he enjoyed listening to her music, as a young adult. |
| 68 | Attended the same high school as future actress Ellen Burstyn, also known as: Edna Rae Gillooly. |
| 69 | Began singing at age 6. |
| 70 | Had purchased a home in Beverly Hills, California, in 1969. |
| 71 | Was the lead singer for the Erskine Hawkins Band. |
| 72 | She intended to major in Psychiatry at Wayne State University, but a personal setback ended her plans. |
| 73 | She formed a choir in Detroit called The Meditation Singers. |
| 74 | Her parents were, Richard Early, who was a steel worker, ladies' man and a gambler and Nellie Mitchelle Early, a Cherokee cook. |
| 75 | As a teenager, she was often chosen as a featured singer on radio. |
| 76 | On one of the tapings of The Royal Family (1991), she found out about one of Redd Foxx's rituals he had done, years after he was doing Sanford and Son (1972), assuming all of this was a joke. In fact, she actually heard it, for real, Foxx collapsed on the set and had a heart attack, where he was taken to a hospital and died in 1991. She attended his funeral later in the year. |
| 77 | Had traveled with Mahalia Jackson, for 3 summers, and went on tour with her. |
| 78 | Has type 2 diabetes. |
| 79 | Had a recording contract with RCA Records in 1957. |
| 80 | Is an ordained minister at the Understanding Principles for Better Living Church in Los Angeles, California. |
| 81 | Adoptive daughter, Deloreese Daniels Owens, died on March 14, 2002. |
| 82 | Is one of the 2 actresses to appear in all the episodes of Touched by an Angel (1994), with the exception of 2, during the final season. |
| 83 | Composed the Touched by an Angel (1994) theme song, "Walk With You". |
| 84 | In 2007 she officiated for the second time--she is an ordained minister--at a wedding of her ex-Touched by an Angel (1994) co-star Roma Downey's, in which she married reality television show producer Mark Burnett in 2007. |
| 85 | Graduated from Cass Technical High School in Detroit, Michigan, in 1947, at only 15 yrs. old. She became the first in her family to graduate early. |
| 86 | Had feuded with her father, after her mother's passing, which led to moving out of the house, at age 18. |
| 87 | Her mother, Nellie, died in 1949, of a cerebral hemorrhage. |
| 88 | Gospel legend Mahalia Jackson was so impressed with her singing that she invited her on a Southern Tour, Della was only 13. |
| 89 | In 1944, Mahalia Jackson was at her church, and was impressed with Della's voice. |
| 90 | Friends with: Shirley Jones, Angela Lansbury, Marion Ross, Betty White, Bea Arthur, Charlotte Rae, Marla Gibbs, Jackée Harry, Florence Henderson, Valerie Harper, Carol Burnett, Kirk Douglas, Ernest Borgnine, Gavin MacLeod, Ted Lange, Redd Foxx, Nipsey Russell, Kristoff St. John, Ed Sullivan, Johnny Carson, Larry King, Bob Hope, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin, Rosa Parks, Maya Angelou, Abby Dalton, Ruta Lee, Patty Duke, James Komack, Martin Lawrence, Alfre Woodard, Oprah Winfrey, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Billy Graham, Robert H. Schuller, Pat Robertson, Tim Reid, Dick Gregory and Eddie Murphy. |
| 91 | In 1953 she signed a singing contract with Jubilee Records, her first. |
| 92 | Met Vermont Taliaferro in church for years until she married him in 1951, but was divorced in 1953. |
| 93 | Had dropped and shortened her name from Early to Reese knowing it was too big for one club's marquee. |
| 94 | Television personality Ed Sullivan helped her get her bookings in Las Vegas, which was rare for an African-American singer, back in the early 1950s. |
| 95 | In 1969 she walked into a plate-glass door and underwent surgery for a severe laceration. She was swimming, and as she got out of the pool she tried to avoid a large piece of glass and fell through a plate-glass door. |
| 96 | She has 7 hobbies: singing, watching movies, spending time with her family, reading the Bible, swimming, cooking and playing games. |
| 97 | She was the youngest (age 22) performer to have the highest singing voice of anyone in jazz music, next to Ella Fitzgerald, Carmen McRae and Sarah Vaughan. |
| 98 | Her father, Richard Early, died in 1959. |
| 99 | As a young girl of the 1940s, she and her mother would go to the movies to watch: Joan Crawford, Lena Horne and Bette Davis, portraying glamorous lives on-screen. |
| 100 | Her mother, Nellie, had children many years before young Delloreese was born, none of them lived with her, afterwards. |
| 101 | Was good friends with Roma Downey before Touched by an Angel (1994) and remained so after the show was concluded. |
| 102 | Earned $50,000 an episode--upped from $40,000--for Touched by an Angel (1994) in 1997. |
| 103 | Best known by the public for her starring role as Tess on Touched by an Angel (1994). |
| 104 | Suffered a stroke on the set of The Tonight Show (1962). [3 October 1980]. |
| 105 | Is an ordained minister. She officiated at the wedding of Touched by an Angel (1994) co-star Roma Downey. She is the godmother of Downey's daughter, Reilly Marie. |
| 106 | Mother of Deloreese, James, Franklin, and Dominique. |
Actress
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Signed, Sealed, Delivered | 2014 | TV Series | Cora Brandt |
| Miracle at Gate 213 | 2013 | TV Movie | Alma Peddington |
| Dear Secret Santa | 2013 | TV Movie | Linda |
| Me Again | 2012 | Muriel | |
| Meant to Be | 2012 | Mave | |
| Christmas Angel | 2012 | TV Movie | Elsie Waybright |
| Hallelujah | 2011 | TV Movie | Dulcie Prejean |
| Detroit 1-8-7 | 2010 | TV Series | Lorraine Henderson |
| Expecting Mary | 2010 | Doris Dorkus | |
| The Young and the Restless | 2009 | TV Series | Aunt Virginia |
| If I Had Known I Was a Genius | 2007 | Nana | |
| That's So Raven | 2006 | TV Series | Miss Rhonnie Wilcox |
| Beauty Shop | 2005 | Mrs. Towner | |
| Touched by an Angel | 1994-2003 | TV Series | Tess |
| The Moving of Sophia Myles | 2000 | TV Movie | Sophia Myles |
| Dinosaur | 2000 | Eema (voice) | |
| Anya's Bell | 1999 | TV Movie | Anya Herpick |
| Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years | 1999 | TV Movie | Martha Logan |
| The Secret Path | 1999 | TV Movie | Honey |
| Mama Flora's Family | 1998 | TV Mini-Series | Nana Fleming |
| Emma's Wish | 1998 | TV Movie | Mona Washburn |
| Promised Land | 1996-1998 | TV Series | Tess |
| Miracle in the Woods | 1997 | TV Movie | Lilly Cooper |
| A Match Made in Heaven | 1997 | TV Movie | Katie Beale |
| Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child | 1997 | TV Series | The Blues Fairy |
| A Thin Line Between Love and Hate | 1996 | Ma Wright | |
| Picket Fences | 1993 | TV Series | Naomi Grand |
| L.A. Law | 1993 | TV Series | Lucille Lake |
| Designing Women | 1993 | TV Series | Mrs. Toussant |
| You Must Remember This | 1992 | TV Movie | Ella DuChamps (voice) |
| The Distinguished Gentleman | 1992 | Elevator Operator (uncredited) | |
| Dream On | 1992 | TV Series | Receptionist |
| The Royal Family | 1991-1992 | TV Series | Victoria Royal |
| MacGyver | 1990-1991 | TV Series | Mama Colton |
| Married People | 1991 | TV Series | Annette |
| The Kid Who Loved Christmas | 1990 | TV Movie | Alicia Slater |
| The Young Riders | 1990 | TV Series | Stagecoach Sally |
| 227 | 1987-1990 | TV Series | Grace / Rita Clark |
| Harlem Nights | 1989 | Vera | |
| Night Court | 1989 | TV Series | Aunt Ruth |
| A Pup Named Scooby-Doo | 1988 | TV Series | Additional Voices (voice) |
| ABC Afterschool Specials | 1986 | TV Series | Aunt Faith |
| Charlie & Co. | 1986 | TV Series | Aunt Rachel |
| Crazy Like a Fox | 1985-1986 | TV Series | Nurse Flood |
| The A-Team | 1985 | TV Series | Mrs. Baracus |
| It Takes Two | 1982-1983 | TV Series | Judge Caroline Phillips |
| The Love Boat | 1982 | TV Series | Millie Washington |
| Insight | 1980 | TV Series | Judge Roberta Lynn |
| Welcome Back, Kotter | 1979 | TV Series | Mrs. Jean Tremaine |
| Chico and the Man | 1975-1978 | TV Series | Della Rogers / The Judge |
| Nightmare in Badham County | 1976 | TV Movie | Sarah |
| Flo's Place | 1976 | TV Movie | Flo |
| Medical Center | 1976 | TV Series | Capt. Sykes |
| McCloud | 1974-1976 | TV Series | Sgt. Gladys Harris |
| Psychic Killer | 1975 | Mrs. Gibson | |
| The Rookies | 1975 | TV Series | Landers |
| Cop on the Beat | 1975 | TV Movie | Claudine |
| Joe Forrester | 1975 | TV Series | Claudine |
| Police Story | 1975 | TV Series | |
| Petrocelli | 1975 | TV Series | Angela Damon |
| Police Woman | 1974 | TV Series | Tina Thompson |
| Twice in a Lifetime | 1974 | TV Movie | Flo |
| Daddy's Girl | 1973 | TV Movie | Diane |
| Voyage of the Yes | 1973 | TV Movie | Opal Parker |
| A City of the King | 1971 | TV Movie | Innkeeper's Wife |
| Getting Together | 1971 | TV Series | |
| The Bold Ones: The New Doctors | 1970 | TV Series | Grace Dayton |
| Mod Squad | 1968 | TV Series | Paula |
| Whoa with Laine Lawson Craft | completed |
Soundtrack
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dancing with the Stars | 2008 | TV Series performer - 1 episode | |
| How to Go Out on a Date in Queens | 2006 | performer: "Some Of My Best Friends Are The Blues" | |
| Swept Away | 2002 | performer: "Come-On-A-My-House" 1951 | |
| Rare Birds | 2001 | performer: "Don't You Know" | |
| Nurse Betty | 2000 | performer: "Don't You Know" | |
| Wrestling with Alligators | 1998 | performer: "Some Of My Best Friends Are The Blues" | |
| Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child | 1997 | TV Series performer - 1 episode | |
| A Bronx Tale | 1993 | performer: "Don't You Know" | |
| WKRP in Cincinnati | 1981 | TV Series performer - 1 episode | |
| Sanford and Son | 1975 | TV Series 1 episode | |
| The Ed Sullivan Show | 1958-1965 | TV Series performer - 2 episodes | |
| The Lively Ones | 1963 | TV Series performer - 1 episode | |
| Let's Rock | 1958 | performer: "Lonelyville" |
Writer
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Touched by an Angel | TV Series story by - 1 episode, 2000 teleplay by - 1 episode, 2000 |
Self
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Light | Documentary filming | Herself | |
| Unsung Hollywood | 2015 | TV Series documentary | Herself |
| The Scroll: Transformation | 2014 | Video documentary | Herself |
| What Is New Thought? | 2013 | Documentary | |
| Unsung | 2013 | TV Series documentary | Herself |
| Celebrity Ghost Stories | 2012 | TV Series documentary | Herself |
| Celebration of Gospel | 2012 | TV Movie | Herself |
| Lifestyle Magazine | 2011 | TV Series documentary | Herself |
| Get Real! Wise Women Speak | 2011 | Documentary | Herself |
| Tavis Smiley | 2009 | TV Series | Herself - Guest |
| Larry King Live | 2003-2009 | TV Series | Herself - Guest |
| Life on the Edge: A Global Crisis | 2008 | TV Movie | Herself |
| The Florence Henderson Show | 2008 | TV Series | Herself - Guest |
| Biography | 2000-2007 | TV Series documentary | Herself |
| Miss HIV | 2007 | Documentary | Narrator |
| Testimonies of Faith: Humble Journey's | 2007 | Documentary | |
| Legends Ball | 2006 | TV Movie documentary | Herself |
| CMT: 20 Greatest Songs of Faith | 2005 | TV Special | Herself |
| The Tony Danza Show | 2004 | TV Series | Herself - Guest |
| An Evening with Della Reese | 2004 | TV Movie | Herself - Interviewee |
| The Wayne Brady Show | 2003-2004 | TV Series | Herself |
| 33rd NAACP Image Awards | 2002 | TV Special | Herself |
| Praise the Lord | 2002 | TV Series | Herself |
| CBS Cares | 2001-2002 | TV Series | Herself |
| 31st NAACP Image Awards | 2000 | TV Special | Herself |
| Journey to a Hate Free Millennium | 1999 | Documentary | Narrator (voice) |
| Intimate Portrait | 1999 | TV Series documentary | Herself |
| The Rosie O'Donnell Show | 1999 | TV Series | Herself - Guest |
| 29th NAACP Image Awards | 1998 | TV Special | Herself |
| The 50th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards | 1998 | TV Special | Herself - Nominated: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series |
| The Roseanne Show | 1998 | TV Series | Herself - Guest |
| Guide to Healthy Living | 1998 | Video short | Herself |
| CBS: The First 50 Years | 1998 | TV Movie documentary | Herself |
| 4th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards | 1998 | TV Special | Herself |
| The 55th Annual Golden Globe Awards | 1998 | TV Special | Herself - Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series - Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV |
| True Stories from Touched by an Angel | 1998 | TV Movie documentary | |
| 28th NAACP Image Awards | 1997 | TV Special | Herself |
| The 49th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards | 1997 | TV Special | Herself - Nominated: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series |
| The Most Fascinating Women of 1997 | 1997 | TV Movie documentary | Herself |
| 27th NAACP Image Awards | 1996 | TV Special | Herself |
| The 48th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards | 1996 | TV Special | Herself - Presenter: Outstanding Writing for a Variety or Music Program |
| The 1996 Annual Lucy Awards | 1996 | TV Special | Herself |
| E! True Hollywood Story | 1996 | TV Series documentary | Herself |
| Mo' Funny: Black Comedy in America | 1993 | TV Special documentary | Herself - Interviewee |
| Vicki! | 1993 | TV Series | Herself |
| 25th NAACP Image Awards | 1993 | TV Special | Herself |
| Holiday Greetings from 'The Ed Sullivan Show' | 1992 | TV Movie | Herself |
| One on One with John Tesh | 1992 | TV Series | Herself - Guest |
| Ebony/Jet Showcase | 1986-1992 | TV Series | Herself |
| The 13th Annual American Black Achievement Awards | 1992 | TV Special | Herself |
| The Chuck Woolery Show | 1991 | TV Series | Herself - Guest |
| The Marsha Warfield Show | 1990 | TV Series | Herself |
| The Arsenio Hall Show | 1989 | TV Series | Herself - Guest |
| Family Reunion: A Gospel Music Celebration | 1988 | TV Movie documentary | Herself |
| Star's Table | 1986 | TV Series | Herself |
| Lou Rawls Parade of Stars | 1985 | TV Series | Herself |
| Pete's Place | 1983 | TV Series | Herself (1983) |
| The Alan Thicke Show | 1981 | TV Series | Herself - Guest |
| Password Plus | 1980 | TV Series | Herself |
| Hour Magazine | 1980 | TV Series | Herself |
| The Mike Douglas Show | 1963-1980 | TV Series | Herself - Co-Host / Herself - Vocalist / Herself |
| The $10,000 Pyramid | 1978 | TV Series | Herself |
| The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson | 1962-1978 | TV Series | Herself - Guest / Herself - Guest Host / Herself - Musical Guest / ... |
| The Jim Nabors Show | 1978 | TV Series | Herself - Guest |
| Dinah! | 1977 | TV Series | Herself - Guest |
| The Merv Griffin Show | 1962-1977 | TV Series | Herself |
| Match Game 73 | 1973-1977 | TV Series | Herself - Panelist |
| Sha Na Na | 1977 | TV Series | Herself |
| Break the Bank | 1976 | TV Series | Herself |
| Sanford and Son | 1975 | TV Series | Herself |
| Sammy and Company | 1975 | TV Series | Herself |
| Match Game PM | 1975 | TV Series | Herself - Panelist |
| Rhyme and Reason | 1975 | TV Series | Herself |
| The 17th Annual Grammy Awards | 1975 | TV Special | Herself |
| Burt and the Girls | 1973 | TV Movie | Herself |
| Flip | 1973 | TV Series | Herself |
| Half the George Kirby Comedy Hour | 1972 | TV Series | Herself |
| The Hollywood Squares | 1966-1972 | TV Series | Herself - Panelist |
| Laugh-In | 1972 | TV Series | Herself |
| The David Frost Show | 1969-1972 | TV Series | Herself - Guest |
| Cop Out! | 1972 | TV Movie | Herself |
| Stand Up and Cheer | 1971 | TV Series | Herself |
| Mantrap | 1971 | TV Series | Herself |
| The Pet Set | 1971 | TV Series documentary | Herself |
| Della | 1969-1970 | TV Series | Herself - Host |
| ...And Beautiful | 1969 | TV Movie | Herself - Host |
| Allen Ludden's Gallery | 1969 | TV Series | Herself |
| The Joey Bishop Show | 1967-1969 | TV Series | Herself - Guest |
| Playboy After Dark | 1969 | TV Series | Herself - Singer |
| The Woody Woodbury Show | 1967-1968 | TV Series | Herself |
| Operation: Entertainment | 1968 | TV Series | Herself |
| The Dom DeLuise Show | 1968 | TV Series | Herself - Guest |
| Showcase '68 | 1968 | TV Series | Herself |
| The Jonathan Winters Show | 1968 | TV Series | Herself - Guest |
| Girl Talk | 1967 | TV Series | Herself |
| The Ed Sullivan Show | 1957-1965 | TV Series | Herself - Singer / Herself |
| That Regis Philbin Show | 1965 | TV Series | Herself |
| Freedom Spectacular | 1964 | TV Movie | Herself |
| The Hollywood Palace | 1964 | TV Series | Herself - Singer |
| The Keefe Brasselle Show | 1963 | TV Series | Herself - Guest |
| The Lively Ones | 1963 | TV Series | Herself |
| The Jack Paar Tonight Show | 1962 | TV Series | Herself |
| The Tonight Show | 1962 | TV Series | Herself - Guest / Herself - Vocalist |
| Perry Como's Kraft Music Hall | 1960 | TV Series | Herself |
| Val Parnell's Sunday Night at the London Palladium | 1959 | TV Series | Herself |
| Let's Rock | 1958 | Herself | |
| The Big Record | 1957 | TV Series | Herself |
| Stage Show | 1956 | TV Series | Herself - Guest Vocalist |
Archive Footage
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colorshop: 100 Vintage TV Ads, Vol.1 | 2013 | Video | Herself |
| Mike Douglas: Moments & Memories | 2008 | Video | Herself |
| Rhapsody in Black | 2002 | TV Movie documentary | Herself |
Won Awards
| Year | Award | Ceremony | Nomination | Movie |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Image Award | Image Awards | Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series | Touched by an Angel (1994) |
| 2001 | Image Award | Image Awards | Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series | Touched by an Angel (1994) |
| 2000 | Family Television Award | Family Television Awards | Actress | |
| 2000 | Image Award | Image Awards | Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series | Touched by an Angel (1994) |
| 1999 | Image Award | Image Awards | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series | Touched by an Angel (1994) |
| 1998 | Image Award | Image Awards | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series | Touched by an Angel (1994) |
| 1997 | Image Award | Image Awards | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series | Touched by an Angel (1994) |
| 1996 | Image Award | Image Awards | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series | Touched by an Angel (1994) |
| 1994 | Star on the Walk of Fame | Walk of Fame | Television | Awarded on July 12, 1994 at 7060 Hollywood Blvd. |
Nominated Awards
| Year | Award | Ceremony | Nomination | Movie |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Annie | Annie Awards | Outstanding Individual Achievement for Voice Acting by a Female Performer in an Animated Feature Production | Dinosaur (2000) |
| 1998 | Golden Globe | Golden Globes, USA | Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television | Touched by an Angel (1994) |
| 1998 | Primetime Emmy | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series | Touched by an Angel (1994) |
| 1998 | OFTA Television Award | Online Film & Television Association | Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series | Touched by an Angel (1994) |
| 1998 | Actor | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series | Touched by an Angel (1994) |
| 1997 | Primetime Emmy | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series | Touched by an Angel (1994) |
| 1997 | Actor | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series | Touched by an Angel (1994) |
Known for movies
Touched by an Angel (1994-2003)
as Tess
Dinosaur (2000)
as Eema
Beauty Shop (2005)
as Mrs. Towner
Harlem Nights (1989)
as Vera