Suzzanne Douglas (1957-2021)

[AntennaTV2020]

https://deadline.com/2021/07/suzzann...64-1234787419/

Suzzanne Douglas, who starred in Robert Townsend’s WB ’90s sitcom The Parent ‘Hood and most recently appeared in Ava DuVernay’s 2019 Netflix miniseries When They See Us, died yesterday at the age of 64. A cause of death has not been disclosed.

Douglas’ death was announced on Facebook by her cousin Angie Tee.

“Suzzanne Douglas a beautiful and talented actress made her transition today,” Tee wrote. “She warmed our hearts on movie screens and television sets all over the world…The world will miss your talent but your soul will live on forever.”

DuVernay remembered Douglas as “a quiet, elegant force.”

“A gentlewoman,” DuVernay wrote on Twitter early this morning. “A gem of a lady. A confident, caring actor who breathed life into the words and made them shimmer. I’m grateful that our paths in this life crossed. May she journey on in peace and love.”

A Chicago native raised by a single mother in the city’s public housing, Douglas, who graduated from Illinois State University and would later earn a Master in Music degree from the prestigious Manhattan School of Music, launched her career in 1989 with a starring role in the Gregory Hines-Sammy Davis Jr. dance-themed drama Tap. Douglas played the daughter of Davis’ character in what would be Davis’ final film performance.

“I can remember growing up, there weren’t very many black actresses who had starring roles but there was my cousin with the lead role in ‘Tap’ starring alongside great dancers such as Gregory Hines and Sammy Davis Jr.,” Tee remembered. For her performance in Tap, Douglas won an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture.

Also that year, Douglas began a prolific career in television that would include appearances in such series as A Man Called Hawk, The Cosby Show, Against the Law, I’ll Fly Away, The Parkers, Bones and Bull. In 1995, she was cast as Jerri Peterson opposite Townsend in his WB comedy The Parent ‘Hood. The show ran for five seasons and co-starred Reagan Gomez-Preston as the Petersons’ teenage daughter. (The younger actress remembered Douglas yesterday by retweeting recent Mother’s Day posts.)

Douglas’ film credits include The Inkwell (1994), The Last Weekend (1998), How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998) and School of Rock (2003). In addition to her TV series work, she appeared in TV films such as 2003’s Sounder remake and, in 2015, Lifetime’s Whitney, in which she portrayed Whitney Houston’s mother, the singer Cissy Houston.

The actress also appeared frequently on stage, including a starring role as Jenny Diver in Broadway’s 1989 3 Penny Opera and 1983’s The Tap Dance Kid. She was an understudy in the 1987 Broadway production of Into The Woods.

Information on survivors was not immediately available, but Douglas reportedly leaves behind a husband and a daughter.

[Old School]

IMDB https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0235336/


The Inkwell (1994 Full Movie) https://tinyzonetv.to/movie/watch-th...994-free-53069


The Parent 'Hood (S 01/E 07)- IQ, UQ, We All Q https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zhjf3HA8EMw
A dinner visit from Robert's classmate, now an arrogant Princeton professor who believes men are smarter than women, sparks a battle of the sexes when Jerri scores higher than Robert on an I.Q. test included in the professor's latest book.



Essence Magazine (click for full article) https://www.essence.com/articles/suzzanne-douglas/

Suzzanne Douglas, known for her leading role in the Robert Townsend sitcom The Parent ‘Hood has passed away at the age of 64.

Angie Tee, reported to be a cousin of the late actress, broke the news of Douglas’ death on Facebook July 6. In her post she wrote:

“Suzzanne Douglas a beautiful and talented actress made her transition today. She warmed our hearts on movie screens and television sets all over the world. This beautiful soul was my cousin.

“I can remember growing up, there weren’t very many black actresses who had starring roles but there was my cousin with the lead role in “Tap” starring alongside great dancers such as Gregory Hines and Sammy Davis Jr. She also performed with Angela Bassett and Whoopi Goldberg in “How Stella Got Her Groove Back.” The Inkwell, Jason’s Lyric and so much more the list goes on. The world will miss your talent but your soul will live on forever Rest in Paradise my beautiful cousin Suzzane you will be missed RIP”

Douglas was born in Chicago and raised in public housing on the city’s south side by her single mother along with her three siblings. After developing an interest in the arts at a young age, she earned a Bachelor’s degree from Illinois State University before later earning a Master in Music degree from the Manhattan School of Music.

For her lead role in Tap in 1989, Douglas won an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture. From there she went on to star in other feature films such as The Inkwell, Jason’s Lyric, and How Stella Got Her Groove Back. In 2015, she portrayed Cissy Houston in the Lifetime biopic Whitney.

Douglas appeared in a number of TV sitcoms and dramas over the course of her career as well. In addition to her leading part as Jerri Peterson in the WB comedy The Parent ‘Hood, Douglas also had guest roles on The Cosby Show, Touched By An Angel, The Parkers, and The Good Wife. Most recently, she starred in Ava Duvernay’s 2019 minseries When They See Us.

Earlier this year, Reagan Gomez, who starred alongside Douglas in The Parent ‘Hood gave her TV mom her digital flowers. Today she has retweeted those Mother’s Day posts in her memory. So far, no cause of death has been revealed.

[TVLegend]

RIP.

[TMC]

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/07/a...glas-dead.html

Douglas, who died of complications of cancer, starred as the matriarch Jerri Peterson opposite Robert Townsend in the 1990s The WB family sitcom The Parent ’Hood. Most recently, she played one of the mothers of the so-called Central Park Five in Ava DuVernay's When They See Us. "Suzzanne Douglas was a quiet, elegant force as we made WHEN THEY SEE US," tweeted DuVernay. "A gentlewoman. A gem of a lady. A confident, caring actor who breathed life into the words and made them shimmer. I’m grateful that our paths in this life crossed. May she journey on in peace and love."

[Fallon97]

So sad. Ms. Douglas was a great actress. She will be missed. Prayers to the love ones. RIP

[TMC]

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