Mary Alice, Actress in ‘A Different World’ and ‘Sparkle,’ Dies

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https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/mar...ld-1235328420/

By EJ Panaligan

Emmy-winning actress Mary Alice, known for her roles as Leticia “Lettie” Bostic on NBC‘s “A Different World” and as Effie Williams in the 1976 musical drama “Sparkle,” died Wednesday in New York City, according to the NYPD. Her birth year had been reported both as 1936 and 1941 in various sources.

In “The Matrix Revolutions,” she played the Oracle and also played the role in the video game “Enter the Matrix.”

She appeared in “A Different World” for two seasons, and also played Ellie Grant Hubbard on “All My Children” in the 1980s.

In films, she appeared in “Malcolm X,” “The Inkwell,” “Down in the Delta,” “Beat Street,” “To Sleep With Anger,” “Awakenings,” “The Bonfire of the Vanities” and “Sunshine State,” among many others.

Born Mary Alice Smith in Indianola, Miss., she pursued acting at a very early age, starting her stage career in her hometown. After a brief stint as an elementary school teacher, Alice returned to acting in the 1960s with community theater and worked her way up to stage productions in Manhattan’s East Village throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s.

She transitioned into film roles in 1974 with her screen debut in “The Education of Sonny Carson,” and appearances in television shows like “Police Woman” and “Sanford and Son.” Alice’s award accolades include an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for 1993’s “I’ll Fly Away.” She also won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her role in the 1987 production of August Wilson’s “Fences.”

Alice was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame in 2000, and she retired from acting in 2005.

[TVLegend]

RIP.

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Five Great Mary Alice Guest Appearances

In a feature spotlighting character actors who routinely do strong guest appearances on TV series, Brian spotlights five fine TV performances by Mary Alice.

Today, we look at five great guest appearances by Mary Alice.

This is “Following a Star,” a new feature where I spotlight five great guest spots by an actor who frequently did/does guest spots on TV series in their careers. It doesn’t mean that they’ve NEVER been regulars on shows, but obviously I’m not looking to spotlight people who are best known for their regular TV roles (like no Jason Alexander or Florence Henderson, for instance).

Since this is Black History Month, I’ll specifically spotlight Black character actors this month, finishing tonight!

Mary Alice is probably the best example I can think of of an iconic actor who, by virtue of her best work coming on the stage, is sadly best known for her season and a half as the dorm director on A Different World. This is the woman who originated the role of Rose Maxson in August Wilson’s Fences, people! She even won a Tony Award for that performance. She was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play. She’s won an Emmy for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. And yet, her best known role is still that of Lettie Bostic on A Different World, a dorm monitor character who the series quickly realized was a superfluous character (as the show was really all about the students). However, the people who worked with her knew of her immense talent, and they often found ways to give her some excellent guest spots in TV shows over the years (as well one of her last major roles, taking over from Gloria Foster as the Oracle in the Matrix sequels).