Olivia Cole
Olivia Cole | |
---|---|
Born | Olivia Carlena Cole November 26, 1942 Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. |
Died | January 19, 2018 San Miguel de Allende, Mexico | (aged 75)
Occupation | Actress |
Years active | 1969–2011 |
Spouse |
Olivia Carlena Cole (November 26, 1942 – January 19, 2018) was an American actress, best known for her Emmy Award-winning role in the 1977 miniseries Roots.
Early life and education
Cole was born in
Career
Cole made her screen debut in the daytime soap opera Guiding Light in 1969 and later appeared in over 30 shows and films.[2]
Cole won an
She also was known for her role as Maggie Rogers in the 1979 miniseries
Cole starred in the CBS sitcoms
Cole's Broadway credits include The School for Scandal, You Can't Take It with You, The Merchant of Venice, and The National Health.[5]
She was an honorary member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. In film, she appeared in Heroes (1977), Coming Home (1978), Some Kind of Hero (1982), Go Tell It on the Mountain (1984), Big Shots (1987), First Sunday (2008) as well as in the television movies Something About Amelia (1984) and The Women of Brewster Place (1989).[4]
Personal life and death
In June 1971, she married actor Richard Venture, one of the few to enter an interracial marriage in Hollywood at that time. They later divorced in 1984. She retired in 1995, but later returned to acting.[4]
Cole died 31 days after ex-husband, actor Richard Venture; at her home in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico on January 19, 2018, age 75 following a
Filmography
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1969–1971 | Guiding Light | Deborah Mehraen | Television debut; series regular |
1975–1976 | Police Woman | Head Nurse/Dr. Dorothy Bailey/Dr. Georgia Kimberly | 3 episodes |
1977 | Roots | Matilda Moore | TV Miniseries
3 episodes |
1977 | Rafferty | Sara Ridley | Episode: "Brothers & Sons" |
1977 | Heroes | Jane Adcox | film debut |
1977–1978 | Szysznyk | Ms. Harrison | series regular; 15 episodes |
1978 | Coming Home | Corrine | |
1978 | Family | Frances Rossmore | Episode: "Fear of Shadows" |
1979 | Insight | Karen Clay | Episode: "When, Jenny? When?" |
1979 | Backstairs at the White House | Maggie Rogers | TV Miniseries
4 episodes |
1979 | The Lazarus Syndrome | Pamela Quinn | Episode: "A Brutal Assault" |
1980 | Children of Divorce | Betty Williams | Television Movie |
1980 | The Sky Is Gray | Olivia | Television Movie |
1981 | Fly Home | Sarah Brookford | Television Movie |
1981 | Mistress of Paradise | Victorine | Television Movie |
1982 | Some Kind of Hero | Jesse | |
1982 | Report to Murphy | Blanche | 6 episodes |
1984 | Go Tell It on the Mountain | Elizabeth | |
1984 | Something About Amelia | Ruth Walters | |
1985 | American Playhouse | Elizabeth | Episode: "Go Tell It on the Mountain" |
1985 | North and South, Book I | Maum Sally | TV miniseries (6 episodes) |
1985–1995 | Murder, She Wrote | Yvette Dauphin/Melinda Coop/Callie Coleman | 3 episodes |
1987 | Big Shots | Mrs. Newton | |
1987 | The Fig Tree | Television Movie | |
1989 | The Women of Brewster Place | Miss Sophie | 2 episodes |
1989–1993 | L.A. Law | Judge Julie McFarlane | 3 episodes |
1990 | Brewster Place | Miss Sophie | series regular; 11 episodes |
1993 | Arly Hanks | Estelle | Television Movie |
1995 | Christy | Esther Scott | Episode: "Echoes" |
2008 | First Sunday | Momma T | |
2011 | Be Good, Be Nice | Young Girl | Short film |
Awards and nominations
- 1977 Primetime Emmy award, Outstanding Single Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Comedy or Drama Series for Roots - won
- 1979 Primetime Emmy award, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Special for Backstairs at the White House- nominated
- 2007 TV Land award, Anniversary award (shared with Lawrence-Hilton Jacobs, Georg Stanford Brown) for Roots
References
- ^ a b c Caron, Christina (24 January 2018). "Olivia Cole, Award-Winning 'Roots' Actress, Is Dead at 75". The New York Times.
- ^ a b c Wright, Tolly (24 January 2018). "Olivia Cole, Emmy Award-Winning Roots Actress, Dead at 75". New York.
- ^ a b "Olivia Cole". Emmys.com. Retrieved March 28, 2013.
- ^ a b c d Barnes, Mike (January 24, 2018). "Olivia Cole, Actress in 'Roots' and 'Backstairs at the White House,' Dies at 75". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 18, 2019.
- ^ "Olivia Cole". Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved March 28, 2013.
External links
- Olivia Cole at IMDb