LaTanya Richardson Jackson
LaTanya Richardson Jackson (born October 21, 1949) is an American actress. She began her career appearing in off-Broadway productions, before playing supporting roles on television and film.
LaTanya Richardson Jackson | |
---|---|
Born | LaTanya Richardson October 21, 1949 |
Education | Spelman College (BA) |
Occupation | Actress |
Years active | 1976–present |
Spouse | |
Children | 1 |
Richardson has appeared in films including Fried Green Tomatoes (1991), Malcolm X (1992), Sleepless in Seattle (1993), When a Man Loves a Woman (1994), Losing Isaiah (1995), Lone Star (1996), U.S. Marshals (1998), and The Fighting Temptations (2003). Her television credits include 100 Centre Street (2001–2002), Show Me a Hero (2015), Luke Cage (2016–2018), and Rebel (2017).[1]
Personal life
She was born in Atlanta, Georgia. While attending Atlanta's historically Black, all-female Spelman College in 1970, she met actor Samuel L. Jackson, then a student at the historically Black, all-male Morehouse College. She and Jackson married in 1980. They have one child, freelance film and TV producer Zoe Jackson, born in 1982. After her daughter's birth, Richardson stopped working regularly for family reasons.[2]
Career
Richardson played Paulina Pritchett in the 2003 musical film The Fighting Temptations.
In 2014, Richardson received a Tony Award nomination for Best Lead Actress in a Play for her performance in the play A Raisin in the Sun, her second appearance on Broadway after her debut in the 2009 revival of Joe Turner's Come and Gone.[3][4][5] She appeared in Aaron Sorkin's adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird on Broadway in the 2018–19 season.[6]
She has appeared in four films with her husband, Samuel L. Jackson: "Juice" (1992), Losing Isaiah (1995), Freedomland (2006), and Mother and Child (2009).
In September 2022, Richardson made her directorial debut directing the Broadway revival of August Wilson's play The Piano Lesson at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre.[7]
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1991 | Hangin' with the Homeboys | Caseworker | |
1991 | The Super | Judge Smith | |
1991 | Fried Green Tomatoes | Janeen | |
1992 | Juice | Steel's Mother | |
1992 | Malcolm X | Lorraine | |
1992 | Lorenzo's Oil | Nurse Ruth | |
1993 | Sleepless in Seattle | Harriet | |
1994 | The Last Laugh | Elaine | Short film |
1994 | When a Man Loves a Woman | Dr. Gina Mendez | |
1995 | Losing Isaiah | Caroline Jones | |
1996 | Lone Star | Priscilla Worth | |
1997 | Loved | Attorney Rose Jackson | |
1997 | Julian Po | Darlene | |
1998 | U.S. Marshals | Deputy Marshal Savannah Cooper | |
1998 | Secrets | Short film | |
2003 | The Fighting Temptations | Paulina Pritchett | |
2006 | Freedomland | Marie | |
2007 | All About Us | Cousin Bernice | |
2007 | Blackout | Mrs. Thompson | |
2009 | Mother and Child | Carol | |
2019 | Juanita | Kay-Rita | |
2023 | You Hurt My Feelings | Sylvia |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1989 | A Man Called Hawk | Doris Gilbert | Episode: "Life After Death" |
1991 | Law & Order | Lorraine | Episode: "Life Choice" |
1992 | Law & Order | Anne Houston | Episode: "Sisters of Mercy" |
1992 | The Nightman | Emily | TV film |
1992 | Frannie's Turn | Vivian | Episodes: "Pilot", "Frannie and the Kitchen Sink" |
1992 | One Life to Live | Rodi | TV series |
1993 | Civil Wars | Episode: "Hit the Road, Jack" | |
1993 | Shameful Secrets | Louise Levy | TV film |
1993 | Cheers | Moderator | Episode: "Woody Gets an Election" |
1994 | Midnight Run for Your Life | Det. Dixon | TV film |
1994 | Party of Five | Jane Gideon | Episode: "Private Lives" |
1994 | Earth 2 | Alex Wentworth | Episode: "A Memory Play" |
1995 | Chicago Hope | Mrs. Parnett | Episode: "Cutting Edges" |
1995 | NYPD Blue | Sister Cecilia | Episode: "Heavin' Can Wait" |
1996 | The Deliverance of Elaine | Edna | TV film |
1997 | Homicide: Life on the Street | Lynette Thompson | Episode: "Betrayal" |
1998 | Any Day Now | Mrs. Walker | Episode: "Call Him Johnny" |
1998–1999 | Ally McBeal | Attorney Yvette Rose | Episodes: "Story of Love", "Let's Dance" |
1999 | Introducing Dorothy Dandridge | Auntie | TV film |
1999 | Judging Amy | Lena Railsback | Episode: "Pilot" |
1999 | Once and Again | Counselor | Episode: "Boy Meets Girl" |
2000 | Hairstory | TV film | |
2001 | Within These Walls | Melinda Donovan | TV film |
2001–2002 | 100 Centre Street | Atallah Sims | Recurring role (8 episodes) |
2003 | Boston Public | Sheila | Episode: "Chapter 62" |
2011 | Harry's Law | Noreen | Episode: "In the Ghetto" |
2012 | Damages | Judge Jaclynn Ellis | Episode: "You Want to End This Once and for All?" |
2013 | The Watsons Go to Birmingham | Grandma Sands | TV film |
2014 | Blue Bloods | Lt. Dee Ann Carver | Recurring role, Season 5 |
2015 | Show Me a Hero | Norma O'Neal | TV miniseries |
2016–2018 | Luke Cage | Maybelline "Mama Mabel" Stokes | Episodes: "Manifest", "The Creator" |
2017, 2022 | Grey's Anatomy | Diane Pierce | Guest star (4 episodes; season 13 and 18) |
2022 | The Last Movie Stars | Maude Brink | TV Docuseries |
Theatre
Year | Title | Role | Playwright | Venue |
---|---|---|---|---|
2009 | Joe Turner's Come and Gone | Bertha Holly | August Wilson | Belasco Theatre, Broadway |
2014 | A Raisin in the Sun | Lena Younger | Lorraine Hansberry | Ethel Barrymore Theatre, Broadway |
2018–2019 | To Kill a Mockingbird | Calpurnia | Aaron Sorkin | Shubert Theatre, Broadway |
2022 | The Piano Lesson | — | — | Director; Ethel Barrymore Theatre, Barrymore |
Awards and nominations
Year | Award | Category | Project | Result | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2010 | Audie Award | Audiobook of the Year | Nelson Mandela's Favorite African Folktales | Won | [8][9] |
Multi-Voiced Performance | |||||
2014 | Tony Award | Best Actress in a Play | A Raisin in the Sun | Nominated | |
2014 | Black Reel Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a TV Movie | The Watsons Go to Birmingham | Nominated | |
2016 | Image Award | Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie or Limited Series | Show Me a Hero | Nominated | |
References
- "Rebel: John Singleton Scripted Drama Coming to BET in March". TV Series Finale. January 18, 2017. Retrieved February 19, 2017.
- Pat Jordan (April 29, 2012). "How Samuel L. Jackson Became His Own Genre". The New York Times Magazine.
- "The Tony Award Nominees - All Categories". Retrieved February 19, 2017.
- "LaTanya Richardson Jackson". TonyAwards.com. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
- Gioia, Michael (April 12, 2014). "LaTanya Richardson Jackson and Kenny Leon Discover the "Dream" in Broadway's A Raisin in the Sun". Playbill.com. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
- LaTanya Richardson Jackson at the Internet Broadway Database
- "Samuel L. Jackson returning to Broadway in revival of "The Piano Lesson," directed by wife LaTanya Richardson Jackson". CBSNews.com. September 12, 2022. Retrieved September 17, 2022.
- "2010 audie-awards".
- "Mandelas Favorite Folktales – Performers". August 3, 2020.