Judyann Elder
| Judyann Elder | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Judith Ann Johnson 1948 (age 67–68) Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Emerson College |
| Occupation | Actress, director, writer |
| Years active | 1969—Present |
| Spouse(s) |
Lonne Elder III, 1969—1994 (divorced) John Cothran, Jr., 1997—Present |
| Children |
Christian Elder, Loni Elder |
| Parent(s) |
Camille Johnson, Edward T. Johnson |
| Website | http://www.judyannelder.com |
Judyann Elder (born August 18, 1948) is an American actress, director, and writer. She is a veteran of stage and screen who has appeared in scores of theatrical productions throughout the United States and Europe. She is best known for her roles on the popular television shows Murphy Brown, Martin, and Family Matters.
Early life
Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Elder is the daughter of Edward T. Johnson, PhD and Camille Russell Johnson. She attended Shaker Heights high school and graduated from Emerson College in Boston as the first recipient of the Carol Burnett Award in the Performing Arts.
Career
Elder began her professional career in off-Broadway in New York as "Judyann Jonsson". A founding member and resident actor with the Tony Award-winning Negro Ensemble Company,[1][2] she originated roles in the premier productions of The Song of the Lusitanian Bogey, Daddy Goodness, Kongi's Harvest, and God is a (Guess What?).
In 1969 she played the role of Russell B. Parker’s young love interest in Lonne Elder III's Ceremonies in Dark Old Men and toured with the company to London and Rome. She married the play’s Pulitzer Prize nominated author early that same year, thus changing her name to Judyann Elder.[3]
Elder and her husband moved to Los Angeles soon after, where she broadened her career to include roles on screen. She made guest star roles in series such as The Streets of San Francisco, Sanford and Son, Wonder Woman, and The White Shadow.
In 1976, Elder made her Broadway debut at the Ambassador Theatre as Coretta King[4] opposite Billy Dee Williams in I Have a Dream[5] [6] directed by Robert Greenwald. She subsequently portrayed the role of Bernette Wilson in the television mini-series A Woman Called Moses starring Cicely Tyson. Several roles on him followed including Forget Paris with Billy Crystal, The Players Club directed by Ice Cube, and Seven Pounds with Will Smith.
It was in the 1991—92 season of TV’s Murphy Brown starring Candice Bergen, Elder made a mark portraying Murphy Brown’s obstetrician, Dr. Barton. Her recurring role culminated with the historic season finale where Dr. Barton delivered Murphy Brown's baby. She was cast as Gina's mother Nadine Water’s on Martin (1992—97)[7] starring Martin Lawrence. And in 1998 she replaced Jo Marie Payton[8] as Harriette Winslow in the last several episodes of the popular show Family Matters.
Elder has frequently returned to the stage and having last appeared at Arkansas Rep as Rose in August Wilson's Fences. She also has many theatre directorial credits including: The Book of the Crazy African (Skylight Theatre), The Meeting [9](Inner City Cultural Center, LA and New Federal Theatre, NY), Ceremonies in Dark Old Men [10](Beverly Canon Theatre), and A Private Act (Robey Theatre Company). Her direction of Matthew Lopez' The Whipping Man[11] starring Charlie Robinson at the Skirball Cultural Center for LA Theatre Works radio series was broadcast nationally in 2016.
Elder is an alumna of the American Film Institute's Directing Workshop for Women where she produced and directed the short film, Behind God's Back, based on an Alice Walker short story and starring Beau Bridges. She is also the recipient of a Screenwriting Fellowship with Walt Disney Studios.
In 2005, she was honored with an NAACP Trailblazer Award. She is also a 2010 recipient of a Distinguished Alumni Award from Emerson College.
Personal life
Elder is the mother of three children; a breast cancer survivor; and former legislative ambassador for the American Cancer Society. She resides in Los Angeles, California with her second husband actor, John Cothran Jr..
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Melinda | Gloria | |
| 1973 | Blume in Love | Lulu | |
| 1978 | A Woman Called Moses | Bernette Wilson | Television mini-series |
| 1981 | The Oklahoma City Dolls | Helen | Television movie |
| 1982 | In the Custody of Strangers | Marni Blake, Prosecutor | Television movie |
| 1987 | Right to Die | Television movie | |
| 1989 | Those She Left Behind | Counselor | Television movie |
| 1995 | Forget Paris | Ivy | |
| 1997 | Sweet Temptation | Teak | Television movie |
| 1997 | The Pest | Mrs. Kent | |
| 1998 | The Players Club | Mrs. Armstrong | |
| 1998 | Dead Man on Campus | Guidance Counselor | |
| 2008 | Seven Pounds | Holly | |
| 2016 | Viral | Mrs. Toomey |
As director
- 1989: Behind God's Back — Short film (also narrator)
- 2013: A Private Act — Short film (also screenplay)
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | N.Y.P.D. | Barmaid | Episode: "Deadly Circle of Violence" |
| 1971 | Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law | Episode: "Nothing Personal" | |
| 1972 | Sanford and Son | Darlene | Episode: "A Pad for Lamont" |
| 1973 | The Streets of San Francisco | Vi Hoskin | Episode: "No Badge for Benjy" |
| 1978 | Wonder Woman | Marge | Episode: "Light-fingered Lady" |
| 1978 | Lou Grant | Mrs. Hatch | Episode: "Babies" |
| 1979 | The White Shadow | Dr. Chatton | Episode: "Me?" |
| 1982 | Today's F.B.I. | Episode: "Bank Job" | |
| 1982 | Benson | Patty Stiles | Episode: "Quest for Retire" |
| 1982 | The Devlin Connection | Episode: "Allison" | |
| 1984 | The Yellow Rose | Episode: "Land of the Free" | |
| 1984 | Matt Houston | Ann Hoyt | Episode: Vanished" |
| 1984 | Webster | Irene Chambers | Episode: "Knock, Knock" |
| 1985 | V | Mrs. Caniff | Episode: "The Hero" |
| 1985 | St. Elsewhere | Elodie Haber | Episode: "Santa Clause is Dead" |
| 1986 | The Young and the Restless | Karen Olsen | 6 episodes |
| 1988 | Amen | Sarah Crawford | Episode: "The Minister's Wife" |
| 1989 | Hard Time on Planet Earth | Mrs. Tillman | Episode: "All That You Can Be" |
| 1990 | Star Trek: The Next Generation | Lt. Ballard | Episode: "The Offspring" |
| 1990 | Captain Planet and the Planeteers | Voice | |
| 1990 | Midnight Patrol: Adventures in the Dream Zone | Voice | 13 episodes |
| 1991 | Roc | Pilot | |
| 1991—1992 | Murphy Brown | Dr. Barton | 3 episodes |
| 1992 | The Powers That Be | Estelle | Episode: "How Sharper Than a Servant's Tooth" |
| 1994 | Beverly Hills, 90210 | Nora Touissan | Episode: "Hate Is Just a Four Letter Word" |
| 1996 | In the House | Florence | Episode: "To Die For" |
| 1992—1997 | Martin | Nadine Waters | 6 episodes |
| 1997 | The Steve Harvey Show | Ms. Crabtree | Episode: " I'm Not a Chauvinist, Piggy" |
| 1998 | Home Improvement | Diane Peck | Episode: "From Top to Bottom" |
| 1994—1998 | Family Matters | Harriette Winslow / Sister Bernadette | 10 episodes |
| 1996—1999 | Mad About You | Nurse Lily | 4 episodes |
| 2001 | Family Law | Judge | Episode: "The Quality of Mercy" |
| 2001 | Becker | Judge Miriam Reinhold | 2 episodes |
| 2002 | First Monday | Darla Collins | Episode: "Court Date" |
| 2003 | Wanda at Large | Mrs. Hawkins | Episode: "Alma Mater" |
| 2004 | That's So Raven | Nana Loretta | Episode: "Leave It to Diva" |
| 2005 | ER | Debra Graham | Episode: "Refusal of Care" |
| 2005 | Blind Justice | Judy Dwyer | Episode: "In Your Face" |
| 2006 | NCIS | Marny Mathers | Episode: "Escaped" |
| 2007 | Desperate Housewives | Dr. Brody | Episode: "Gossip" |
| 2008 | Cold Case | Cecilia | Episode: "Sabotage" |
| 2011 | Love That Girl! | Phyliss | Episode: "Break of Dawn" |
| 2014 | Castle | Melinda Parish | Episode: "Bad Santa" |
| 2012—2015 | Family Time | Beverly Stallworth | 5 episodes |
References
- ↑ "Negro Ensemble Company, The (1967- )", BlackPast.org.
- ↑ "About the Negro Ensemble Co.", American Masters, August 18, 2004.
- ↑ Lonne Elder III (December 15, 1972). "Mastermind with Marionettes". Life Magazine.
- ↑ "Billy Dee Williams Scores in 'I Have a Dream' Play". Jet magazine. April 22, 1976.
- ↑ "Billy Dee Williams Plays M. L. King in Hit Stage Play". Jet magazine. June 3, 1976.
- ↑ "The Theater: A King in Darkness", Time, October 4, 1976, retrieved January 3, 2009
- ↑ Donald Bogle (2001). "Primetime Blues: African Americans on Network Television - Martin Mania: The Rise of Martin Lawrence". Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN 0-374-52718-0.
- ↑ "Family Matters: Was JoMarie Payton Really in the Finale? How About a Reunion?". tvseriesfinale.com. July 28, 2010.
- ↑ Woodie King, Jr., ed. (1995), The National Black Drama Anthology: Eleven Plays from America's Leading African-American Theaters, Applause, ISBN 1-55783-219-6
- ↑ Janice Arkatov (February 5, 1988). "'Ceremonies' Marks Tribute to Black History Month : Judyann Elder Directs Husband's Classic Play That Offers Sad but Hopeful Statement". Los Angeles Times.
- ↑ LA Theatre Works: The Whipping Man, latw.org
External links
- Judyann Elder at the Lortel Archives - The Internet Off-Broadway Database
- Judyann Elder at the Internet Movie Database