Rolonda Watts (born July 12, 1959) is an American actress, producer, voice over artist, novelist, motivational speaker, and television and radio talk show host. She was the host of eponymous Rolonda, an internationally syndicated talk show which aired from 1994 to 1997. Watts was the on-camera announcer for Judge Joe Brown, which ended its run in 2013. She is currently the on-camera announcer for Divorce Court.
Biography
Early life and Education
Watts' mother, Dr. Velma Gibson Watts, was an associate dean at Wake Forest University and her father, Roland Watts, was chairman of Winston-Salem State University's Fine Arts Department. Watts attended Salem Academy in Winston-Salem, North Carolina as a teenager. She is a graduate of Spelman College in Atlanta, where she was editor-in-chief of the school newspaper and graduated Magna Cum Laude. In 1981, she earned a master's degree from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
Career
After graduating from Columbia, Watts returned to North Carolina and began her career as a general assignment reporter at WFMY-TV in Greensboro, North Carolina. She later worked at WNBC, where she was nominated for an Emmy, and WABC-TV in New York as an anchor of a weekly political forum and reporter. In 1987, she began working as a host of Attitudes, a talk show on Lifetime Television. The next year, she took a job on the newsmagazine Inside Edition as a senior correspondent, weekend anchor and producer. King World Productions, the syndicator of Inside Edition and also The Oprah Winfrey Show, then asked her to start her own talk show. Rolonda aired for nearly four seasons from January 17, 1994 to September 1997. Watts was also supervising producer and one of the owners of the show. In a 2003 interview with Soap Opera Digest, Watts said she folded the show rather than lose her integrity.[1] "Audiences were saying, 'Well, that was really nice of you to be so respectful, but where's Jerry [Springer]?' We had to make a tough decision, either we go that route or we find something else to do." After leaving her talk show behind, Watts headed to Hollywood to pursue a career in acting. Her first break was in 1997 when she was cast as Vivica Shaw in Sister, Sister, a role she played for six episodes. Since then Watts has had guest starring roles in dozens of television shows, including The West Wing, JAG, The District Yes, Dear, and soap operas Days of Our Lives and The Bold and the Beautiful. In 2002, Soap Opera Digest named her "Scene Stealer of the Week" for her role as the cut-throat Attorney Cameron Reese on Days of our Lives. Watts is also the CEO/president of her own production company, Watts Works Productions, which co-produced her talk show Rolonda. In 2005, she hosted Lie Detector, a reality series for PAX-TV. That same year, she took over as announcer on Judge Joe Brown. She also appeared on Live With Regis and Kelly where she traveled cross-country as a judge for the show's "Great American Co-Host Search." In October 2006, Watts returned to her talk-show roots. She signed with GreenStone Media, a radio network launched by feminists Gloria Steinem and Jane Fonda, to host an afternoon radio show.[2] She hosted the show until the network's closure in August 2007. Subsequently, Watts was the announcer for the game show Temptation from September 2007 to May 2008. As of 2011, Watts is the voice of Professor Wiseman in the PBS Kids animated program Curious George. She voices "Gladys" in the Nickelodeon series, "The Penguins of Madagascar." Watts is currently shooting two films, with five others waiting for release, including her first starring role in A Mother's Love and leading roles in Christmas Mail, House Arrest, Soul Ties, Broken Roads and 25 Hill, a film written and produced by Corbin Bernsen. In the short film Return to Babylon, Watts portrays Josephine Baker; in Defying the Stars. she plays Hollywood legend Dorothy Dandridge. She was recently playing as the role of Betsy Holiday in Tyler Perry's first animated film Madea's Tough Love.
Film
Television
| Year |
Title |
Role |
Notes |
| 1992 |
Life Stories: Families in Crisis |
Reporter |
Season 1, Episode 5 Blood Brothers: The Joey DiPaolo Story (HBO) |
| 1998 |
Smart Guy |
Lydia |
Season 3, Episode 5 That's My Momma (WB) |
| 1997-98 |
Sister, Sister |
Vivica Shaw |
Six Episodes, (WB) |
| 1999 |
The Jamie Foxx Show |
Bonita Walters |
Season 3, Episode 19 Fire and Desire Pt.2 (WB) |
| 2000 |
The Steve Harvey Show |
Janet |
Season 4, Episode 13 Guess Who's Not Coming to Counseling (WB) |
| 2000 |
The West Wing |
Melissa |
Season 1, Episode 17 The White House Pro-Am (NBC) |
| 2000 |
Rude Awakening |
Lawyer |
Season 3, Episode 6 Me, Myself and I (Showtime) |
| 2001 |
The Division |
Doctor |
Season 1, Episode 6 Secrets and Lies |
| 2001 |
7th Heaven |
Sylvia Carter |
Two Episodes, (WB) |
| 2001 |
The District |
Mrs. Waters |
Season 2, Episode 10 Thursday (CBS) |
| 2002 |
For Your Love |
Dr. Covington |
Season 5, Episode 1 The "What I Done" Show (WB) |
| 2002-08 |
Days of Our Lives |
Cameron Reese |
13 Episodes (NBC) |
| 2003 |
One on One |
Dr. Taylor |
Season 2, Episode 15 The Test (UPN) |
| 2003 |
Maniac Magee |
Mrs. Beale |
TV Movie, (Nickelodeon) |
| 2003 |
Boston Public |
Monica Clemens |
Season 3, Episode 20 Chapter Sixty-Four (Fox) |
| 2003 |
The Proud Family |
Reshanda Watson |
Season 3, Episode 4 Election (Disney Channel) |
| 2003 |
The Bold and the Beautiful |
Julie Shoemaker |
Five Episodes, (CBS) |
| 2004 |
Yes, Dear |
Sylvia |
Season 4, Episode 16 Dead Aunt, Dead Aunt (CBS) |
| 2004 |
Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide |
Ms. Morrison |
Season 1, Episode 3 Teachers and Detention (Nickelodeon) |
| 2004 |
My Wife and Kids |
Angeline Boudreaux |
Season 5, Episode 6 Poker Face (ABC) |
| 2004 |
JAG |
Judge Deborah Mayfield |
Season 10, Episode 7 Camp Delta (CBS) |
| 2005 |
Complete Savages |
Claire |
Season 1, Episode 18 Bad Reception (ABC) |
| 2007 |
Temptation (2007 Game Show) |
Announcer |
TV Game Show, (ABC) |
| 2008 |
Can You Teach My Alligator Manners |
Mrs. Sullivan (Voice) |
Season 1, Episodes 6 Classroom Manners (Disney Channel) |
| 2008-10 |
Curious George |
Prof. Wiseman (Voice) |
Four Episodes, (PBS) |
| 2009 |
Curious George: A Very Monkey Christmas |
Prof. Wiseman (Voice) |
TV Movie, (PBS) |
| 2011-12 |
The Penguins of Madagascar |
Gladys (Voice) |
Three Episodes, (Nickelodeon) |
| 2012 |
Good Luck Charlie |
Diane Van der Weiss |
Season 3, Episode 3 Amy Needs a Shower (Disney Channel) |
References
External links
