Anna Maria Horsford
Anna Maria Horsford (born March 6, 1948) is an American actress, known for her performances in television comedies.
Anna Maria Horsford | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 6, 1948 |
| Education | High School of Performing Arts[1] |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1967–present |
Horsford is best known for her roles as Thelma Frye on the NBC sitcom Amen (1986–91), and as Dee Baxter on the WB sitcom The Wayans Bros. (1995–99). She had dramatic roles on the FX crime drama The Shield playing A.D.A. Beth Encardi, and CBS daytime soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful as Vivienne Avant, for which she was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Guest Performer in a Drama Series in 2016.
Horsford appeared in a number of movies, most notable as Craig Jones' mother Betty in 1995 comedy film Friday and its sequel Friday After Next (2002). Her other film credits include Times Square (1980), The Fan (1981), Presumed Innocent (1990), Set It Off (1996), Along Came a Spider (2001), Our Family Wedding (2010), and A Madea Christmas (2013).
Early life
Horsford was born in Harlem in 1948 to Victor Horsford, an investment real estate broker originally from the Dominican Republic, and Lillian Agatha (née Richardson) Horsford, emigrated from Antigua and Barbuda in the 1940s.[2][3] According to a DNA analysis, she has maternal ancestry from the Limba people of Sierra Leone.[4]
Career
Her first major role in television was as a producer for the PBS show Soul!, hosted by Ellis Haizlip, which aired between 1967 and 1973. One of her first TV appearances was in 1973 on the first run syndication game show of To Tell the Truth where she was an imposter for Laura Livingston, one of the first female military police. Horsford made guest appearances on such sitcoms as The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Sparks, Moesha, The Bernie Mac Show, The Shield, Girlfriends, and Everybody Hates Chris. She had main roles on the sitcoms The Wayans Bros. as "Dee Baxter" and "Thelma Frye" on Amen. She appeared on the drama Judging Amy.[5]
More recently, she was seen in the first season of Grey's Anatomy.[6] She returned to the big screen in the 2013 film A Madea Christmas. She portrayed Helen on the BET sitcom Reed Between the Lines.[5]
Horsford currently has a recurring role as Vivienne Avant on The Bold and the Beautiful. For the role, she was nominated for Outstanding Special Guest Performer in a Drama Series in the 43rd Daytime Emmy Awards.[7]
Political and social causes
On October 29, 2011, Horsford was awarded the title of Ambassador of Tourism of Antigua.[3]
Filmography
Films
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | An Almost Perfect Affair | Amy Zon | |
| 1979 | Hollow Image | Monica | Television Movie |
| 1980 | Times Square | Rosie Washington | |
| 1981 | The Fan | Emily Stolz | |
| 1981 | Bill | Ms. Marge Keating | Television Movie |
| 1982 | Love Child | Mara | |
| 1982 | Muggable Mary, Street Cop | Kathy Thomas | Television Movie |
| 1982 | Benny's Place | Charmaine | Television Movie |
| 1983 | Class | Maggie | |
| 1984 | Crackers | Slam Dunk | |
| 1985 | St. Elmo's Fire | Naomi | |
| 1985 | Stone Pillow | Collins | Television Movie |
| 1986 | Nobody's Child | Nurse Betty | Television Movie |
| 1986 | A Case of Deadly Force | Virginia Cates | Television Movie |
| 1986 | Permanent Wave | Eva | Short film |
| 1986 | Heartburn | Della, Harry's Maid | |
| 1986 | C.A.T. Squad | Mrs. Raines | Television Movie |
| 1987 | Street Smart | Harriett | |
| 1987 | If It's Tuesday, It Must Be Belgium | Television Movie | |
| 1988 | Who Gets the Friends | Television Movie | |
| 1989 | Taken Away | Mrs. Pierson | Television Movie |
| 1990 | Presumed Innocent | Eugenia | |
| 1990 | A Killer Among Us | Barbara Evans | Television Movie |
| 1992 | Murder without Motive: The Edmund Perry Story | Veronica Perry | Television Movie |
| 1993 | Mr. Jones | Judge Harris | |
| 1995 | Friday | Betty Jones | |
| 1995 | Once Upon a Time...When We Were Colored | Miss Annie | |
| 1996 | Dear God | Lucille Barnett | |
| 1996 | Set It Off | Ms. Wells | |
| 1996 | One Fine Day | Evelyn | |
| 1996 | Widow's Kiss | Lavanda Harrison | Television Movie |
| 1997 | Circle of Pain | Television Movie | |
| 1997 | Kiss the Girls | Vickie Cross | Cameo |
| 1999 | At Face Value | Mosetta | Short |
| 2000 | Dancing in September | Sitcom Mom | |
| 2000 | Nutty Professor II: The Klumps | Denise's Mother | |
| 2000 | Lockdown | Saunders | |
| 2001 | Along Came a Spider | Vickie | |
| 2001 | How High | Mamma King | |
| 2001 | Jacked | Thelma Barnes | |
| 2002 | Minority Report | Casey | |
| 2002 | Friday After Next | Betty Jones | |
| 2004 | Justice | Chief Public Defender Poole | |
| 2004 | Guarding Eddy | Carol | |
| 2005 | My Big Phat Hip Hop Family | Mamma Pearl | |
| 2005 | Ganked | Mrs. Barry | Video |
| 2006 | Gridiron Gang | Sharon Weathers | |
| 2006 | Broken Bridges | Loretta | |
| 2007 | Trade | Detective Martinez | |
| 2007 | I Tried | Milly | |
| 2010 | Our Family Wedding | Diane Boyd | |
| 2010 | Wigger | Ruth | |
| 2012 | Living Loaded | Bernie | Television Movie |
| 2013 | A Madea Christmas | Elieen Murphy | |
| 2017 | Jalen vs. Everybody | Mom | Television Movie |
| 2017 | Gladys Brown | Gladys Brown | Short |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | NBC Special Treat | Ginnie Sheridan | Episode: "The Tap Dance Kid" |
| 1979 | Guiding Light | Clara Jones | Unknown episodes |
| 1981-1984 | ABC Afterschool Specials | Stephanie Marshak/Jessica | Episodes: "Starstruck", "Summer Switch" |
| 1982 | Nurse | Joleen | Episode: "The Store" |
| 1983 | The Firm | Sergeant Johnson | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 1985 | American Playhouse | Hannah | Episode: "Charlotte Forten's Mission: Experiment in Freedom" |
| 1986-1991 | Amen | Thelma Frye | Series regular, 110 episodes |
| 1987 | The Bronx Zoo | Mrs. Devlin | Episode: "It's Hard to Be a Saint in the City" |
| 1991 | Baby Talk | Cynthia Willoughby | Episode: "Womb with a View" |
| 1991 | L.A. Law | Judge Olga Winbush | Episode: "Do the Spike Thing" |
| 1992 | The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air | Karen Carruthers | Episode: "Geoffrey Cleans Up" |
| 1992-1993 | Rhythm & Blues | Veronica Washington | Series regular, 13 episodes |
| 1992-1993 | The Addams Family | Additional Voices | Recurring role, 21 episodes |
| 1993 | Tall Hopes | Lainie Harris | Series regular, 6 episodes |
| 1995-1999 | The Wayans Bros | Deidre "Dee" Baxter | Series regular, 80 episodes |
| 1996 | Sparks | Wilma's Aunt | Episode: "How Papa Got His Groove Back" |
| 1998 | L.A. Doctors | Angela Daly | Episodes: "Pilot", "Under the Radar" |
| 1998 | 7th Heaven | Joyce | Episode: "Here Comes Santa Claus" |
| 1999 | The Wild Thornberrys | Gola's Mother (voice) | Episode: "Chimp off the Block" |
| 1999 | Judging Amy | Defense Attorney Charles | Episode: "Crowed House" |
| 2000 | Moesha | Diane Henderson | Episode: "The Candidate" |
| 2002 | The Chronicle | Jolene Freewald | Episode: "Touched by an Alien" |
| 2004 | The Bernie Mac Show | Aunt Sis | Episode: "Family Reunion" |
| 2004 | The District | Yates/Bobbi Yates/Vicky Yates | 3 episodes |
| 2004 | Method & Red | Dorothea | Series regular, 13 episodes |
| 2005-2006 | Entourage | Saigon's Mother | Episodes: "Good Morning, Saigon", "I Wanna Be Sedated" |
| 2005, 2007 | Grey's Anatomy | Elizabeth Fallon | Episodes: "No Man's Land", "Some Kind of Miracle" |
| 2005-2008 | The Shield | A.D.A Beth Encardi | Recurring role, 8 episodes |
| 2006 | Heist | Wanda Evans | Episode: "How Billy Got His Groove Back" |
| 2008 | Las Vegas | Aunt Vonice | Episode: "Three Weddings and a Funeral Part 2" |
| 2008 | Everybody Hates Chris | Hattie Mitchell | Episodes: "Everybody Hates Easter", "Everybody Hates the BFD" |
| 2009 | Cold Case | Geraldine Watkins '09 | Episode: "Soul" |
| 2010 | American Dad! | Voice | Episode: "The People vs. Martin Sugar" |
| 2011 | Let's Stay Together | Raynelle/Jacqueline | Episodes: "The Wedding Planner", "Your Arm's Too Short to Box with Grandparents" |
| 2011 | Reed Between the Lines | Helen Wilson | Series regular, 20 episodes |
| 2012 | Key and Peele | Maid | Episode: "Dueling Magical Negros" |
| 2012 | The League | Trina Richardson | Episode: "Training Camp" |
| 2012, 2017 | New Girl | Charmaine | Episodes: "Katie", "Misery" |
| 2015 | It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia | Janet Barrett | Episode: "The Gang Goes on Family Fight" |
| 2015 | The Soul Man | Ceci | Episode: "Mo Momma, Mo Problems" |
| 2015–present | The Bold and The Beautiful | Vivienne Avant | Series regular, |
| 2018 | I Feel Bad | Norman's Mom | Episode: "My Kid Has to Grow Up" |
| 2018-2019 | Mom | Ms. Ferguson | 2 episodes |
| 2019-2020 | The Last O.G. | Roberta | 6 episodes |
| 2020 | The Conners | Nicole | Episode: "Plastics, Trash Talk & Darlene Antoinette" |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Title | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black Reel Award | Best Actress – Network/Cable Television | Justice | Nominated | ||
| Daytime Emmy Award | Outstanding Special Guest Performer in a Drama Series | The Bold and the Beautiful | Nominated | ||
| Daytime Emmy Award | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series | The Bold and the Beautiful | Nominated |
References
- Anna Maria Horsford profile, IMDB.com; accessed October 28, 2016.
- McCann, Bob, ed. (2009). Encyclopedia of African American Actresses in Film and Television. p. 165. ISBN 9780786437900. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
- Staff, ed. (October 26, 2011). "New Tourism Ambassador for Antigua". Carib Journal. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
- Anna Marie Horsford Ancestry Reveal on YouTube
- Anna Maria Horsford at IMDb
- Profile, IMDb.com; accessed May 16, 2016.
- Variety Staff (May 2, 2016). "Daytime Emmy Winners: Complete List". Retrieved February 7, 2017.
- "The 43rd Annual Daytime Emmy Award Nominations" (PDF). New York, New York: emmyonline.org and National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 24, 2016. Retrieved March 24, 2016.
- "The 44th Annual Daytime Emmy Award Nominations" (PDF). New York City: emmyonline.org and National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 22, 2017. Retrieved March 22, 2017.
External links
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