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. Her performances are credited to her birth name, LaTanya Richardson, from 1989–2013.
LaTanya Richardson Jackson | |
|---|---|
 Jackson in 2005 | |
| 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
editShe was born in Atlanta, Georgia. While attending Atlanta's historically Black, all-female Spelman College in 1970, she met Samuel L. Jackson, then a student at the historically Black, all-male Morehouse College. She and Jackson married in 1980. They have one. After her daughter's birth, Richardson stopped working regularly for family reasons.[2]
Career
editRichardson played Paulina Pritchett in the 2003 musical film The Fighting Temptations. 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 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]
From 2017 to 2023, Richardson made regular appearances as Maggie Pierce’s adoptive mother, Diane, on Grey's Anatomy.[7][8]
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.[9]
Filmography
editOn film, she has been credited as her birth name, LaTanya Richardson, from 1991–2009, except for the 2006 film Freedomland.
Film
edit| 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 | First film credit as LaTanya Richardson Jackson |
| 2007 | All About Us | Cousin Bernice | |
| 2007 | Blackout | Mrs. Thompson | |
| 2009 | Mother and Child | Carol | Last film credit as LaTanya Richardson |
| 2019 | Juanita | Kay-Rita | Second (hereafter continuous) film credit as LaTanya Richardson Jackson |
| 2023 | You Hurt My Feelings | Sylvia |
Television
editOn television, she has been credited as her birth name, LaTanya Richardson, from 1989–2013, except for a 2012 episode of Damages.
| 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 | Van Beechley | 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" |
| 2006 | The Water Is Wide | Edna | TV film |
| 2011 | Harry's Law | Noreen | Episode: "In the Ghetto" |
| 2012 | Damages | Judge Jaclynn Ellis | Episode: "You Want to End This Once and for All?"; first TV credit as LaTanya Richardson Jackson |
| 2013 | The Watsons Go to Birmingham | Grandma Sands | TV film; last TV credit as LaTanya Richardson |
| 2014–2015 | Blue Bloods | Lt. Dee Ann Carver | Recurring role, Season 5; second (hereafter continuous) TV credit as LaTanya Richardson Jackson |
| 2015 | Show Me a Hero | Norma O'Neal | TV miniseries |
| 2016–2018 | Luke Cage | Maybelline "Mama Mabel" Stokes | Episodes: "Manifest", "The Creator" |
| 2017 | Rebel | Detective Traylynn Jones | 2 episodes |
| 2017–2023 | Grey's Anatomy | Diane Pierce | Guest star (5 episodes; season 13, 18, and 19) |
| 2018 | American Masters | Narrator | Episode: "Lorraine Hansberry: Sighted Eyes/Feeling Heart" |
| 2022 | The Last Movie Stars | Maude Brink (voice) | 3 episodes |
Theatre
edit| 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 | — | August Wilson | Director; Ethel Barrymore Theatre, Broadway |
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Award | Category | Project | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Audie Award | Audiobook of the Year | Nelson Mandela's Favorite African Folktales | Won | [10][11] |
| 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
edit- ^ "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
- ^ "LaTanya Richardson Jackson on Joining 'Grey's Anatomy'". Observer.com. March 23, 2017. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
- ^ "'Grey's Anatomy': Kelly McCreary on Maggie's Full-Circle Goodbye and Those Surprise Cameos (Exclusive)". Etonline.com. April 13, 2023. Retrieved August 19, 2023.
- ^ "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.