Kellita Smith | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 15, 1969 |
| Education | Santa Rosa Junior College |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1993–present |
| Known for | Wanda McCullough – The Bernie Mac Show |
Kellita Smith (born January 15, 1969)[3] is an American actress, model and comedian. She is best known for her role as Wanda McCullough, Bernie Mac's wife on the FOX sitcom The Bernie Mac Show.[4]
Life and career
Born in Chicago, Illinois,[5][6] She was raised in Oakland, California.[7] Smith studied at Santa Rosa Junior College, receiving her associate degree in political science.
In early years, Smith worked as a model. She began her acting career on stage in a regional production of Tell It Like It Tiz.[8] Other theatrical credits include the Los Angeles productions of No Place to be Somebody at the K.C. Theatre Company, Feelings (The Hudson Theatre) for which she won an NAACP Theatre Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1996,[8] The Thirteenth Thorn (Complex Theatre) for which she was nominated for an NAACP Theatre Award for Best Actress, and One Woman Two Lives, which premiered at The Imagined Life Theater in July 2009.
On television, Smith made her debut in an episode of In Living Color and later guest-starred on Living Single, Moesha, 3rd Rock from the Sun, The Parkers and NYPD Blue. She had recurring roles in Martin, Sister, Sister, and Malcolm & Eddie before co-starring on The Jamie Foxx Show from 1997 to 1999. In 2001 she was cast opposite Bernie Mac in the Fox sitcom The Bernie Mac Show. The series aired on Fox for five seasons from 2001 to 2006. She was nominated four times for a NAACP Image Award for her role as Wanda McCullough on The Bernie Mac Show. In film, Smith co-starred alongside Mo'Nique in Hair Show (2004), and later appeared in Fair Game, King's Ransom, Roll Bounce and Three Can Play That Game.
In 2012, Smith returned to television with the role of First Lady Katherine Johnson in the syndicated sitcom, The First Family.[9] In 2014, Smith was cast as Roberta Warren in the Syfy post-apocalyptic series, Z Nation.[10] In this role, she also appeared on Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! in 2015.[11] In the Cut is an American sitcom created by Bentley Kyle Evans that debuted on Bounce TV on August 25, 2015.[1] Seth Kelley. "Bounce TV Orders Original Comedy Series 'In The Cut'". Variety. Retrieved January 28, 2016. Kellita Smith as Cheryl (season 2–present), the new owner of the beauty salon Cheryl's, and Jay's wife. On March 19, 2020, it was announced that the sixth season would premiere on April 1, 2020.[8] ""In the Cut" Returns for New Season Starting April 1st on Bounce". The Futon Critic. March 19, 2020.
She is also described as B. Rosenberger Rosenberg's African American girlfriend in Charlie Kaufman's novel Antkind.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | House Party 3 | Girl in Yellow & Black Dress | |
| 1995 | The Crossing Guard | Tanya | |
| 1999 | Q: The Movie | Mo Mo | |
| 2000 | Retiring Tatiana | CeCe | |
| Masquerade | Monica | TV movie | |
| 2001 | Kingdom Come | Bernice Talbot | |
| 2004 | Hair Show | Angela Whittaker | |
| 2005 | Fair Game | Cheryl | |
| King's Ransom | Renee King | ||
| Roll Bounce | Vivian | ||
| 2007 | Three Can Play That Game | Carla | |
| Feel the Noise | Tanya | ||
| 2010 | From Cape Town with Love | Marsha | Short |
| Conspiracy X | Justice Jackie Woods | ||
| 2011 | She's Not Our Sister | Vivian | TV movie |
| 2012 | Gang of Roses 2: Next Generation | Madame L | |
| Sistaah Friend | Super Shero of Truth | Short | |
| 2013 | The Love Section | Pat Darden | |
| 2014 | Imperial Dreams | Tanya | |
| 2015 | A Deadly Adoption | Officer F. Mason | TV movie |
| Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! | Sergeant Roberta Warren | TV movie | |
| The Man in 3B | Det. Anderson | ||
| 2017 | The Preacher's Son | Anita Emerson | |
| 2018 | The Choir Director | Anita Emerson | |
| 2020 | Influence | Carla Hudson |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | In Living Color | - | Episode: "Dirty Little Dick" |
| Living Single | Susan | Episode: "A Kiss Before Lying" | |
| 1994 | Hangin' with Mr. Cooper | Jaclyn | Episode: "Clothes Make the Man" |
| 1994-95 | Martin | Tracy | Recurring Cast: Season 3 |
| 1995 | Sister, Sister | Tonya | Recurring Cast: Season 3 |
| 1996 | The Wayans Bros. | Claire | Episode: "Hearts and Flowers" |
| Dangerous Minds | Dominique | Episode: "Hair Affair" | |
| Moesha | Melba | Episode: "Women Are from Mars, Men Are from Saturn" | |
| 1997 | High Incident | - | Episode: "Remote Control" |
| Malcolm & Eddie | Danielle | Recurring Cast: Season 1 | |
| The Parent 'Hood | Sheila | Episode: "Zaria Peterson's Day Off" | |
| 1997-99 | The Jamie Foxx Show | Cherise | Recurring Cast: Season 2-3 |
| 1999 | The Steve Harvey Show | Ava Whitley | Episode: "Little Stevie Blunder" |
| The Parkers | Valerie Maxwell | Episode: "And the Band Plays On" | |
| 2000 | For Your Love | Sophia | Episode: "The Special Delivery" |
| 2001 | Nash Bridges | Regina Adams | Episode: "Kill Joy" |
| NYPD Blue | Mrs. Childs | Episode: "Under Covers" | |
| 2001-06 | The Bernie Mac Show | Wanda McCullough | Main Cast |
| 2002 | Pyramid | Herself/Celebrity Contestant | Episode: "October 14 & 22, 2002" |
| 2003 | Biography | Herself | Episode: "Bernie Mac: TV's Family Man" |
| 2007 | Baisden After Dark | Herself | Episode: "Age Ain't Nothin But a Number" |
| 2012 | Life After | Herself | Episode: "Camille Winbush" |
| 2012-15 | The First Family | First Lady Katherine Johnson | Main Cast |
| 2013 | Kimmie's Kitchen | Herself | Episode: "Bread Pudding/Kelita Smith" |
| 2014 | According to Him + Her | Herself | Episode: "Episode #1.12" |
| 2014-18 | Z Nation | Lieutenant Roberta Warren | Main Cast |
| 2015 | Unsung Hollywood | Herself | Episode: "Bernie Mac" |
| 2016 | Apollo Night LA | Herself/Celebrity Host | Episode: "ANLA 161" |
| 2016-19 | In the Cut | Cheryl | Recurring Cast: Season 2-5 |
| 2017 | Hell's Kitchen | Herself | Episode: "Fusion/Confusion" |
| 2018-19 | From the Mouths of Babes | Herself | Recurring Guest |
| 2020 | Two Degrees | Herself | Episode: "U.B.E.R." |
| 2021 | This Is Us | Elizabeth Dubois | Episode: "Birth Mother" |
| The Couch | Mrs. Childs | Main Cast | |
| Lace | Judge Sears | Recurring Cast | |
| 2022 | From Scratch | Lynne | Main Cast |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Awards | Category | Recipient | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | NAACP Image Awards | NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series | "The Bernie Mac Show" | Nominated |
| 2004 | Nominated | |||
| 2005 | Nominated | |||
| 2006 | NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series | Nominated | ||
| 2013 | "The First Family" | Nominated |
References
- ↑ Viera, Bené (December 13, 2013). "FOUR FACTS YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT KELLITA SMITH". Centric TV. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
- ↑ "Roberta Warren (KELLITA SMITH)". SYFY. 2016. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
- ↑ Smith, Kellita. "Birthday Clarification". Twitter. Kellita Smith. Retrieved May 6, 2015.
- ↑ Nathan Southern (2014). "Kellita Smith – Biography". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 15, 2014. Retrieved September 15, 2014.
- ↑ "Kellita Smith". TV Guide. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
- ↑ "Today's Black Woman". Google Books. January 2002. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
- ↑ Berry, S. Torriano (2009). The A to Z of African American Cinema. ISBN 978-0-8108-7034-5. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
- 1 2 "Kellita Smith". Yahoo. Archived from the original on December 5, 2014. Retrieved September 15, 2014.
- ↑ "Byron Allen Syndicated Comedy 'First Family' Announces Cast". Deadline Hollywood. March 28, 2012. Retrieved September 15, 2014.
- ↑ Kaitlin Thomas (June 19, 2014). "Syfy Zombie Drama Z Nation Casts Lost, Supernatural Alums". TV Guide. Retrieved September 15, 2014.
- ↑ "Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! SyFy Cheese with Extra Anchovies". MikesFilmTalk. July 27, 2015. Retrieved August 18, 2015.