Suzzanne Douglas
Born(1957-04-12)April 12, 1957
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
DiedJuly 6, 2021(2021-07-06) (aged 64)
Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, U.S.
EducationIllinois State University (BA)
Manhattan School of Music (MM)
OccupationActress
Years active1978–2021
Known forJerri Peterson – The Parent 'Hood
Amy Simms – Tap
Spouse
Roy J. Cobb
​
(m. 1989)​
[1]
Children1
AwardsNAACP Image Award – (1989) Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture (Tap)

Suzzanne Douglas (April 12, 1957 – July 6, 2021) was an American actress.[2] She was best known for her role as matriarch Geraldine "Jerri" Peterson on The WB sitcom The Parent 'Hood,[2] starring Robert Townsend, which originally ran from 1995 to 1999. Douglas also portrayed Amy Simms in the 1989 dance/drama film Tap alongside Gregory Hines and the legendary Sammy Davis Jr., for which she won an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture.

In addition to Tap, Douglas starred in several other motion pictures, among them How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998), Jason's Lyric (1994), The Inkwell (1994) as well as the 2003 Disney/ABC version of Sounder with Carl Lumbly. Douglas was also well known for her portrayal as Cissy Houston in the Lifetime TV movie Whitney which aired in 2015. In May 2019, she appeared as the mother of one of the main characters in the Netflix miniseries When They See Us directed by the acclaimed Ava DuVernay and produced by Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Films.

Early life and education

Douglas was born in Chicago, Illinois on April 12, 1957.[3] She was one of four children born to Lois Mae Thompson and Donald Douglas, Sr. Reared by a single mother, Douglas grew up in the Altgeld Gardens Homes public housing complex on the city's far south side.[4] She became interested in the arts as a child, citing 1965's The Sound of Music as her inspiration for acting.[5] Douglas attended Thornton Township High School, graduating in 1975.[6] After high school, she studied at Illinois State University; graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree. She later earned a Master's degree in music specializing in Jazz Vocals at the prestigious Manhattan School of Music.[7]

Career

Douglas made numerous television guest star appearances on shows such as Bull, Bones and The Good Wife.[8] She also appeared on The Parkers,[8] The Cosby Show, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, NYPD Blue,[9] and Touched by an Angel.[8] On stage, Douglas performed the role of Jenny Diver in The Threepenny Opera starring Sting and Dr. Bearing in Wit, where she was the first African American to perform the role.[3][10] Douglas was a two-time NAACP Image Award winner, and also won the Black Oscar, a Reel Award,[11] and the Mary Martin Award.[12] Douglas appeared in the Rel Dowdell film Changing the Game in 2011.[8]

Other

Douglas was a honorary member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority where she served on its national executive board as the Honorary Co-chair of the Arts and Letters Commission for thirteen years. In the community, she was a lifetime member of Girl Scouts of the USA, The National Council of Negro Women, Sigma Alpha Lambda (a national leadership and honors organization), and Jack and Jill of America.[11]

Personal life and death

In February 1989, Douglas married neuro-radiologist Roy Jonathan Cobb, to whom she was still married at the time of her death. Together, Douglas and Cobb had one daughter.[3][13]

Douglas died on July 6, 2021, at age 64, at her home in Martha's Vineyard after a two-year battle with pancreatic cancer.[3][14]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1981 Purlie[3] Television film
1989 Tap[8][15] Amy Simms
1990 The Knife and Gun Club[16] Ginny Ducette Television film
1992 Chain of Desire[8][17] Angie
1992 Condition: Critical[9] Dr. Bailey Wallace Television film
1994 I'll Do Anything[9] Rainbow House Star
1994 The Inkwell[8][15] Brenda Tate
1994 Search for Grace[17][9] Margaret / Melody Television film
1994 Jason's Lyric[8][17] Gloria Alexander
1998 The Last Weekend[11][18] Mrs. Fisher Short film
1998 How Stella Got Her Groove Back[8][15] Angela
2003 Sounder[8][16] The Mother Television film
2003 School of Rock[17][9] Tomika's Mother
2004 Sunday on the Rocks[8][17] Jessica
2012 Changing the Game[8][9] Mrs. Davis
2015 Whitney[8][9] Cissy Houston Television film
2016 Happy Yummy Chicken[8][9] Sarah Del Casserole
2020 Really Love[19] Ann Richmond

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1989 A Man Called Hawk[18] Lorna Wells Episode: "Vendetta"
1990 The Cosby Show[9] Rebecca Shorter Episode: "Live and Learn"
1990–1991 Against the Law[18] Yvette Carruthers 17 episodes
1991 Great Performances Lady In Plaid / The Girl Episode: "The Colored Museum"[16]
1991 ABC Afterschool Specials Sammy Episode: "In the Shadows of Love: A Teen AIDS Story"[17]
1992 I'll Fly Away[9] Ruth 3 episodes
1993 American Playhouse Eunice Perry Episode: "Hallelujah"[16]
1995–1999 The Parent 'Hood[8][17] Geraldine "Jerri" Peterson 90 episodes
1996–1999 Touched by an Angel[8][17] Dr. Rebecca Dixon / Brianna 2 episodes
1996 NYPD Blue[8][9] Mrs. Torrence Episode: "Where's 'Swaldo"
1997–1998 Promised Land[8][9] Dr. Rebecca Dixon 4 episodes
1999–2000 The Parkers[8] Constance West-McFarland 2 episodes
2001 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Principal Episode: "Secrets"
2004 Law & Order: Criminal Intent[9] Karen Watkins Episode: "Mad Hops"
2010 The Good Wife[8][9] Judge Keely Farmer Episode: "Infamy"
2011 Are We There Yet? Melissa Episode: "The Parent Teacher Trap Episode"
2016 Bones[8][9] Elizabeth Burkhart Episode: "The Monster in the Closet"
2016 Bull[8] Betty Everton Episode: "Just Tell the Truth"
2019 When They See Us[3] Grace Cuffe Miniseries

Theatre

[20]

Year Title Role Notes
1983 The Tap Dance Kid Little Rio Dancer/New Yorker

Ginnie (Understudy)

 Broadway
1987-89 Into the Woods Witch, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty (Understudy) Broadway
1989 Threepenny Opera Jenny Diver Broadway

References

  1. ↑ JET Magazine - People Are Talking About... - February 27, 1989
  2. 1 2 "Suzzanne Douglas". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2016. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Taylor, Derrick Bryson (July 7, 2021). "Suzzanne Douglas, Star of 'The Parent 'Hood,' Dies at 64". The New York Times. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  4. ↑ Kiro7, ‘The Parent ’Hood’ star Suzzanne Douglas dead at 64, July 7, 2021
  5. ↑ Mendoza, M. F. (May 10, 1994). "No More 'Dodging Bullets' for Actress Suzzanne Douglas – FAST TRACK: Up and Comers in Arts and Entertainment; One in a Series". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 17, 2017.
  6. ↑ "1974 Thornton Township High School Yearbook (Harvey, Illinois)". Classmates.com. 1974. Retrieved September 17, 2017.
  7. ↑ Baltimore Times (Online) – An Interview with Suzzanne Douglas - January 13, 2017
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 "Suzzanne Douglas". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 "Suzzanne Douglas List of Movies and TV Shows". TV Guide. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  10. ↑ Perez, Lexy (July 7, 2021). "Suzzanne Douglas, 'The Parent 'Hood' Actress, Dies at 64". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  11. 1 2 3 "IJS Concert Series – Suzzanne Douglas". Rutgers University. 2018. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  12. ↑ "Suzzanne Douglas Scholarship". Illinois State University. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  13. ↑ Randolph, Laura B. (October 1995). "How He (She) Proposed". Ebony Magazine. Retrieved September 17, 2017.
  14. ↑ Victorian, Brande (July 7, 2021). "Actress Suzzanne Douglas Dead At 64". Essence. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  15. 1 2 3 "Suzzanne Douglas". American Film Institute. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  16. 1 2 3 4 "Suzzanne Douglas – Filmography". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Suzanne Douglas". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on May 28, 2018. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  18. 1 2 3 Evans, Greg (July 7, 2021). "Suzzanne Douglas Dies: 'The Parent 'Hood', 'When They See Us' Actress Was 64". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  19. ↑ "Really Love". American Film Institute. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  20. ↑ "Suzzanne Douglas (Performer)". Playbill.
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