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{{Short description|Actress and singer}}
{{Short description|American actress (1922–1998)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2023}}
{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
| name = Theresa Merritt
| name = Theresa Merritt
| image = <!-- filename only, no "File:" or "Image:" prefix, and no enclosing [[brackets]] -->
| image =
| alt = <!-- descriptive text for use by speech synthesis (text-to-speech) software -->
| imagesize =
| caption =
| caption =
| birth_name = <!-- only use if different from name -->
| birthname = Theresa Merritt Hines
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1922|9|24}}
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1922|9|24}}
| birth_place = [[Emporia, Virginia]], U.S.
| birth_place = [[Emporia, Virginia]], U.S.
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1998|6|12|1922|9|24}}
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1998|6|12|1922|9|24}}
| death_place = [[New York, New York]], [[U.S.]]
| death_place = [[The Bronx, New York]], U.S.
| occupation = Actress, singer
| occupation = Actress, singer
| years_active = 1969&ndash;1998
| years_active = 1969&ndash;1998
| spouse = {{marriage|Benjamin Hines|1945}}
| spouse =
| children = 4
| children =
}}
}}
⚫
'''Theresa Merritt Hines''' (September 24, 1922 {{spaced ndash}}June 12, 1998), known professionally as '''Theresa Merritt''', was an American actress. She is known for her role in ''[[That's My Mama]]'' (1974–1975) and for her film roles in ''[[The Wiz (film)|The Wiz]]'' (1978) and ''[[Billy Madison]]'' (1995).

⚫
'''Theresa Merritt Hines''' (September 24, 1922 {{spaced ndash}}June 12, 1998) was an American [[Stage (theatre)|stage]], film, and television actress and singer. She's known for her role in ''[[That's My Mama]]'' (1974-1975) and for her film roles in ''[[The Wiz (film)|The Wiz]]'' (1978) and ''[[Billy Madison]]'' (1995).


==Career==
==Career==
Born in [[Emporia, Virginia]], Merritt appeared in many theatrical productions but gained fame later in life when she starred in ''[[Ma Rainey's Black Bottom]]'', for which she earned a [[Tony Award]] nomination,<ref>{{cite web |title=("Theresa Merritt" search results) |url=https://www.tonyawards.com/nominees/?q=Theresa%20Merritt |website=Tony Awards |publisher=Tony Award Productions |accessdate=4 June 2019}}</ref> and ''[[The Wiz]]'', in which she replaced [[Mabel King]] as Evelline. She left ''The Wiz'', citing the role's harmful effect on her voice. She then starred in the television [[situation comedy|sitcom]] ''[[That's My Mama]]''.<ref name="etvs">{{cite book|last1=Terrace|first1=Vincent|title=Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010|date=2011|publisher=McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers|location=Jefferson, N.C.|isbn=978-0-7864-6477-7|page=1067|edition=2nd}}</ref>
Born in [[Emporia, Virginia]], Merritt appeared in many theatrical productions but gained fame later in life when she starred as [[Ma Rainey]] in ''[[Ma Rainey's Black Bottom]]'', for which she earned a [[Tony Award]] nomination,<ref>{{cite web |title=("Theresa Merritt" search results) |url=https://www.tonyawards.com/nominees/?q=Theresa%20Merritt |website=Tony Awards |publisher=Tony Award Productions |accessdate=June 4, 2019}}</ref> and ''[[The Wiz]]'', in which she replaced [[Mabel King]] as [[Wicked Witch of the West|Evillene]]. She left ''The Wiz'', citing the role's harmful effect on her voice. She then starred in the television [[situation comedy|sitcom]] ''[[That's My Mama]]''.<ref name="etvs">{{cite book|last1=Terrace|first1=Vincent|title=Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010|date=2011|publisher=McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers|location=Jefferson, N.C.|isbn=978-0-7864-6477-7|page=1067|edition=2nd}}</ref>


Merritt's other Broadway credits included ''Mule Bone'' (1991), ''Division Street'' (1980), ''Don't Play Us Cheap!'' (1972), ''The Crucible'' (1972), ''Trumpets of the Lord'' (1969), '' Golden Boy'' (1964), ''Tambourines to Glory'' (1963), and ''Carmen Jones'' (1943, 1945, 1947).<ref>{{cite web |title=Theresa Merritt |url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/theresa-merritt-52861 |website=Internet Broadway Database |publisher=The Broadway League |accessdate=4 June 2019 |archiveurl=https://archive.today/20190604015204/https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/theresa-merritt-52861 |archivedate=4 June 2019}}</ref> She also toured with road companies of ''Funny Girl'', ''Show Boat'', and ''South Pacific''.<ref>{{cite news |title=Theresa Merritt |url=https://variety.com/1998/scene/people-news/theresa-merritt-1117882378/ |accessdate=4 June 2019 |work=Variety |date=June 22, 1998 |archiveurl=https://archive.today/20190604020539/https://variety.com/1998/scene/people-news/theresa-merritt-1117882378/ |archivedate=4 June 2019}}</ref>
Merritt's other Broadway credits included ''[[Mule Bone]]'' (1991), ''Division Street'' (1980), ''Don't Play Us Cheap!'' (1972), ''[[The Crucible]]'' (1972), ''Trumpets of the Lord'' (1969), '' [[Golden Boy (musical)|Golden Boy]]'' (1964), ''[[Tambourines to Glory]]'' (1963), and ''[[Carmen Jones]]'' (1943, 1945, 1947).<ref>{{cite web |title=Theresa Merritt |url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/theresa-merritt-52861 |website=Internet Broadway Database |publisher=The Broadway League |accessdate=June 4, 2019 |archiveurl=https://archive.today/20190604015204/https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/theresa-merritt-52861 |archivedate=June 4, 2019}}</ref> She also toured with road companies of ''[[Funny Girl (musical)|Funny Girl]]'', ''[[Show Boat]]'', and ''[[South Pacific (musical)|South Pacific]]''.<ref>{{cite news |title=Theresa Merritt |url=https://variety.com/1998/scene/people-news/theresa-merritt-1117882378/ |accessdate=June 4, 2019 |work=Variety |date=June 22, 1998 |archiveurl=https://archive.today/20190604020539/https://variety.com/1998/scene/people-news/theresa-merritt-1117882378/ |archivedate=June 4, 2019}}</ref>


Her most notable film roles were [[Aunt Em]] in the 1978 film version of ''[[The Wiz (film)|The Wiz]]'', Mrs. Crosby in the 1977 film adaptation of Neil Simon's ''[[The Goodbye Girl]]'', and Juanita in the [[Adam Sandler]] comedy ''[[Billy Madison]]''. She also appeared alongside [[Burt Reynolds]] and [[Dolly Parton]] in the film adaptation of ''[[The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas]]''.
Her most notable film roles were [[Aunt Em]] in the 1978 film version of ''[[The Wiz (film)|The Wiz]]'', Mrs. Crosby in the 1977 film adaptation of Neil Simon's ''[[The Goodbye Girl]]'', and Juanita in the [[Adam Sandler]] comedy ''[[Billy Madison]]''. She also appeared alongside [[Burt Reynolds]] and [[Dolly Parton]] in the [[The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (film)|film adaptation]] of ''[[The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas]]''.


==Personal life and death==
==Personal life and death==
Merritt was married to Benjamin Hines, and they had four children. During the 34th National Convention of [[Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.]], Merritt and E. Fannie Granton of ''[[Jet magazine]]'' were made honorary members of the sorority in 1977. Merritt died of skin cancer on June 12, 1998 in New York City in the Bronx.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/06/21/nyregion/theresa-merritt-75-praised-in-role-of-ma-rainey-is-dead.html|title=Theresa Merritt, 75, Praised In Role of Ma Rainey, Is Dead|last=Lyman|first=Rick|date=1998-06-21|newspaper=The New York Times|accessdate=2009-06-10}}</ref>
Merritt died of [[skin cancer]] on June 12, 1998, in the New York City borough of [[The Bronx]].<ref name=nytobit>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/06/21/nyregion/theresa-merritt-75-praised-in-role-of-ma-rainey-is-dead.html|title=Theresa Merritt, 75, Praised In Role of Ma Rainey, Is Dead|last=Lyman|first=Rick|date=June 21, 1998|newspaper=The New York Times|accessdate=June 10, 2009}}</ref>


==Filmography==
==Filmography==
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| 1978
| 1978
| ''[[The Wiz (film)|The Wiz]]''
| ''[[The Wiz (film)|The Wiz]]''
| Aunt Em
| [[Aunt Em]]
|
|
|-
|-
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| ''[[Law & Order]]''
| ''[[Law & Order]]''
| Ruth Titus
| Ruth Titus
| 1 episode
|-
| 1997
| ''[[Sesame Street]]''
| [[The Robinson family (Sesame Street)|Grandma Sarah]]
| 1 episode
| 1 episode
|-
|-
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| ''[[Ma Rainey's Black Bottom]]''
| ''[[Ma Rainey's Black Bottom]]''
| {{nom}}
| {{nom}}
| align="center"| <ref name=nytobit/>
| align="center"| <ref>{{cite web |last1=Lyman |first1=Rick |title=Theresa Merritt, 75, Praised In Role of Ma Rainey, Is Dead |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/06/21/nyregion/theresa-merritt-75-praised-in-role-of-ma-rainey-is-dead.html |website=New York Times |access-date=28 March 2021}}</ref>
|}
|}


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[[Category:American television actresses]]
[[Category:American television actresses]]
[[Category:Deaths from cancer in New York (state)]]
[[Category:Deaths from cancer in New York (state)]]
[[Category:Deaths from skin cancer]]
[[Category:Deaths from skin cancer in the United States]]
⚫
[[Category:African-American actresses]]
[[Category:American film actresses]]
[[Category:American film actresses]]
⚫
[[Category:20th-century African-American actresses]]
[[Category:20th-century American actresses]]
[[Category:20th-century American actresses]]
[[Category:Delta Sigma Theta members]]
[[Category:20th-century American singers]]
[[Category:20th-century American singers]]
[[Category:20th-century African-American women singers]]
[[Category:20th-century African-American women singers]]
[[Category:20th-century American women singers]]


{{US-singer-stub}}
{{US-singer-stub}}
{{US-screen-actor-1920s-stub}}
{{US-screen-actor-1920s-stub}}

Latest revision as of 22:56, 6 December 2024

Theresa Merritt
Born(1922-09-24)September 24, 1922
Emporia, Virginia, U.S.
DiedJune 12, 1998(1998-06-12) (aged 75)
The Bronx, New York, U.S.
Occupation(s)Actress, singer
Years active1969–1998

Theresa Merritt Hines (September 24, 1922  – June 12, 1998), known professionally as Theresa Merritt, was an American actress. She is known for her role in That's My Mama (1974–1975) and for her film roles in The Wiz (1978) and Billy Madison (1995).

Career

[edit]

Born in Emporia, Virginia, Merritt appeared in many theatrical productions but gained fame later in life when she starred as Ma Rainey in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, for which she earned a Tony Award nomination,[1] and The Wiz, in which she replaced Mabel King as Evillene. She left The Wiz, citing the role's harmful effect on her voice. She then starred in the television sitcom That's My Mama.[2]

Merritt's other Broadway credits included Mule Bone (1991), Division Street (1980), Don't Play Us Cheap! (1972), The Crucible (1972), Trumpets of the Lord (1969), Golden Boy (1964), Tambourines to Glory (1963), and Carmen Jones (1943, 1945, 1947).[3] She also toured with road companies of Funny Girl, Show Boat, and South Pacific.[4]

Her most notable film roles were Aunt Em in the 1978 film version of The Wiz, Mrs. Crosby in the 1977 film adaptation of Neil Simon's The Goodbye Girl, and Juanita in the Adam Sandler comedy Billy Madison. She also appeared alongside Burt Reynolds and Dolly Parton in the film adaptation of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.

Personal life and death

[edit]

Merritt died of skin cancer on June 12, 1998, in the New York City borough of The Bronx.[5]

Filmography

[edit]
Film
Year Title Role Notes
1971 They Might Be Giants Peggy
1977 Proof of the Man Maria
The Goodbye Girl Mrs. Crosby
1978 The Wiz Aunt Em
1979 The Great Santini Arrabella Smalls Alternative titles: The Ace
The Gift of Fury
All That Jazz Cast of NY / LA #4
1982 The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas Jewel
1988 Astonished Ida
The Serpent and the Rainbow Simone
1989 Zwei Frauen Nurse Wilson Alternative title: Silence Like Glass
1991 Voodoo Dawn Madame Daslay Alternative title: Strange Turf
1995 Billy Madison Juanita
1998 Dangerous Proposition Grace
Home Fries Mrs. Vaughan Final film role released posthumously
Television
Year Title Role Notes
1969 J.T. Mama Meley Television movie
1973 The Furst Family of Washington Eloise "Mama" Furst Television movie
1974–1975 That's My Mama Eloise "Mama" Curtis 39 episodes
1975 Police Story Mrs. Johnson 1 episode
1980 NBC Special Treat 1 episode
1983 The Love Boat Faye Pillips 1 episode
1984 Concealed Enemies Clytie Catlett Television movie
1988 Miracle at Beekman's Place Sarag Coleman Television movie
1997 Law & Order Ruth Titus 1 episode
1997 Sesame Street Grandma Sarah 1 episode
1998 NYPD Blue Bernice 1 episode
Cosby Edna Stone 1 episode

Awards and nominations

[edit]
Year Award Category Work Result Ref.
1985 Tony Award Best Featured Actress in a Play Ma Rainey's Black Bottom Nominated [5]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "("Theresa Merritt" search results)". Tony Awards. Tony Award Productions. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
  2. ^ Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 1067. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7.
  3. ^ "Theresa Merritt". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from the original on June 4, 2019. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
  4. ^ "Theresa Merritt". Variety. June 22, 1998. Archived from the original on June 4, 2019. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
  5. ^ a b Lyman, Rick (June 21, 1998). "Theresa Merritt, 75, Praised In Role of Ma Rainey, Is Dead". The New York Times. Retrieved June 10, 2009.
[edit]


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