Roxie Roker

For the character on Hannah Montana, see Roxy Roker.

Roxie Roker
Roker in 1976.
Born	Roxie Albertha Roker (1929-08-28)August 28, 1929 Miami, Florida, U.S.
Died	December 2, 1995(1995-12-02) (aged 66) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Cause of death	Breast cancer
Alma mater	Howard University
Occupations	Actress television personality news anchor
Years active	1974–1995
Spouse	Sy Kravitz ​ ​ (m. 1962; div. 1985)​
Children	Lenny Kravitz
Family	Zoë Kravitz (granddaughter) Al Roker (first cousin once removed)

Roxie Albertha Roker (August 28, 1929 – December 2, 1995) was a Bahamian American actress who portrayed Helen Willis on the CBS sitcom The Jeffersons (1975–1985), half of the first interracial couple to be shown on regular prime time television. She was the mother of rock artist Lenny Kravitz.

Early life

Roker was born in Miami, Florida. Her mother, Bessie (née Mitchell), was from Georgia and worked as a domestic, and her father, Albert Roker, was a native of The Bahamas and a porter. She grew up in Brooklyn, New York.

Career

Roker portrayed Helen Willis on The Jeffersons. She began her professional career with the Negro Ensemble Company and became a successful stage actress. She won an Obie Award in 1974 and was nominated for a Tony Award for her portrayal of Mattie Williams in The River Niger. She was a reporter on WNEW-TV in New York in the 1970s and hosted a public affairs show for the station known as Inside Bed-Stuy, dealing with events in the Brooklyn neighborhood. She appeared in guest starring roles on many United States television shows from the 1970s through the 1990s, including "Stone in the River" starring Hal Miller for NBC, Punky Brewster, Hangin' with Mr. Cooper, A Different World, Murder, She Wrote, The Love Boat, 227, and Beat the Clock. She had roles in the television miniseries Roots and in the movie Claudine. Roker was also a children’s advocate who was cited by the city of Los Angeles for her community work.

Personal life

Roker graduated from Howard University, where she was a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. She was married to television producer Sy Kravitz in 1962. Before their divorce in 1985, the couple had a son, singer-songwriter and actor Lenny Kravitz (born May 26, 1964). Roker was the paternal grandmother of actress Zoë Kravitz and the cousin of NBC's Today Show's Al Roker.

Death

Roker died in Los Angeles, California, on December 2, 1995, of breast cancer at the age of 66.

Filmography

• Change at 125th Street (1974)
• Claudine (1974)
• Roots (1977)
• Billy: Portrait of a Street Kid (1977)
• The Bermuda Triangle (1979)
• Making of a Male Model (1983)
• Amazon Women on the Moon (1987)
• Penny Ante: The Motion Picture (1990)

External links

• Roxie Roker at IMDb
• Roxie Roker at the Internet Broadway Database
• Roxie Roker at Find a Grave