Ja'Net DuBois
Ja'Net DuBois | |
---|---|
DuBois as Willona Woods on the CBS television series Good Times circa 1976. | |
Born | Jeannette Theresa Dubois August 5, 1932 August 5, 1938 August 5, 1945 (sources differ) |
Died | Glendale, California, U.S. | February 17, 2020
Occupations |
|
Years active | 1962–2016 |
Known for | Willona Woods – Good Times Ma Bell – I'm Gonna Git You Sucka Ms. Avery – The PJs |
Spouse(s) | Sajit Gupta (m. 1950–?; divorced) |
Children | 4 |
Jeannette Theresa Dubois (August 5, 1932,[1][2][3] 1938[4][5] or 1945[6][7] (sources differ) – February 17, 2020[8][9]), known professionally as Ja'Net DuBois,[10][11] Ja'net DuBois,[7] and Ja'Net Du Bois[4][12][n 1] (/dʒɑːˈneɪ duːˈbwɑː/), was an American actress and singer–songwriter. DuBois was best known for her portrayal of Willona Woods, the neighborhood gossip maven and a friend of the Evans family on the CBS sitcom Good Times, which originally aired from 1974 to 1979.[13]
DuBois additionally co–wrote and sang the theme song "Movin' on Up" for The Jeffersons, which originally aired from 1975 until 1985.[14] Beginning her career in the early 1960s on the theater stage, DuBois continued her career appearing in various television shows and films into the mid–2010s.
Biography
Early life and career
Born Jeannette Theresa Dubois on August 5, 1932 (other sources state her birth year as 1938[4][5] or 1945[6][7]) in the Brooklyn borough of New York City[2] or Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (sources differ),[1] DuBois was the daughter of Lillian Gouedy (1910–1984)[15] and Gordon Adelbert Dubois (1915–1960).[16][2][14] DuBois was raised in Amityville, New York on Long Island.[17]
DuBois began her acting career onstage during the early 1960s, making her Broadway debut with a small role in the short-lived The Long Dream, which ran four days in February 1960.[18] She appeared in the drama A Raisin in the Sun with Louis Gossett Jr., though not the original Broadway production.[18][19][20] After appearing in the play The Blacks in October 1963, she became an understudy for the housekeeper role, portrayed by Gertrude Jeannette, in the comedy Nobody Loves an Albatross, which ran through June 1964.[21][22][23][24] Thereafter, DuBois appeared in the Broadway musical Golden Boy with Sammy Davis Jr., Billy Daniels, Lola Falana and Johnny Brown. DuBois portrayed Anna, the sister of Davis' character, through the entire original run from October 1964 to March 1966.[18][25][26]
Career
DuBois's early television acting credits include the 1969 television movie J.T. and the long–running television soap opera Love of Life. From 1970 until 1972, DuBois portrayed Loretta Allen in the soap opera, in which she was noted as one of the first African–American female regular cast-members on a daytime series. Prior to that role, DuBois appeared in her first film, portraying Vera in Diary of a Mad Housewife which was released in 1970. Following the appearance in her first film, DuBois landed the role of Stormy Monday in the 1973 comedy Five on the Black Hand Side with Clarice Taylor, D'Urville Martin and Glynn Turman.[27] In 1973, DuBois appeared in Lanford Wilson's play The Hot l Baltimore.[citation needed]
During her time in the play, Television producer Norman Lear saw her performance at the Mark Taper Forum. Lear being impressed with DuBois' performance, cast her in his then new CBS sitcom Good Times as Wilona Woods; The Evans' family friend, Florida Evans' (portrayed by Esther Rolle) best friend and neighbor.[28] DuBois appeared in the series from February 1974 until the conclusion in July 1979.[12] DuBois began the series as a co–star, alongside Rolle and John Amos (who departed the series in 1976). In 1977, DuBois became the series' lead during the beginning of its' fifth season due to the temporary departure of Rolle. DuBois' returned to co–starring role once Rolle returned during the sixth and final season in 1978.[29]
After the conclusion of Good Times in 1979, DuBois recorded the album Again, Ja'Net DuBois on her Peanuts and Caviar label, in 1983.[30] DuBois appeared in former Good Times co-star Janet Jackson's 1987 "Control" music video as her mother. In 1992, she co-starred with Clifton Davis in And I Still Rise, a play written and directed by Maya Angelou.[31] DuBois co-starred in the films I'm Gonna Git You Sucka (1988) and Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003), and on television in Moesha, The Steve Harvey Show, A Different World, and The Wayans Bros..
Other ventures and accolades
During the 1980s, DuBois operated the Ja'net DuBois Academy of Theater Arts and Sciences, a performing-arts school for teenagers in Long Island, New York.[11] In 1992, DuBois, Danny Glover and Ayuko Babu co-founded the Pan African Film & Arts Festival in Los Angeles.[32][33] In 1995, DuBois won a CableACE award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the Lifetime movie Other Women's Children.[34] DuBois won Emmy Awards for her voice-over work on the animated program The PJs in 1999 and 2001. DuBois along with the cast of Good Times received The Impact Icon Award at the 2006 TV Land Awards.[35] In 2000, DuBois served as Grand Marshal for the North Amityville Community Parade and Festival Day in Amityville, New York.[36] DuBois was an honorary member of the Zeta Phi Beta sorority.[37]
Personal life and death
DuBois married Sajit Gupta in 1950.[38] According to her Brazilian consular document, DuBois was divorced from Gupta by April 1959,[2][39] but another source states she was still married in 1964.[24] Together DuBois and Gupta had four children: Provat Gupta, Rani Gupta, Kesha Gupta-Fields,[9] and Raj Kristo Gupta, who died of cancer in 1987 at age 36.[11] Provat is a basketball coach based in California.[40] In 1959, DuBois was romantically involved with actor Brock Peters.[41] DuBois died on February 17, 2020, of cardiac arrest at her residence in Glendale, California.[9][8][42]
Discography
- Queen of the Highway (Som Livre, 1980)
- Again, Ja'Net DuBois (Peanuts & Caviar Internationale, 1983)
- Hidden Treasures (Peanuts & Caviar Internationale, 2007)
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1966 | A Man Called Adam | Martha | |
1969 | J.T. | Rodeen Gamble | |
1973 | Five on the Black Hand Side | Stormy Monday | |
1977 | A Piece of the Action | Nellie Bond | |
1983 | The Tom Swift and Linda Craig Mystery Hour | Mrs. Gorman | TV movie |
1986 | Stranded | Bettina | TV movie |
1987 | Kids Like These | Mrs. Page | TV movie |
1988 | I'm Gonna Git You Sucka | Ma Bell | |
1990 | Heart Condition | Mrs. Stone | |
1990 | Hammer, Slammer, & Slade | Joanne Wilson | TV movie |
1990 | Penny Ante: The Motion Picture | Aunt | |
1993 | Harlan & Merleen | Maxine | TV movie |
1995 | Magic Island | Lucretia | |
1996 | Sophie & the Moonhanger | Agnes | TV movie |
1996 | Don't Look Back | Mrs. Lawson | TV movie |
1998 | Best Friends for Life | Katie Pegues | TV movie |
1998 | Hard Time | Lefty | TV movie |
1999 | Hard Time: Hostage Hotel | Lefty, Logan's Assistant | TV movie |
2000 | Waterproof | Viola Battle | |
2003 | Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle | Momma Bosley | |
2016 | She's Got a Plan | Betty Angelo |
Television
Year(s) | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1970–72 | Love of Life | Loretta Allen | unknown episodes |
1972 | Sanford and Son | Juanita Grismore | 1 episode |
1973 | Shaft | Diana Richie | 1 episode |
1973 | The Blue Knight | Celia Louise | |
1974–79 | Good Times | Willona Woods | 133 episodes |
1974 | Kojak | Paula Thomas | 1 episode |
1975 | Caribe | Melinda Jameson | 1 episode |
1979 | Roots: The Next Generations | Sally Harvey | 1 episode |
1980 | The Love Boat | Evelyn Hopkins | 1 episode |
1981 | Hellinger's Law | Dottie Singer | |
1981 | The Facts of Life | Ethel (Tootie's grandmother) | 1 episode |
1981 | The Sophisticated Gents | Onetha Wiggins | TV miniseries |
1989 | Nearly Departed | Clerk | 1 episode |
1990 | New Attitude | Irma | 1 episode |
1990 | Doctor Doctor | Ella Wilkes | 1 episode |
1991 | A Different World | Brenda Hanes | 1 episode |
1991 | True Colors | May Freeman | 1 episode |
1991 | Dream On | June | 1 episode |
1992 | Beverly Hills, 90210 | Arlene | 1 episode |
1992-93 | The Golden Palace | Louise Wilson | 2 episodes |
1994 | Sister, Sister | Mom O'Danielle | 1 episode |
1994 | Hangin' with Mr. Cooper | Dorothy Cooper | 1 episode |
1995 | Martin | Herself | 1 episode |
1991/1995 | Home Improvement | Carol | 2 episodes |
1995 | ER | Macy Chamberlain | 1 episode |
1997 | Moesha | Mrs. Moss | 1 episode |
1997 | Touched by an Angel | Esther Hamilton | 1 episode |
1996–1998 | The Wayans Bros. | Grandma Ellington | 10 episodes |
1999 | Clueless | Aunt Liddy | 1 episode |
1999–2001 | The PJs | Mrs. Florence Avery | 42 episodes |
2000 | The Steve Harvey Show | Delores | 1 episode |
2000 | Everybody Loves Raymond | Dottie | 1 episode |
2000/2002 | As Told by Ginger | Mrs. Patterson | 2 episodes |
2003 | Boomtown | Denise Smith | 1 episode |
2003 | One on One | Queen Esther | 1 episode |
2006 | Crossing Jordan | Mrs. Jones | 1 episode |
2007 | Random! Cartoons | Mom | 1 episode |
2007 | Cold Case | Edna Johnson | 1 episode |
2011 | G.I. Joe: Renegades | Grams Hinton |
Awards and nominations
Year | Award | Category | Series | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1998 | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series | Touched by an Angel | Nominated |
1999 | Primetime Emmy | Outstanding Voice-Over Performance | The PJs | Won[43] |
2001 | Primetime Emmy | Outstanding Voice-Over Performance | The PJs: Let's Get Ready To Rumba | Won[44] |
2006 | TV Land | Image Award | Good Times | Won[45] |
Notes
- ^ Capitalization of "n" in first name is uncertain in Good Times title card, which credits her in capital letters "JA'NET du BOIS". Last name is given as two words, with "du" lowercase.
References
- ^ a b "Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Immigration Cards, 1900-1965, Jeannette Du Bois Gupta". Familysearch.org. July 3, 1959 – via Imgur.com.
- ^ a b c d "Brazilian consular document". Familysearch.org. April 24, 1959 – via Imgur.com.
- ^ "Jeannette Du Bois Gupta Arrival document". Familysearch.org. July 5, 1959 – via Imgur.com.
- ^ a b c "Ja'Net Du Bois". TV Guide. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved June 19, 2017.
- ^ a b Windsor, Carl D. (2006). On This Day: Daily Inspiration for the History Buff, the Trivia Lover, and the Innately Curious. Howard Books. ISBN 978-1582296548.
- ^ a b Berry, S. Torriano; Berry, Venise T. (2015). "DUBOIS, JA'NET (1945– )". Historical Dictionary of African American Cinema (2 ed.). Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 142.
This native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
- ^ a b c LoBrutto, Vincent (2018). "Good Times". TV in the USA: A History of Icons, Idols, and Ideas. Greenwood. p. 39. ISBN 978-1440829727.
...Ja'net DuBois (1945– )...
- ^ a b "Good Times Actress Ja'Net DuBois Dies At 74". BET. February 19, 2020. Archived from the original on February 20, 2020. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
- ^ a b c Garcia, Sandra E. (February 19, 2020). "'Good Times' Actress Ja'Net DuBois Dies". The New York Times. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
- ^ "Ja'Net DuBois". TV One. Archived from the original on October 27, 2015. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
- ^ a b c "Ja'Net DuBois' Son Dies of Cancer, in New York". Jet. Vol. 73, no. 5. October 26, 1987. p. 61. ISSN 0021-5996.
Raj Kristo Gupta, the son of popular TV and movie actress Ja'Net DuBois, died recently in New York following a three-year battle with cancer. He was 36. At the time of his death, Gupta was producing a training workshop with his family's organization, Ja'net DuBois Academy [of] Theater Arts and Sciences for teenagers in Long Island, N.Y.
- ^ a b McCann, Bob (December 21, 2009). "Du Bois, Ja'Net". Encyclopedia of African American Actresses in Film and Television. McFarland & Company. pp. 103–04. ISBN 978-0786458042. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
Jeannette Dubois, better known as Ja'Net Du Bois (Ja-Nay Doo-Bwah)...
- ^ The Redd Foxx Encyclopedia of Black Humor, Redd Foxx, Norma Miller, 1977.Retrieved March 14, 2020.
- ^ a b "TV Actress Ja'Net DuBois To Appear On 'Arsenio'". Jet. Vol. 82, no. 6. June 1, 1992. p. 60. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
- ^ "Lillian Gouedy (1910-1984)". Ancestry.com. Retrieved March 11, 2020.
- ^ "U.S. WWII Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947 for Gordon Adelbert Dubois". FamilySearch. 1940–1947 – via Imgur.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: date format (link) - ^ Van Gelder, Lawrence (September 19, 1976). "People: Rookie Who Looks Good". The New York Times. Retrieved January 28, 2020. (abstract of page on subscription site)
- ^ a b c "Jeannette DuBois". Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
- ^ "A Raisin in the Sun". Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
- ^ "'Good Times' actress Ja'Net Dubois Dies". The Chicago Crusader. February 20, 2020. Retrieved February 24, 2020.
- ^ "New York Beat". Jet. Vol. XXV, no. 17. February 13, 1964. p. 63. Retrieved February 24, 2020 – via Google Books.
Jeanette DuBois, who joined the cast of The Blacks last October and soon thereafter won the understudy slot to the housekeeper in the comedy hit Nobody Loves an Albatross...
- ^ "Nobody Loves an Albatross Opening-Night Cast". Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
- ^ "Golden Boy Opening Night Cast". Internet Broadway Database. Archived from the original on October 14, 2019. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
- ^ a b "Negros on Broadway". Ebony. Vol. XIX, no. 6. April 1, 1964. p. 63. Retrieved February 26, 2020 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Golden Boy". Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
- ^ "Why Can't Negro Male Star Win White Girl In End?". Jet. Vol. XXVII, no. 8. November 27, 1964. p. 64. Retrieved February 24, 2020 – via Google Books.
- ^ Weiler, A.H. (October 26, 1973). "Film: 'Black Hand Side': Stage's Brooks Family Arrives on Screen The Cast". The New York Times. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
- ^ Campbell, Sean (December 24, 2014). "Good Times (1974-1979)". The Sitcoms of Norman Lear. McFarland & Company. p. 98. ISBN 1476602557. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
- ^ Forbes, ‘Good Times’ Star Ja’net DuBois Dies at 74, Feb 18, 2020.Retrieved February 26, 2020.
- ^ "Celebrity Beat – New York to Hollywood". Jet. Vol. 64, no. 10. May 16, 1983. p. 53.
- ^ "Actor Clifton Davis Stars in Maya Angelou's New Musical". Jet. Vol. 82, no. 20. September 7, 1992. p. 60. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
- ^ "2019 Highlights". Pan African Film & Arts Festival. 2019. Archived from the original on November 2, 2019.
- ^ Kelley, Sonaiya (February 7, 2018). "The Pan African Film Festival aims to correct misconceptions about African and Caribbean countries". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on November 2, 2019.
- ^ "Ja'net DuBois, Chris Rock win CableAce Awards". Jet. Vol. 87, no. 13. February 6, 1995.
- ^ Christian, Margena A. (January 28, 2008). "Where Is... The Cast of 'Good Times'?". Jet. Vol. 113, no. 3. p. 31.
- ^ "Newsmakers". Jet. Vol. 98, no. 8. July 31, 2000. p. 32.
- ^ "Heritage: Notable Zetas > Entertainment". Zeta Phi Beta Sorority International Website. Archived from the original on December 31, 2010. Retrieved February 24, 2020.
- ^ "Sajit Gupta". New York City Marriages, 1950-2017. Archived from the original on February 24, 2020. Retrieved February 22, 2020 – via MyHeritage.
- ^ "Ja'Net DuBois Dead: 'Good Times' & 'Charlie's Angels' Star Dies at 74". Entertainment. Heavy. February 18, 2020. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
- ^ Gary, Parrish (July 30, 2015). "The Ball family -- coming to a basketball court (and TV) near you". CBS Sports. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
- ^ "New York Beat". Jet. Vol. XVII, no. 3. November 12, 1959. p. 64. Retrieved February 19, 2020 – via Google Books.
- ^ "'Good Times' Star Ja'Net DuBois's Cause Of Death Revealed". Essence. March 12, 2020. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
- ^ "Ja'Net DuBois And Judith Jamison Win Primetime Emmy Awards". Jet. Vol. 96, no. 16. September 20, 1999. p. 34. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
- ^ Elaine Dutka (August 14, 2001). "Morning Report". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
- ^ Christian, Margena A. (January 28, 2008). "The Cast of 'Good Times'?". Jet. Vol. 113, no. 3. p. 31. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
External links
- Ja'net DuBois at IMDb
- Ja'Net DuBois discography at Discogs
- 1932 births
- 1938 births
- 1945 births
- 2020 deaths
- 20th-century American actresses
- 21st-century American actresses
- Actresses from New York City
- Actresses from Pennsylvania
- African-American actresses
- African-American female singers
- African-American singer-songwriters
- Age controversies
- American musical theatre actresses
- American female singers
- American stage actresses
- American television actresses
- American voice actresses
- Deaths from cardiac arrest
- People from Brooklyn
- People from Amityville, New York
- People from Philadelphia
- Primetime Emmy Award winners
- Singers from New York City
- Singers from Pennsylvania