Anna Maria Horsford

Anna Maria Horsford is an American actress, known for her performances in television comedies.

Horsford is best known for her roles as Thelma Frye on the NBC sitcom Amen (1986–91), and as Dee Baxter on the WB sitcom The Wayans Bros. (1995–99). She had dramatic roles on the FX crime drama The Shield playing A.D.A. Beth Encardi, and CBS daytime soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful as Vivienne Avant, for which she was nominated for the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Guest Performer in a Drama Series in 2016 and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 2017.

Horsford appeared in a number of movies, most notable as Craig Jones' mother Betty in the 1995 comedy film Friday and its sequel Friday After Next (2002). Her other film credits include Times Square (1980), The Fan (1981), Presumed Innocent (1990), Set It Off (1996), Along Came a Spider (2001), Our Family Wedding (2010), and A Madea Christmas (2013).

Early life Horsford was born in Harlem, New York City to Victor Horsford, an investment real estate broker originally from Barbuda and Lillian Agatha (née Richardson) Horsford, who emigrated from Antigua and Barbuda in the 1940s. She grew up in a family of five children.

Horsford attended Wadleigh Junior High School and the High School of Performing Arts. After high school, she got into acting through the Harlem Youth for Change program.

According to a DNA analysis, she has maternal ancestry from the Limba people of Sierra Leone.

Career Her first major role in television was as a producer for the PBS show Soul!, hosted by Ellis Haizlip, which aired between 1968 and 1973. One of her first TV appearances was in 1973 on the first run syndication game show of To Tell the Truth where she was an imposter for Laura Livingston, one of the first female military police. Horsford made guest appearances on such sitcoms as The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Sparks, Moesha, The Bernie Mac Show, The Shield, Girlfriends, and Everybody Hates Chris. She had main roles on the sitcoms The Wayans Bros. as "Dee Baxter" and "Thelma Frye" on Amen. She appeared on the drama Judging Amy.

More recently, she was seen in the first season of Grey's Anatomy. She returned to the big screen in the 2013 film A Madea Christmas. She portrayed Helen on the BET sitcom Reed Between the Lines.

Horsford currently has a recurring role as Vivienne Avant on The Bold and the Beautiful. For the role, she was nominated for Outstanding Special Guest Performer in a Drama Series in the 43rd Daytime Emmy Awards.

She began playing a recurring role on B Positive in the show's second-season premiere.

She also has appeared in the TBS sitcom The Last O.G. featuring Tracy Morgan, as a recurring character (Tray's mother).

Personal life On October 29, 2011, Horsford was awarded the title of Ambassador of Tourism of Antigua.

Filmography

Film Year Title Role Notes 1979 An Almost Perfect Affair Amy Zon Hollow Image Monica TV movie 1980 Times Square Rosie Washington 1981 The Fan Emily Stolz Bill Ms. Marge Keating TV movie 1982 Muggable Mary, Street Cop Kathy Thomas TV movie Benny's Place Charmaine TV movie Love Child Mara 1983 Class Maggie 1984 Crackers Slam Dunk A Doctor's Story Leigh Williams TV movie 1985 St. Elmo's Fire Naomi Stone Pillow Collins TV movie 1986 Nobody's Child Nurse Betty TV movie A Case of Deadly Force Virginia Cates TV movie Permanent Wave Eva Short Heartburn Della C.A.T. Squad Mrs. Raines TV movie 1987 Street Smart Harriett If It's Tuesday, It Must Be Belgium – TV movie 1988 Who Gets the Friends Hillary Adams TV movie 1989 Taken Away Mrs. Pierson TV movie 1990 Presumed Innocent Eugenia A Killer Among Us Barbara Evans TV movie 1992 Murder without Motive: The Edmund Perry Story Veronica Perry TV movie 1993 Mr. Jones Judge Harris 1994 Baby Brokers Randi TV movie 1995 Friday Betty Jones Once Upon a Time...When We Were Colored Miss Annie 1996 Widow's Kiss Lavanda Harrison TV movie Dear God Lucille Barnett Set It Off Ms. Wells One Fine Day Evelyn Circle of Pain – TV movie 1997 Kiss the Girls Vickie Cross 1999 At Face Value Mosetta Short 2000 Dancing in September Sitcom Mom Nutty Professor II: The Klumps Denise's Mother Lockdown Saunders Masquerade Mrs. Scott TV movie 2001 Along Came a Spider Vickie Jacked Thelma Barnes How High Mamma King 2002 Minority Report Casey Friday After Next Betty Jones 2004 Justice Chief Public Defender Poole Guarding Eddy Carol 2005 My Big Phat Hip Hop Family Mamma Pearl Ganked Mrs. Barry Video 2006 Gridiron Gang Sharon Weathers Broken Bridges Loretta 2007 Trade Detective Martinez I Tried Milly 2010 Our Family Wedding Diane Boyd Wigger Ruth 2012 C'mon Man Mrs. Woods 2013 Tyler Perry's A Madea Christmas Eileen Murphy 2017 Gladys Brown Gladys Brown Short Chasing the Blues Mrs. Walker A Kindred Soul Claudia Short 2018 The Choir Director Deaconess Moss Single AF Jane 2021 Vacation Friends Nancy The Bitch Who Stole Christmas Mayor Coont TV movie 2022 Me Time Connie 2024 Will I See You Again? Barbara Lewis Short

Television Year Title Role Notes 1977 The Doctors Lily (a Group Therapy Patient) episodes airing on Dec. 5th, & 13th, 1977 1978 NBC Special Treat Ginnie Sheridan Episode: "The Tap Dance Kid" 1979 Guiding Light Clara Jones Regular Cast 1980 3-2-1 Contact Officer Dobbs Recurring Cast: Season 1 1981 ABC Afterschool Specials Jessica Episode: "Starstruck" 1982 Nurse Joleen Episode: "The Store" All My Children Episode: "Episode dated 4 October 1982" 1983 The Firm Sergeant Johnson Episode: "Pilot" 1984 ABC Afterschool Specials Stephanie Marshak Episode: "Summer Switch" 1985 American Playhouse Hannah Episode: "Charlotte Forten's Mission: Experiment in Freedom" 1986–1991 Amen Thelma Frye Main Cast 1987 The Bronx Zoo Mrs. Devlin Episode: "It's Hard to Be a Saint in the City" 1991 Baby Talk Cynthia Willoughby Episode: "Womb with a View" L.A. Law Judge Olga Winbush Episode: "Do the Spike Thing" 1992 The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Karen Carruthers Episode: "Geoffrey Cleans Up" 1992–1993 Rhythm & Blues Veronica Washington Main Cast The Addams Family Additional Voices (voice) Recurring Cast 1993 Tall Hopes Lainie Harris Main Cast 1995–1999 The Wayans Bros. Deirdre "Dee" Baxter Main Cast: Season 2–5 1996 Sparks Wilma's Aunt Episode: "How Papa Got His Groove Back" 1997 Good News – Episode: "Pilot" 1998 L.A. Doctors Angela Daly Episode: "Pilot" & "Under the Radar" 7th Heaven Joyce Episode: "Here Comes Santa Claus" 1999 The Wild Thornberrys Gola's Mother (voice) Episode: "Chimp off the Block" Judging Amy Defense Attorney Charles Episode: "Crowed House" 2000 Moesha Diane Henderson Episode: "The Candidate" 2002 The Chronicle Jolene Freewald Episode: "Touched by an Alien" 2004 The Bernie Mac Show Aunt Sis Episode: "Family Reunion" The District Yates Recurring Cast: Season 4 Method & Red Dorothea Main Cast 2005–2006 Entourage Saigon's Mother Guest Cast: Season 1–2 2005–2007 Grey's Anatomy Elizabeth Fallon Guest Cast: Season 1 & 3 2005–2008 The Shield A.D.A Beth Encardi Recurring Cast: Season 4 & 7 2006 Heist Wanda Evans Episode: "How Billy Got His Groove Back" 2007 All of Us Vicky Black Episode: "Everything Happens for a Reason" 2008 Las Vegas Aunt Vonice Episode: "Three Weddings and a Funeral Part 2" Everybody Hates Chris Hattie Mitchell Recurring Cast: Season 3 2009 Cold Case Geraldine Watkins '09 Episode: "Soul" 2010 American Dad! Female Juror (voice) Episode: "The People vs. Martin Sugar" 2011 Funny or Die Presents Anna Maria Episode: "Episode #2.6" Let's Stay Together Jacqueline/Raynelle Recurring Cast: Season 1 2011–2015 Reed Between the Lines Helen Wilson Main Cast: Season 1, Guest: Season 2 2012 Key and Peele Maid Episode: "Dueling Magical Negros" The League Trina Richardson Episode: "Training Camp" New Girl Charmaine Episode: "Katie" 2015 Janet Barrett Episode: "The Gang Goes on Family Fight" The Soul Man Ceci Episode: "Mo Momma, Mo Problems" The Bold and The Beautiful Vivienne Avant Regular Cast 2017 New Girl Charmaine Episode: "Misery" 2018 I Feel Bad Norman's Mom Episode: "My Kid Has to Grow Up" 2018–2019 Mom Ms. Ferguson Guest Cast: Season 6–7 2019–2021 The Last O.G. Roberta Barker Recurring Cast: Season 1–3, Main Cast: Season 4 2020 Sunnyside Up Aunt Deedee Recurring Cast The Conners Nicole Episode: "Plastics, Trash Talk & Darlene Antoinette" Ghost Tape Gramma Missy Recurring Cast 2020–2022 Studio City Jolene Hernandez Recurring Cast: Season 1, Guest: Season 2 2021 Hacks Francine Episode: "1.69 Million" Pose Charlene Recurring Cast: Season 3 2021–2022 B Positive Althea Ludlum Recurring Cast: Season 2 2022 The Guardians of Justice Serena Lyle Main Cast 2023 History of the World, Part II Mother Mary Episode: "II" Bel-Air Nita Banks Episode: "Let the Best Man Win" 2024 No Good Deed Denise Recurring Cast

Live performances Theater Year Title Role Notes 1995 "Dancing on Moonlight" Neptune Keith Glover, playwright. Marion McClinton, director. The eight-member ensemble included Terry Alexander, André de Shields, Kevin Jackson and Horsford. The play opened at the Joseph Papp Public Theater.

Awards and nominations +List of acting awards and nominations Year Award Category Title Result Image Awards (NAACP) Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Amen Black Reel Award Best Actress – Network/Cable Television Justice Daytime Emmy Award Outstanding Special Guest Performer in a Drama Series The Bold and the Beautiful Daytime Emmy Award Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series The Bold and the Beautiful Daytime Emmy Award Outstanding Guest Performer in a Daytime Fiction Program Studio City

In popular culture

Horsford has been featured on the cover of several magazines, including:

TV Guide, August 29 – September 4, 1987, issue #1796. Cover photograph featured Sherman Hemsley and Anna Maria Horsford of NBC's Amen. Jet Magazine, November 23, 1987. Cast members, including Horsford, are featured on the cover. Article titled "Fun-filled Amen still one of hottest TV shows”. TV Guide, February 3, 1990, Four television shows are featured including Amen with photo of Horsford and Clifton Davis. Article titled "Oh, what a week! February is off with a bang." Jet Magazine, February 5, 1990. Cover photo and article: "Clifton Davis and Anna Maria Horsford Tie Knot on TV's Amen" Jet Magazine, May 13, 1991, Photo and cover article feature Clifton Davis and Horsford. Article titled "New baby and guest star James Brown climax fifth season of TV’s Amen." Solo Magazine, 2011 Holiday Issue. Cover photograph and article: Anna Maria Horsford: Brings the Laughs and Drama to new BET Show.