Mary Alice

Mary Alice Smith (December 3, 1936

Early life and education Born Mary Alice Smith in Indianola, Mississippi, Alice was the daughter of Ozelar (née Jurnakin/Journakin) and Sam Smith. Her family moved from Mississippi to Chicago when she was two years old. She graduated from Chicago Teacher's College (now known as Chicago State University), and taught at an elementary school.

Career Mary Alice returned to acting in the mid-1960s through community theater and appeared in three Douglass Turner Ward's plays, including Days of Absence and Happy Endings. Mary Alice also washed the cast's laundry for a salary of $200 a week. She did some acting in New York City during the late 1960s and early 1970s, performing in multiple productions at La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club in Manhattan's East Village between 1969 and 1973. Her first production at La MaMa was Adrienne Kennedy's A Rat's Mass in September 1969. She reprised her role as Sister Rat in the October 1969 production, and again in the January 1971 production. All three productions were directed by Seth Allen. In 1970, Mary Alice performed in Ed Bullins' Street Sounds, directed by Hugh Gittens. She later performed in Lamar Alford's Thoughts in December 1972 and January 1973.

Mary Alice made her screen début in the 1974 film The Education of Sonny Carson, and later appeared in the television shows Police Woman and Sanford and Son. She played Ellie Grant Hubbard on the soap opera All My Children during the mid-1980s, and the role of Cora in Stan Lathan's 1984 cult-classic film Beat Street, as well as co–starred in A Different World as Leticia "Lettie" Bostic from the series' start in 1987 until the end of the second season in 1989. She replaced Gloria Foster as the Oracle in the sequel The Matrix Revolutions (2003) and the video game tie-in Enter the Matrix (2003) after Foster, who originated the role, died in 2001. Alice reprised the role one last time in The Matrix Online prior to retiring from acting in 2005.

Personal life and death

Alice died on July 27, 2022, at her residence in Manhattan at the age of 85, due to natural causes.

Filmography

Film Year Title Role Notes1974 The Education of Sonny Carson Moms1975 Requiem for a Nun Nancy Mannigoe 1976 Sparkle Effie Williams 1981 The Color of Friendship Mrs. Garth 1984 Beat Street Cora Kirkland Concealed Enemies Edith Murray Teachers Linda Ganz 1990 To Sleep with Anger Suzie Nominated — Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead The Bonfire of the Vanities Annie Lamb Awakenings Nurse Margaret 1992 Malcolm X School Teacher 1993 A Perfect World Dottie Life with Mikey Mrs. Gordon 1994 The Inkwell Evelyn 1996 Bed of Roses Alice 1998 Down in the Delta Rosa Lynn Sinclair 1999 Catfish in Black Bean Sauce Dolores WilliamsThe Wishing TreeMattie Collier 2000 The Photographer Violet 2002 Sunshine State Mrs. Eunice Stokes 2003 The Matrix Revolutions The Oracle Nominated — Black Reel Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress

Television

Theatre Year Title Role Notes 1969–1971 No Place to Be Somebody Cora Beasley 1981A Full-Length Portrait of AmericaEmma 1987–1988 Fences Rose Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play;Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play 1994–1995 The Shadow Box Maggie 1995 Having Our Say Dr. Bessie Delaney Nominated — Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Play;Nominated — Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play

Video games Year Title Role Notes 2003 Enter the Matrix The Oracle 2005 The Matrix Online The Oracle

Awards and nominations