Starletta DuPois

Starletta DuPois (born July 18, 1941) is an American actress. She has appeared in more than 90 films and television shows during her career. She received a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her performance in The Mighty Gents.

Life and career DuPois, who is of African American heritage, was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She graduated from University of Maryland Eastern Shore in 1968, and received her M.F.A. in Theatre Arts from UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television. She made her Broadway debut appearing in 1974 short-lived play What the Wine-Sellers Buy. Later that year, she had minor roles in films Death Wish and The Gambler. In 1976, she starred in the Off-Broadway production of So Nice, They Named it Twice.

In 1978, DuPois received a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her performance in the original production of The Mighty Gents opposite Dorian Harewood. She later played Ruth Younger in the Union Square Theatre's A Raisin in the Sun, and appeared in Longacre Theatre's musical Don't Get God Started. At the same time, DuPois began appearing on television, playing guest-starring roles on The Jeffersons, Little House on the Prairie, Knots Landing, Hill Street Blues, CHiPs and St. Elsewhere. In 1989, she received NAACP Image Award for American Playhouse production of A Raisin in the Sun. Her other theatre credits including Intimate Apparel, Before It Hits Home, King Hedley II, Miss Evers Boys, Fences, The Piano Lesson and Joe Turner's Come and Gone. and played Whitney Houston' character mother in the 1995 comedy-drama film, Waiting to Exhale.