Teresa Graves

Terresa Graves (January 10, 1948 – October 10, 2002), credited as Teresa Graves, was an American actress and singer, best known for her starring role as undercover police detective Christie Love in the ABC crime-drama television series Get Christie Love! (1974–1975). The role made Graves the second African-American female to star in a non-stereotypical role for a U.S. drama television series. The first was Diahann Carroll in Julia, which aired 3 years earlier from 1968 to 1971. The Get Christie Love! series was based on Dorothy Uhnak's crime-thriller novel The Ledger.

Career Singing Graves was born on January 10, 1948, the middle of three children in Houston, Texas to Marshall (1921–1967) and Willie Graves (1920–2005). The family moved to Los Angeles, California, when she was five. In high school she was a 4.0 student, active in both glee club and drama society; her senior class voted her "Most Talented". Her vocal talent brought her to the attention of the Doodletown Pipers founder George Wilkins in 1966. After graduating from George Washington Preparatory High School in 1966, Graves elected to take his offer to join the singing group over a fully paid music scholarship to USC. She spent the next three years touring North America with the Pipers. It was with the group that she made her initial television appearances. She also recorded a self-titled album in 1970.

Acting She soon turned to acting and became a regular in the two variety shows: Our Place (1967) and the infamous single episode of Turn-On (1969). In 1969, Graves toured with Bob Hope's USO tour in Southeast Asia. Graves later landed more acting roles, becoming a regular on Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In during its third season. Graves appeared in several films. In the 1973 film That Man Bolt, in which she played Samantha Nightingale, Graves' character is shot to death when she is in bed during a love scene with Fred Williamson, who plays the leading role of Jefferson Bolt.

Graves pivotal role in the 1974 ABC crime drama television movie and later series Get Christie Love! featured Charles Cioffi and Jack Kelly as Lieutenants Reardon and Ryan, respectively, Love's supervisors. At the time of the series creation, Graves' was noted as the second African-American woman to star in her own hour–long television series, after Diahann Carroll in Julia which aired six years prior. An article in the November 1974 issue of Jet magazine described Graves as "television's most delightful detective, the epitome of a tough lady cop with more feminine features than Venus". In 1983, Graves retired from show business to devote her time to her faith.

Personal life and death Graves married William Reddick in 1977. They divorced in 1983. They had no children together. Graves was baptized as one of Jehovah's Witnesses in 1974, and almost immediately began using her celebrity to bring international awareness to the brutal persecution of Witnesses in Malawi under then-leader Hastings Kamuzu Banda's "one-party rule".

Due to moral conflicts with scripts and other aspects in the entertainment industry, Graves chose to retire from acting and performing in 1984. She then devoted all of her time to Jehovah's Witnesses activities. She resided at 3437 West 78th Place in the Hyde Park neighborhood in Los Angeles, California, where she cared for her mother. She was 54 years old.

Acting roles Year Title Role Notes 1969 Turn-On Regular Performer 1 episode 1969–1970 Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In Regular Performer 26 episodes 1971 The Funny Side Minority Wife Unknown episodes 1972 Keeping Up with the Joneses Television movie 1972 The New Dick Van Dyke Show Nurse Allen 1 episode 1973 The Rookies Susan Davis 1 episode 1973 That Man Bolt Samantha Nightingale 1974 Vampira Countess Vampira Alternative titles (USA): Old Dracula,Old Drac 1974 Black Eye Cynthia 1974 Get Christie Love! Christie Love Television movie 1974–1975 Get Christie Love! Christie Love 22 episodes 1980 Noche de Gigantes Herself / Guest Chilean talk show, 1 episode 1982 Bob Hope's Women I Love: Beautiful But Funny Herself / Guest TV special

Awards and nominations