Roxie Roker
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Roxie Roker (August 28, 1929–December 2, 1995) was an American actress of Bahamian descent who was best known for her groundbreaking role as Helen Willis on the sitcom The Jeffersons, one half of one of the first interracial couples to be shown on regular prime-time TV. She also had a small role in the television miniseries Roots.
Roker attended Howard University, where she was a member of the drama club. She began her professional career with the Negro Ensemble Company and became a successful stage actress. She won an Obie Award in 1974 and was nominated for a Tony Award for her portrayal of Mattie Williams in The River Niger.
She appeared in guest starring roles on many American TV programs from the 1970s through the 1990s, including Punky Brewster, Hangin' with Mr. Cooper, A Different World, Murder, She Wrote, and The Love Boat.
Ms. Roker was also a children’s advocate who was cited by the City of Los Angeles for her community work. She was also a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
Roker was a reporter on WNEW-TV in New York in the 1970s. She hosted a show for the station known as "Inside Bed-Stuy," dealing with the goings on in the Brooklyn neighborhood.
Roker was married to producer Sy Kravitz from 1962 to 1985 and was the mother of musician Lenny Kravitz and the former mother-in-law of actress Lisa Bonet. She was a cousin of television news personality Al Roker.
Roker died in California in 1995 of breast cancer at the age of 66.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Roxie Roker at the Internet Movie Database
- Roxie Roker at TV.com
- Roxie Roker at the Notable Names Database
- Roxie Roker at the Internet Broadway Database
