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Oct 9, 2023 · A: Esther Rolle is remembered as a talented actress, a trailblazer, and a fierce advocate for social justice. Her contributions to the entertainment industry and her dedication to fighting for equality continue to inspire and influence actors, activists, and audiences alike. Esther Rolle's enigmatic life and career continue to captivate ...
- Early Life
- Career
- Personal Life
- Death
- Legacy
- Stage Work
Esther Rolle was born in Pompano Beach, Florida to Bahamian immigrants Jonathan Rolle (1883–1953), a farmer, and Elizabeth Iris Rolle (née Dames; 1887–1981). Her parents were both born and raised in Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas and moved to Florida some time after their marriage. She was the tenth of 18 children (children who included siblin...
Dance and theater
Rolle was a member of Asadata Dafora's dance troupe, Shogolo Oloba (later renamed the Federal Theater African Dance Troupe). She became the troupe's director in 1960. Rolle's earliest roles were on the stage; her New York stage debut was in the 1962 play The Blacks. She was often cast in plays produced by Robert Hooks and the Negro Ensemble Company. She also appeared in productions of The Crucible and Blues for Mr. Charlie. Rolle's most prominent early role was as Miss Maybell in the Melvin V...
Television
Rolle is best known for her television role as Florida Evans, the character she played on two 1970s sitcoms. The character was introduced as Maude Findlay's housekeeper on Maude, and was spun off in the show's second season into Good Times, a show about Florida's family. Rolle was nominated in 1975 for the Best Actress in a Musical/Comedy Golden Globe Award for her role in Good Times. Rolle was 19 years older than the actor (John Amos) who played her husband James (named Henry on Maude) Evans...
Music and film
Rolle released an album of music titled The Garden of My Mind in 1975. Rolle's first screen appearance is a small, uncredited role in To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), and she later appeared in Gordon Parks' The Learning Tree (1969). Her sister, actress Estelle Evans, appeared in both films as well. Esther Rolle appeared early in her career in the film Nothing But a Man (1964). After Good Times ended, she appeared in a number of made-for-television movies and films, including Driving Miss Daisy a...
Rolle's only marriage was to Oscar Robinson. The two were married from 1955 to 1975. They had no children.
Rolle died on November 17, 1998, in Culver City, California, from complications of diabetes, nine days after her 78th birthday. A devout member of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, Rolle requested that her funeral be held at Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church. She is buried in Westview Community Cemetery in Pompano Beach, Florida. The ...
Collection of Esther Rolle's personal works
Rolle's family donated over 100 items of hers to the African-American Research Library and Cultural Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The collection includes gowns, a black Raggedy Andy doll she endorsed, a recording of poems recited by Rolle, and awards such as the 1974 NAACP Eighth Image Award for Best Actress in a Series and her 1979 Emmy for her role in Summer of My German Soldier.
Day of Absence(1965)Happy Ending(1965)The Amen Corner(1965)Man Better Man(1969)In this story from September 1981, Esther Rolle, star of the popular 1970s sitcom Good Times, recalls when her prayers were answered by a wondrous display of God’s love—right in her own backyard. Mama and Papa had started calling me “Black Velvet” when I was a baby, the tenth of their 18 children and the first to be born after they ...
- Esther Rolle
Nov 17, 1998 · An actress of great power and range who did not suffer fools gladly, Rolle was an inspiration to actors of any color or creed. The tenth in an astonishing 18 children family, Esther Rolle was born ...
Feb 17, 2021 · by WI Webstaff February 17, 2021. TV, stage and film actress Esther Rolle served as the first woman to receive the NAACP Chairman’s “Civil Rights Leadership Award” as a tribute to her efforts to raise the image of Blacks through her work. Born in Pembroke Pines, Fla. before her family moved to Pompano Beach, Rolle was the 10th of 18 ...
May 16, 2018 · 8. THE SHOW PRODUCED MORE THAN ONE TEEN IDOL. Walker was the breakout star of the show, but both Carter and BernNadette Stanis (who played Thelma Evans) achieved bona fide teen idol status thanks ...
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May 25, 2016 · Best known for the role of Florida Evans on the 1970s sitcoms “Maude” and “Good Times,” African-American actress Esther Rolle proved to be as spirited and iron-willed off-camera as well. The gap-toothed actress with the gravelly voice was born in Pompano Beach, Florida, the 10th child of 18 born to Caribbean farming immigrants.
