Margaret Avery is an American actress. She began her career appearing on stage and later had starring roles in films including Cool Breeze (1972), Which Way Is Up? (1977), Scott Joplin (1977) which earned her an NAACP Image Award nomination, and The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh (1979). She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Shug Avery in the period drama film The Color Purple (1985).
Avery continued appearing in films like Blueberry Hill (1988), White Man's Burden (1995), Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins (2008), Meet the Browns (2008), and Proud Mary (2018). From 2013 to 2019, Avery starred as Helen Patterson, lead character's mother, in the BET drama series Being Mary Jane.
Early life and education Margaret Avery grew up in San Diego and attended high school at the Point Loma High School in the city. She earned a degree in education in 1965 from San Francisco State University. While working as an elementary school teacher in Oakland, California, she began making singing and acting appearances. She studied with Judy Davis, the vocal coach for Frank Sinatra and Barbra Streisand as well as at the American Conservatory Theater. She moved to Los Angeles in 1968 to pursue acting full time, while working as a substitute teacher.
Career
Early roles Among the plays Avery appeared in were Revolution and The Sistuhs. In 1972, she received the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Performance by an Actress for her performance in Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie?.Los Angeles Times, March 20, 1974, "27 Win Critics' Circle Honors," p. E 1. In the television movie Something Evil (1972), a horror story with Sandy Dennis and Darren McGavin, Avery was directed by Steven Spielberg. In the same year she made her theatrical motion picture debut as Lark in the crime film Cool Breeze with Thalmus Rasulala and Judy Pace. In this blaxploitation remake of The Asphalt Jungle, Avery played the Marilyn Monroe part. The next year she played a prostitute in Magnum Force, the second in the series of Dirty Harry films starring Clint Eastwood, in which her character was murdered by her pimp. The character was killed by pouring drain cleaner down the victim's throat, which was said to have inspired the notorious Hi-Fi murders case in Ogden, Utah in 1974.
Avery received an NAACP Image Award for her performance in the 1976 film Louis Armstrong - Chicago Style. In the 1977 film Which Way Is Up?, directed by Michael Schultz, Avery gave a comedic performance as Annie Mae, the wife of Richard Pryor's character. That same year, she played Belle Joplin, wife of the ragtime composer Scott Joplin, opposite Billy Dee Williams in the title role in film Scott Joplin, receiving an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture nomination. In 1979, she appeared in The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh.
Avery made guest appearances on many television series during 1970s and 1980s including The New Dick Van Dyke Show, Kojak, Marcus Welby, M.D., Sanford and Son, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, The Rookies, five appearances on Harry O, A.E.S. Hudson Street, T. J. Hooker, Murder, She Wrote, Miami Vice, Spenser: For Hire, and The Cosby Show.
The Color Purple In 1985, Avery played the role of Shug Avery in the period drama film The Color Purple directed by Steven Spielberg. Her performance in this screen adaptation of Alice Walker's prize-winning novel The Color Purple was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Avery was the last character to be cast in the film. In her Essence interview she said: "I had been singing in Indonesia and came back to find all these messages on my answering service from other actors saying, ‘Hey Margaret, you’ve got to get your agent on The Color Purple.’ My agent at the time had tried to get me an audition but was told that I wasn't right for the role— they wanted a singer, not an actor. I knew Ruben Cannon, who was casting at that time, because he'd cast me in so many television things before, so I wrote him a note. I had read the book and was drawn to Shug Avery. Ruben allowed me to put my reading for the role on tape. Because of him, I was able to get my work seen by Steven Spielberg. Alice Walker said that she had seen a lot of tapes of other actors, but when my audition came up, she just kind of woke up. She couldn't take her eyes off me. That was like a beautiful introduction to getting the role."
After The Color Purple and Oscar nomination, Avery did not work on film or television for two years. She said, "The fact that I didn’t work for a couple years after The Color Purple is not unique. It not only happens to White actors sometimes, but with Black actors, too, but more so for women of color. At the time, most women of color who were in the business were limited to Black film; whereas my counterpart like Danny Glover, went on to Lethal Weapon One, Two, and Three. He didn’t have to be limited to a Black film; he didn’t have to be married to a family, or related to somebody, like we women have to. I didn’t work for a couple years after The Color Purple. What saved me was the college lecture circuit. I kind of got a backlash for two reasons; one, no one would even think of me for a television role because they figured she’s too big to do TV now. That was the pattern."
Subsequent work In 1988, Avery starred in the period drama film Blueberry Hill, and the following year appeared in action film Riverbend. In 1990, she appeared in The Return of Superfly, another blaxploitation film. In 1992, she starred in the ABC miniseries The Jacksons: An American Dream as Martha Scruse, mother of Katherine Jackson, who was played by Angela Bassett. In 1995, she co-starred opposite Harry Belafonte in the drama film White Man's Burden. The following years, she guest-starred on number of television series, including Walker, Texas Ranger, JAG, and Bones. In 2008, Avery played Mama Jenkins in Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins, opposite Martin Lawrence and James Earl Jones, and Sarah Brown in Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns, which also stars Angela Bassett.
From 2013 to 2019, Avery played the role of Helen Patterson in the BET drama series, Being Mary Jane. She played Taraji P. Henson' mother in the 2018 action film Proud Mary. She later guest-starred on Grey's Anatomy and Better Things.
Personal life Avery lives in Los Angeles and remains active in show business. Continuing to act, she also works with at-risk teenagers and battered women of the greater Los Angeles area. She holds a master's in psychology degree from the Phillips Graduate University, and worked as a psychotherapist for the Los Angeles Unified School District. She was interviewed by Melody Trice on The Melody Trice Show about her activism. She is a spokesperson for the Lupus Foundation of America.
Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1972 Something Evil Irene Cool Breeze Lark Terror at Red Wolf Inn Edwina 1973 An Eye for an Eye Nurse Magnum Force ProstituteAn Eye for an Eye Nurse Hell Up in Harlem Sister Jennifer 1976 Louis Armstrong - Chicago Style Alma Rae NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special 1977 Which Way Is Up? Annie Mae Scott Joplin Belle Joplin Nominated — NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture 1979 Toby Millman 1980 Rosemary Heather LeLache 1985 Shug Avery Nominated—Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress 1988 Blueberry Hill Hattie Cale 1989 Riverbend Bell Coleman Single Women Married Men Grace Williams 1990 Heat Wave Roxie Turpin Francine 1993 Lightning in a Bottle Dr. Sierheed Night Trap Miss Sadie 1994 Cyborg 3: The Recycler Doc Edford 1995 Olivia Dubois White Man's Burden Megan Thomas 1998 Love Kills Moon 2002 Waitin' to Live Pearline Loggins Second to Die Insurance agent 2007 Lord Help Us Dorinda Thomas Exodus Robbed Tourist 2008 Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins Mama Jenkins Meet the Browns Sarah Brown 2009 Extrospection Anna 2018Proud MaryMina 2019 Grand-Daddy Day Care Millie 2022 We Are Gathered Here Today Estelle Wyatt Block Party Janice Sommers Also executive producer 2023 The Nana Project Gladys
Television Year Title Role Notes 1973 The New Dick Van Dyke Show Pam Harris / Nurse Wilkinson Episode: "What Your Best Friend Doesn't Know" Ironside Bartender Episode: "The Last Payment" 1974 Kojak Lula Episode: "You Can't Tell a Hurt Man How to Holler" Marcus Welby, M.D. Julie Episode: "The 266 Days" 1975 Sanford and Son Denise Episode: "Strange Bedfellows" Kolchak: The Night Stalker Ruth Van Galen Episode: "The Sentry" 1982 The Powers of Matthew Star April Episode: "Accused" 1983 For Us the Living: The Medgar Evers Story Dottie 1985 Murder, She Wrote Dixie Episode: "Jessica Behind Bars" 1987 Rags to Riches Celia Richards (Cee Cee Smith) Miami Vice Sally Cordova Episode: "The Afternoon Plane" 1992 Martha ScruseThe Cosby Show Leah Episode: "Clair's Reunion"Roc Helen Episode: "The Lady Killer" 1998 Wie stark muss eine Liebe sein Mary McMillian German TV movie 2005 JAG Indira Diamond Episode: "Unknown Soldier" Bones Ivy Gillespie Episode: "The Man in the Fallout Shelter" 2012 Single Ladies Josephine Episode: "Ex Factor" 2013–19 Being Mary Jane Helen Patterson Main role: 34 episodes 2017 The Librarians Eleanor Darnell Episode: "And the Silver Screen" 2019 Grey's Anatomy Lucille Reed Episode: "I Walk the Line" Better Things Esther Episode: "Easter" 2021 The Neighborhood Aunt Desiray Episode: "Welcome to the Family"2024A Man on the InsideFlorence Joanne WhistbrookRecurring role: 4 Episodes2025The RookieRuth HarperEpisode: "Mutiny and the Bounty"
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