Donna Biscoe is an American actress.
Early years Biscoe was born in Fort Benning, Georgia, the daughter of Mildred Skillern, a retired Carver High School English teacher. Biscoe attended Carver, then graduated from Kendrick High School in Columbus in 1973 and later graduated from Clark Atlanta University with a bachelor's degree in elementary education. Biscoe later went to Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in New York for six months.
In the 1980s, a casting agent discovered Biscoe while she worked as a flight attendant for Eastern Airlines.
Career After returning to Atlanta, Biscoe began acting in plays, including playing Martin Luther King Jr.’s mother in A Boy King at the Atlanta Children’s Theater. In late 1980s, Biscoe also began appearing in supporting roles in film and television, including four appearances in In the Heat of the Night, CBS miniseries Mama Flora's Family (1998), as well as films Love Crimes (1992) and Blue Sky (1994).
Biscoe worked mostly in theatre in 1980s and 1990s. Her stage credits including Doubt, To Kill A Mockingbird, Waiting to Be Invited, Holiday Heart, Homebody Kabul, Our Town and Fences. In 2000s, she began appearing in films playing mostly roles of mothers or grandmothers. Her film credits include Motives 2 and Three Can Play That Game (2007) starring Vivica A. Fox, Mississippi Damned (2009), The Sacrament (2013), The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 (2014), and Girls Trip (2017). She played Taraji P. Henson's character's mother in the 2016 biographical drama film Hidden Figures, and Kevin Hart's mother in the 2018 comedy Night School.
On television, Biscoe guest-starred in Drop Dead Diva, Nashville and Being Mary Jane. She had recurring roles in the two Oprah Winfrey Network series: drama Greenleaf as Clara Jackson, and prime time soap opera Ambitions as Robin Givens' character's mother. In 2017, she began starring in the Bounce TV prime time soap opera Saints & Sinners playing villainous Lady Leona Byrd. The series ended in 2022 after six seasons. She later had recurring roles in All the Queen's Men, All Rise and Reasonable Doubt. In 2024 she starred alongside Garcelle Beauvais, Lela Rochon and Loretta Devine in the Lifetime television movie Terry McMillan Presents: Tempted By Love. She also appeared in the comedy-drama film The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat and played Emma Derriecott in the war drama film, The Six Triple Eight.
Other activities In 2008, Biscoe ran a Pilates studio in downtown Atlanta.
Filmography
Film Year Film Role Notes1987Kids Like TheseParentTelevision film1987Dead AimDenise Long1988Case ClosedAllisonTelevision film1992Grass RootsLisa ConroyTelevision film1992In the Line of Duty: Street WarMikey's MomTelevision film1992The Secret Passion of Robert ClaytonHeatherTelevision film1992Love CrimesHannah1993Silent VictimBeth ThompsonTelevision film1993I'll Fly Away: Then and NowAdult AdlaineTelevision film1994Blue SkyOfficer's Wife 1994Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells AllMaynelleTelevision film1998Mama Flora's FamilyJessicaTelevision miniseries1999The Simple Life of Noah DearbornNurseTelevision film1999The Price of a Broken HeartPhyllisTelevision film2000Freedom SongMrs. SummerTelevision film2000TroisMs. Paul2002Pandora's BoxDonna Paul2002Nowhere Road2004Trois 3: The Escort Patricia Meyer2004Dead BirdsBlack Woman2004FrankenfishGloria Crankton2005The GospelReverend Jones2005A Message from PopsMomShort film2006Broken BridgesDr. McVee2007Daddy's Little GirlsSocial Worker2007Motives 22007Three Can Play That GameMrs. Thompson2008One Missed CallCoroner2008ConjurerDr. McKenzie2009Mississippi DamnedGloria2010Blood Done Sign My NameElizabeth Chavis2012The Governor's DaughtersMs. Anderson2013The SacramentWendy2014Comeback DadJeannette2014The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1D8 Old Woman2014The Productive LieNiecy2015Red All OverPatricia Wright2016The Fundamentals of CaringCaregiving Instructor2016Girl from ComptonMeme2016ConfirmationEleanor Holmes Norton Television film2016Hidden FiguresMrs. Joylette Coleman2017Girls TripDelores2017A Question of FaithPatricia Newman2018Along Came the DevilDr. Liles2018The Beach HouseFloTelevision film2018Night SchoolGladys Walker 2020Black Girl MagicMartha2022The In Between Doris2022The VisitorMargaret Delacroix2024Freedom Hair G'Mom2024Terry McMillan Presents: Tempted by LoveAunt Judy2024The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat Minnie2024A Very Merry Beauty Salon Georgia2024The Six Triple EightEmma Derriecott2025Before You Let Go Bea Short film2026Strung Charmaine Stewart
Television Year Film Role Notes1990-1993In the Heat of the Night Laura Ulmer / Mrs. Johnson / Cora Tyler4 episodes2008Army WivesAllison LyallEpisode: "Payback"2010One Tree HillJudgeEpisode: "Weeks Go by Like Days"2012Drop Dead DivaDr. Colette WillisEpisode: "Winning Ugly"2013Necessary RoughnessFelicia PurnellEpisode: "The Fall Guy"2013NashvilleElizabethEpisode: "A Picture from Life's Other Side"2014Star-CrossedGloria's MotherEpisodes: "Dreamers Often Lie" and "Our Toil Shall Strive to Mend"2014RectifyMrs. WhitmanEpisode: "Donald the Normal"2016-2020GreenleafClara JacksonRecurring role, 10 episodes2017Being Mary JaneEpisode: "Getting Served"2017Shots FiredMabelEpisode: "Hour Four: Truth"2017–2022Saints & SinnersLady Leona Byrd Recurring (season 2), Series regular (season 3-6), 33 episodes2019Jack RyanYvonne Bishop Episode: "Tertia Optio"2019AmbitionsIrene CarlisleRecurring role, 9 episodes2020Outer Banks BeckEpisode: "Dead Calm"2021-2022All the Queen's MenPatrice EllisRecurring role, 7 episodes2022OzarkLoriEpisodes: "City on the Make" and "Sanctified"2022Sweet MagnoliasWinell MartinEpisodes: "The Rules of the Game" and "Fragile Things"2022WokeAnnie MaloneEpisode: "Black Trauma V"2022All RiseMildred BrewerEpisodes: "It Ain't Over Till It's Over" and "Trouble Man"2024Reasonable DoubtMavis Tucker-JonesEpisodes: "Can I Live?" and "This Can't Be Life"
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