Acting · Indianola, Mississippi, USA · Born December 3, 1936
Mary Alice was born on December 3, 1936 in Indianola, Mississippi, USA to parents Ozelar Jurnakin (Smith) and Sam Smith. She was an actress, known for The Matrix Revolutions (2003), Awakenings (1990) and Malcolm X (1992). She taught in Elementary School before her acting career took off. When she was still a struggling actress doing stage plays, she made a living doing her castmate's laundry for a salary of $200 a week. She was a lifelong liberal Democrat, feminist, and civil rights activist. Was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 2000. She retired from acting in 2005. She died of natural causes on July 27, 2022 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA. Upon her death, she was buried with her siblings at Oak Wood Cemetery in Chicago, Illinois, in regard for her last wishes.
TVKojak
2005
as Joyce
MovieThe Burly Man Chronicles
2004
TVThe Jury
2004
MovieThe Matrix Recalibrated
2004
as Self
MovieWhat I Want My Words to Do to You
2003
as Self
MovieThe Matrix Revolutions
2003
as The Oracle
MovieSunshine State
2002
as Eunice Stokes
MovieThe Last Brickmaker in America
2001
as Dorothy Cobb
TVSoul Food
2000
as Mrs. Pettaway
MovieThe Photographer
2000
as Violet
MovieCatfish in Black Bean Sauce
1999
as Dolores Williams
TVProvidence
1999
as Abby Franklin
MovieThe Wishing Tree
1999
as Mattie
MovieDown in the Delta
1998
as Rosa Lynn Sinclair
TVOz
1997
as Eugenia Hill
TVCosby
1996
MovieBed of Roses
1996
as Alice
MovieHeading Home
1995
as Mary Jones
MovieRay Alexander: A Menu for Murder
1995
MovieThe Mother
1994
as Black Lady
TVTouched by an Angel
1994
as Georgia Bishop
MovieThe Inkwell
1994
as Evelyn
MovieThe Vernon Johns Story
1994
as Altona
MovieA Perfect World
1993
as Lottie
TVLaurel Avenue
1993
as Maggie Arnett
MovieLife with Mikey
1993
as Mrs. Gordon
MovieMalcolm X
1992
as School Teacher
TVI'll Fly Away
1991
TVPerformance
1991
as Black lady
MovieThe Bonfire of the Vanities
1990
as Annie Lamb
MovieAwakenings
1990
as Nurse Margaret
MovieTo Sleep with Anger
1990
as Suzie
TVLaw & Order
1990
as Virginia Bryan
MovieThe Women of Brewster Place
1989
as Fannie Michael
TVThe Women of Brewster Place
1989
as Fannie Michael
TVA Different World
1987
as Lettie Bostic
TVL.A. Law
1986
as Maxine Manley
MovieCharlotte Forten's Mission: Experiment in Freedom
1985
as Blind Lily
MovieTeachers
1984
as Linda Ganz
MovieBeat Street
1984
as Cora
MovieThe Killing Floor
1984
as Lilah Dean
MovieThe Brass Ring
1983
as Mrs. Hauser
MovieA House Divided: Denmark Vesey's Rebellion
1982
as Beck
TVAmerican Playhouse
1982
as Lilah Dean
Joshua's World
1980
as Housekeeper
MovieLawman Without a Gun
1979
as Minnie Hayward
MovieJust an Old Sweet Song
1976
as Helen Mayfield
MovieSparkle
1976
as Effie
TVPolice Woman
1974
MovieThe Education of Sonny Carson
1974
as Moms
MovieSty of the Blind Pig
1974
as Alberta Warren
TVGood Times
1974
TVSanford and Son
1972
TVGreat Performances
1971
TVGreen Acres
1965
