Mabel King - wikipedia Mabel King This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( November 2009 ) Mabel King Mabel Elizabeth Washington ( 1932 - 12 - 25 ) December 25, 1932 Charleston, South Carolina, U.S. November 9, 1999 ( 1999 - 11 - 09 ) ( aged 66 ) Los Angeles, California, U.S. Cause of death Complications of diabetes Resting place Cremated Nationality American Occupation Actress singer Years active 1964 -- 1990 Known for Mabel `` Mama '' Thomas -- What 's Happening ! ! Evillene -- The Wiz Spouse ( s ) Melvin King ( m. 1967 ; div. 1989 ) Children Mabel Elizabeth King ( née Washington ; December 25, 1932 -- November 9, 1999 ) was an American film, stage, and television actress, and singer. She is best known for her role as Mabel `` Mama '' Thomas on the ABC sitcom What 's Happening ! ! from its premiere in 1976 until the end of its second season in 1978. King 's next most remembered role is that of Evillene the Witch, a role she originated in the stage musical The Wiz and reprised in Sidney Lumet 's 1978 film adaptation. She made recordings with Rama Records and Amy Records. Contents 1 Early life 2 Career 2.1 Stage work 2.2 Television and film 3 Personal 4 Later years and death 5 Filmography 6 Recordings 7 References 8 External links Early life King was born Mabel Elizabeth Washington in Charleston, South Carolina, the daughter of Rosalie Washington and Joseph Washington. She was raised in Harlem, New York where she eventually became a gospel and nightclub singer. Career Stage work She did not start acting until her mid thirties, in 1966, when she played the role of Maria in the national touring play of Porgy and Bess. The following year she played the role of Ernestina in the Broadway musical / comedy Hello, Dolly !. Then in 1972, she appeared in the Broadway musical Do n't Play Us Cheap. The following year, she appeared in the film version of the play. That same year, she played the Queen of Myrthia in the horror film Ganja & Hess. In January 1975, she played the role of Evilene, the Wicked Witch of the West in the all - African - American cast of the Broadway musical The Wiz. The role earned her a Drama Desk Award nomination for outstanding featured actress in a musical. Her performance in The Wiz brought her much attention and soon after she received roles in the films The Bingo Long Traveling All - Stars & Motor Kings, with Billy Dee Williams and James Earl Jones, and Scott Joplin, with Billy Dee Williams and Clifton Davis. In June 1980, King returned to stage work, starring in the Broadway musical It 's So Nice to Be Civilized. However, the show did not do well and was cancelled after eight performances. Television and film In 1976, she was offered the role of Mabel Thomas on the sitcom What 's Happening ! !, a role she played from 1976 to 1978. Due to disagreements with the direction the creators wanted to take the series, King left What 's Happening ! ! in 1978 after two seasons. That same year, she reprised the role of Evillene for the 1978 film version of The Wiz. It was the second time in her career that she appeared in a movie after being in the stage version, the first being Do n't Play Us Cheap. The following year, she appeared in The Jerk as the mother to Steve Martin 's character. King received mostly guest spots on television series including Fantasy Island, The Jeffersons, Amazing Stories and Tales from the Darkside. In between, she signed on with then Hollywood agent Ruben Malaret, who negotiated the reprised role of Mama Johnson in the made - for - TV movie The Jerk, Too ( 1984 ). Her last two movie roles were Scrooged ( 1988 ) starring Bill Murray and Dead Men Do n't Die ( 1990 ) starring Elliott Gould. Personal King was married to Melvin King from June 1967 until September 1989. They had one child, a son named Larry King. King was a staunch conservative Republican who strongly supported the presidency of Ronald Reagan. Later years and death In 1986, King lost one of her toes due to diabetes. In 1989, King suffered a stroke and entered the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, California. King also battled diabetes, and eventually lost both of her legs and an arm to the disease. Her only child, a son, Larry ( who was the eldest son of singer / songwriter Larry Banks ) died in 1996. Mabel died on November 9, 1999 at age 66. Filmography Year Title Role Notes 1973 Do n't Play Us Cheap House guest at the party 1973 Ganja & Hess Queen of Myrthia 1976 The Bingo Long Traveling All - Stars & Motor Kings Bertha Dewitt 1976 to 1978 What 's Happening ! Mabel `` Mama '' Thomas 37 episodes 1977 Scott Joplin Madam Amy 1978 The Wiz Evillene Nominated -- Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress 1978 to 1981 Fantasy Island Various roles 3 episodes 1979 Barney Miller Mother Zilla Episode : `` Computer Crime '' 1979 The Jerk Mother 1980 The Gong Show Movie Mabel 1981 Palmerstown, U.S.A. Aunt Toog Episode : `` Future City '' 1981 Getting Over Mabel Queen ABC Weekend Special Mrs. Trussker Episode : `` All the Money in the World '' Lottery ! Mabel Episode : `` Los Angeles : Bigger Volume '' 1984 The Jerk, Too Mama Johnson Television movie 1984 The Master Willie Episode : `` Fat Tuesday '' 1984 The Jeffersons Mother Tobin Episode : `` Some Enchanted Evening '' 1986 Amazing Stories Jennifer Mowbray Episode : `` The Sitter '' 1986 The Colbys Fortune Teller Episode : `` The Honeymoon '' 1986 Tales from the Darkside Ruby Cuzzins Episode : `` Baker 's Dozen '' Whiz Kids Episode : `` Fatal Error '' 1988 Black Vampire 1988 Wiseguy Mae Nina Episode : `` Blood Dance '' 1988 Scrooged Gramma Dead Men Do n't Die Chafuka Recordings `` Alabama Rock'n'Roll '' ( RAMA Records, 1956 ) `` Mabel King With The Royal Sita Chorus -- Symbol Of Love / Second Hand Love '' ( RAMA Records, 1956 ) `` Go Back Home Young Fella / Lefty '' ( Amy Records, 1962 ) `` When We Get The Word / Love '' ( Amy Records, 1962 ) References Jump up ^ New York Times - ARTS - Mabel King, 66, Who Played The Wicked Witch in ' The Wiz ' - By NICK RAVO NOV. 18, 1999 Jump up ^ DeCaro, Frank ( 2002 ). `` The Dead Celebrity Cookbook : A Resurrection of Recipes from More Than 145 ''. Google Books. Communications, Inc. Retrieved October 15, 2017. Jump up ^ Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 1999 : Film, Television, Radio, Theatre - King, Mabel ( 1932 - 1999 ) Jump up ^ NNDB - Mabel King Jump up ^ Nussbaum, Ben ( 2013 ). `` Wizard of Oz : An Over-the - Rainbow Celebration of the World s Favorite Movie ''. Google Books. I - 5 Publishing. Retrieved October 26, 2017. Jump up ^ Bowler, Gerry ( 2000 ). `` The World Encyclopedia of Christmas ''. Google Books. The Canadian Publisher. Retrieved October 26, 2017. Jump up ^ Group, Gale ( 2001 ). `` Video Hounds Golden Movie Retrievee : The Complete Guide to Movies on Videocassette, DVD and Laserdisc ''. Google Books. Gale Group. Retrieved October 26, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Mabel King Biography ''. filmreference.com. Jump up ^ `` TV, Movie and Stage Actress Mabel King ''. Jet. Johnson Publishing Company. 96 ( 26 ) : 56. 1999 - 11 - 29. ISSN 0021 - 5996. ^ Jump up to : Benjamin Franklin V ( 2016 ). An Encyclopedia of South Carolina Jazz and Blues Musicians. University of South Carolina Press. External links Mabel King on IMDb Mabel King at the Internet Broadway Database Mabel King at Find a Grave ISNI : 0000 0000 4416 6070 LCCN : no2003110566 VIAF : 53848045 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mabel_King&oldid=850819361 '' Categories : 1932 births 1999 deaths Actresses from South Carolina American amputees American musical theatre actresses Deaths from diabetes Actors from Charleston, South Carolina 20th - century American actresses American television actresses African - American actresses American film actresses American stage actresses 20th - century American singers California Republicans South Carolina Republicans Nightclub performers 20th - century women singers Hidden categories : Articles needing additional references from November 2009 All articles needing additional references Pages to import images to Wikidata Articles with hCards Articles with IBDb links Find a Grave template with ID same as Wikidata Wikipedia articles with ISNI identifiers Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia تۆرکجه Español فارسی Français 日本 語 Edit links This page was last edited on 18 July 2018, at 04 : 32 ( UTC ). 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Question: who played the mother on what's happening
Answer: Mabel Elizabeth King