# Berlinda Tolbert

Berlinda Tolbert (born November 4, 1949) is an American film and television actress. Tolbert is best known for her role as Jenny Willis Jefferson, the daughter of Tom and Helen Willis on the CBS sitcom The Jeffersons, which originally aired from 1975 until 1985.

## Early life and education

Tolbert majored in theater at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem. She also studied drama in London.

## Career

In a 2013 interview, Tolbert stated, "I've only had one job in my entire life... professional actress." She got her first film part from Martin Scorsese in Mean Streets in 1973, when she was in acting school.

### The Jeffersons

On The Jeffersons, Tolbert played Jenny, the daughter of interracial couple Tom and Helen Willis. Jenny had become engaged to Lionel Jefferson, the son of George and Louise, when they were still characters on Norman Lear's "All In The Family". They married and had a daughter. Tolbert played the role of Jenny for the run of the series, from 1975 to 1985. Tolbert was born just one day after Mike Evans (1949–2006), the original actor who played her boyfriend/husband Lionel. They were also both born in North Carolina. As of December 2023, Tolbert, Marla Gibbs, Jay Hammer and Damon Evans (Lionel #2) are the last surviving members of The Jeffersons main cast.

### Later career

In 1981, Tolbert competed for the CBS team on Battle of the Network Stars. In 1983, Tolbert starred in the Maya Angelou play On A Southern Journey. Following the cancellation of The Jeffersons in 1985, Tolbert appeared in films including Harlem Nights, Goodfellas, and Patriot Games, and television shows including ER, Six Feet Under, and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Tolbert appeared in the 2011 indie film Last Ride on the Midwest Pacific.

## Personal life

Tolbert married journalist Bob Reid in 1979.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1974 | Airport 1975 | Anne | Uncredited/ film debut |
| 1989 | Beverly Hills Brats | Nina | |
| 1989 | Harlem Nights | Annie | |
| 1990 | Goodfellas | Berlinda | |
| 1992 | Patriot Games | Sissy | |
| 1994 | Dangerous Touch | Sasha Taylor | |
| 2004 | Strange Fruit | Emma Ayers | |
| 2007 | Live! | Clarissa Boyd | |
| 2011 | Last Ride on the Midwest Pacific | Angeline | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1974 | That's My Mama | Polly Carstairs | Episode: Clifton's Dubious Romance |
| 1974 | Sanford and Son | Delores | Episode: Sanford and Niece |
| 1974 | The Streets of San Francisco | Chris Jackson | Episode: For Good or Evil |
| 1975 | All in the Family | Jenny Willis | Episode: The Jeffersons Move on Up |
| 1975 | Mannix | Jobina Rogell | Episode: Chance Meeting |
| 1975 | S.W.A.T. | Joanne Wyatt | Episode: Death Score |
| 1975 | Police Woman | Lily Thomas | Episode: The Chasers |
| 1975-1985 | The Jeffersons | Jenny Willis Jefferson / Jenny Willis | 66 episodes |
| 1981-1984 | Fantasy Island | Sandy Hoffman / Linda Bell / Billie Joe | 3 episodes |
| 1981-1985 | The Love Boat | Lynda Miles / Patty Phelps | 2 episodes |
| 1983 | Matt Houston | Janey Lennox | Episode: The Rock and the Hard Place |
| 1984 | Airwolf | Lea Logana | Episode: And They Are Us |
| 1985 | Hotel | Michelle Todd | Episode: Resolutions |
| 1987 | Amen | Darlene | Episode: Thelma's Reunion |
| 1990 | Gabriel's Fire | Shelly | Episode: To Catch a Con: Part 2 |
| 1990 | Jake and the Fatman | Sharon Lee | Episode: Goodbye |
| 1993 | FBI: The Untold Stories | Mary Smith | Episode: Mary |
| 1997 | Sabrina, The Teenage Witch | Mrs. Hecht | Episode: The Crucible |
| 1998 | 7th Heaven | Ms. Hanover | Episode: It Takes Two, Baby |
| 1998 | The Army Show | Phyliss Henchy | 2 episodes |
| 1999 | Home Improvement | Noreen | Episode: The Long and Winding Road: Part 1 |
| 2001 | Dead Last | Yolanda | Episode: The Problem with Corruption |
| 2003 | Half & Half | Denise | Episode: The Big Forbidden Fruit Episode |
| 2004 | ER | Nancy Natarelli | Episode: Blood Relations |
| 2004 | Strong Medicine | | Episode: Cinderella in Scrubs |
| 2005 | Six Feet Under | Debra | Episode: Time Flies |
| 2007 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Barbara | Episode: Leapin' Lizards |