# Anna Maria Horsford

Anna Maria Horsford (born March 6, 1947), is an American actress, known for her performances in television comedies.
Horsford is best known for her roles as Thelma Frye on the NBC sitcom Amen (1986–91), and as Dee Baxter on the WB sitcom The Wayans Bros. (1995–99). She had dramatic roles on the FX crime drama The Shield playing A.D.A. Beth Encardi, and CBS daytime soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful as Vivienne Avant, for which she was nominated for the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Guest Performer in a Drama Series in 2016 and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 2017.
Horsford appeared in a number of movies, most notable as Craig Jones' mother Betty in 1995 comedy film Friday and its sequel Friday After Next (2002). Her other film credits include Times Square (1980), The Fan (1981), Presumed Innocent (1990), Set It Off (1996), Along Came a Spider (2001), Our Family Wedding (2010), and A Madea Christmas (2013).

## Early life

Horsford was born in Harlem, New York City to Victor Horsford, an investment real estate broker originally from Barbuda and Lillian Agatha (née Richardson) Horsford, who emigrated from Antigua and Barbuda in the 1940s. She grew up in a family of five children.
Horsford attended Wadleigh Junior High School and the High School of Performing Arts. After high school, she got into acting through the Harlem Youth for Change program.
Her first job out of high school was with the Joe Papp’s Public Theater, a part in Coriolanus at the Delacorte in Central Park.
According to a DNA analysis, she has maternal ancestry from the Limba people of Sierra Leone.

## Career

Her first major role in television was as a producer for the PBS show Soul!, hosted by Ellis Haizlip, which aired between 1968 and 1973. One of her first TV appearances was in 1973 on the first run syndication game show of To Tell the Truth where she was an imposter for Laura Livingston, one of the first female military police. Horsford made guest appearances on such sitcoms as The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Sparks, Moesha, The Bernie Mac Show, The Shield, Girlfriends, and Everybody Hates Chris. She had main roles on the sitcoms The Wayans Bros. as "Dee Baxter" and "Thelma Frye" on Amen. She appeared on the drama Judging Amy.
More recently, she was seen in the first season of Grey's Anatomy. She returned to the big screen in the 2013 film A Madea Christmas. She portrayed Helen on the BET sitcom Reed Between the Lines.
Horsford currently has a recurring role as Vivienne Avant on The Bold and the Beautiful. For the role, she was nominated for Outstanding Special Guest Performer in a Drama Series in the 43rd Daytime Emmy Awards.
She began playing a recurring role on B Positive in the show's second-season premiere.
She also has appeared in the TBS sitcom The Last O.G. featuring Tracy Morgan, as a recurring character (Tray's mother).

## Personal life

On October 29, 2011, Horsford was awarded the title of Ambassador of Tourism of Antigua. She is also a member of Sigma Gamma Rho sorority.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1979 | An Almost Perfect Affair | Amy Zon | |
| 1979 | Hollow Image | Monica | TV movie |
| 1980 | Times Square | Rosie Washington | |
| 1981 | The Fan | Emily Stolz | |
| 1981 | Bill | Ms. Marge Keating | TV movie |
| 1982 | Muggable Mary, Street Cop | Kathy Thomas | TV movie |
| 1982 | Benny's Place | Charmaine | TV movie |
| 1982 | Love Child | Mara | |
| 1983 | Class | Maggie | |
| 1984 | Crackers | Slam Dunk | |
| 1984 | A Doctor's Story | Leigh Williams | TV movie |
| 1985 | St. Elmo's Fire | Naomi | |
| 1985 | Stone Pillow | Collins | TV movie |
| 1986 | Nobody's Child | Nurse Betty | TV movie |
| 1986 | A Case of Deadly Force | Virginia Cates | TV movie |
| 1986 | Permanent Wave | Eva | Short |
| 1986 | Heartburn | Della | |
| 1986 | C.A.T. Squad | Mrs. Raines | TV movie |
| 1987 | Street Smart | Harriett | |
| 1987 | If It's Tuesday, It Must Be Belgium | - | TV movie |
| 1988 | Who Gets the Friends | Hillary Adams | TV movie |
| 1989 | Taken Away | Mrs. Pierson | TV movie |
| 1990 | Presumed Innocent | Eugenia | |
| 1990 | A Killer Among Us | Barbara Evans | TV movie |
| 1992 | Murder without Motive: The Edmund Perry Story | Veronica Perry | TV movie |
| 1993 | Mr. Jones | Judge Harris | |
| 1994 | Baby Brokers | Randi | TV movie |
| 1995 | Friday | Betty Jones | |
| 1995 | Once Upon a Time...When We Were Colored | Miss Annie | |
| 1996 | Widow's Kiss | Lavanda Harrison | TV movie |
| 1996 | Dear God | Lucille Barnett | |
| 1996 | Set It Off | Ms. Wells | |
| 1996 | One Fine Day | Evelyn | |
| 1996 | Circle of Pain | - | TV movie |
| 1997 | Kiss the Girls | Vickie Cross | |
| 1999 | At Face Value | Mosetta | Short |
| 2000 | Dancing in September | Sitcom Mom | |
| 2000 | Nutty Professor II: The Klumps | Denise's Mother | |
| 2000 | Lockdown | Saunders | |
| 2000 | Masquerade | Mrs. Scott | TV movie |
| 2001 | Along Came a Spider | Vickie | |
| 2001 | Jacked | Thelma Barnes | |
| 2001 | How High | Mamma King | |
| 2002 | Minority Report | Casey | |
| 2002 | Friday After Next | Betty Jones | |
| 2004 | Justice | Chief Public Defender Poole | |
| 2004 | Guarding Eddy | Carol | |
| 2005 | My Big Phat Hip Hop Family | Mamma Pearl | |
| 2005 | Ganked | Mrs. Barry | Video |
| 2006 | Gridiron Gang | Sharon Weathers | |
| 2006 | Broken Bridges | Loretta | |
| 2007 | Trade | Detective Martinez | |
| 2007 | I Tried | Milly | |
| 2010 | Our Family Wedding | Diane Boyd | |
| 2010 | Wigger | Ruth | |
| 2012 | C'mon Man | Mrs. Woods | |
| 2013 | Tyler Perry's A Madea Christmas | Eileen Murphy | |
| 2017 | Gladys Brown | Gladys Brown | Short |
| 2017 | Chasing the Blues | Mrs. Walker | |
| 2017 | A Kindred Soul | Claudia | Short |
| 2018 | The Choir Director | Deaconess Moss | |
| 2018 | Single AF | Jane | |
| 2021 | Vacation Friends | Nancy | |
| 2021 | The Bitch Who Stole Christmas | Mayor Coont | TV movie |
| 2022 | Me Time | Connie | |
| 2024 | Will I See You Again? | Barbara Lewis | Short |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1977 | The Doctors | Lily (a Group Therapy Patient) | episodes airing on Dec. 5th, & 13th, 1977 |
| 1978 | NBC Special Treat | Ginnie Sheridan | Episode: "The Tap Dance Kid" |
| 1979 | Guiding Light | Clara Jones | Regular Cast |
| 1980 | 3-2-1 Contact | Officer Dobbs | Recurring Cast: Season 1 |
| 1981 | ABC Afterschool Specials | Jessica | Episode: "Starstruck" |
| 1982 | Nurse | Joleen | Episode: "The Store" |
| 1982 | All My Children | Jesse's Attorney Mrs. Matthews | Episode: "Episode dated 4 October 1982" |
| 1983 | The Firm | Sergeant Johnson | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 1984 | ABC Afterschool Specials | Stephanie Marshak | Episode: "Summer Switch" |
| 1985 | American Playhouse | Hannah | Episode: "Charlotte Forten's Mission: Experiment in Freedom" |
| 1986-91 | Amen | Thelma Frye | Main Cast |
| 1987 | The Bronx Zoo | Mrs. Devlin | Episode: "It's Hard to Be a Saint in the City" |
| 1991 | Baby Talk | Cynthia Willoughby | Episode: "Womb with a View" |
| 1991 | L.A. Law | Judge Olga Winbush | Episode: "Do the Spike Thing" |
| 1992 | The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air | Karen Carruthers | Episode: "Geoffrey Cleans Up" |
| 1992-93 | Rhythm & Blues | Veronica Washington | Main Cast |
| 1992-93 | The Addams Family | Additional Voices (voice) | Recurring Cast |
| 1993 | Tall Hopes | Lainie Harris | Main Cast |
| 1995-99 | The Wayans Bros. | Deirdre "Dee" Baxter | Main Cast: Season 2-5 |
| 1996 | Sparks | Wilma's Aunt | Episode: "How Papa Got His Groove Back" |
| 1997 | Good News | - | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 1998 | L.A. Doctors | Angela Daly | Episode: "Pilot" & "Under the Radar" |
| 1998 | 7th Heaven | Joyce | Episode: "Here Comes Santa Claus" |
| 1999 | The Wild Thornberrys | Gola's Mother (voice) | Episode: "Chimp off the Block" |
| 1999 | Judging Amy | Defense Attorney Charles | Episode: "Crowed House" |
| 2000 | Moesha | Diane Henderson | Episode: "The Candidate" |
| 2002 | The Chronicle | Jolene Freewald | Episode: "Touched by an Alien" |
| 2004 | The Bernie Mac Show | Aunt Sis | Episode: "Family Reunion" |
| 2004 | The District | Yates | Recurring Cast: Season 4 |
| 2004 | Method & Red | Dorothea | Main Cast |
| 2005-06 | Entourage | Saigon's Mother | Guest Cast: Season 1-2 |
| 2005-07 | Grey's Anatomy | Elizabeth Fallon | Guest Cast: Season 1 & 3 |
| 2005-08 | The Shield | A.D.A Beth Encardi | Recurring Cast: Season 4 & 7 |
| 2006 | Heist | Wanda Evans | Episode: "How Billy Got His Groove Back" |
| 2007 | All of Us | Aunt Vicky Black | Episode: "Everything Happens for a Reason" |
| 2008 | Las Vegas | Aunt Vonice | Episode: "Three Weddings and a Funeral Part 2" |
| 2008 | Everybody Hates Chris | Hattie Mitchell | Recurring Cast: Season 3 |
| 2009 | Cold Case | Geraldine Watkins '09 | Episode: "Soul" |
| 2010 | American Dad! | Female Juror (voice) | Episode: "The People vs. Martin Sugar" |
| 2011 | Funny or Die Presents | Anna Maria | Episode: "Episode #2.6" |
| 2011 | Let's Stay Together | Jacqueline/Raynelle | Recurring Cast: Season 1 |
| 2011-15 | Reed Between the Lines | Helen Wilson | Main Cast: Season 1, Guest: Season 2 |
| 2012 | Key and Peele | Maid | Episode: "Dueling Magical Negros" |
| 2012 | The League | Trina Richardson | Episode: "Training Camp" |
| 2012 | New Girl | Charmaine | Episode: "Katie" |
| 2015 | It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia | Janet Barrett | Episode: "The Gang Goes on Family Fight" |
| 2015 | The Soul Man | Ceci | Episode: "Mo Momma, Mo Problems" |
| 2015-18 | The Bold and The Beautiful | Vivienne Avant | Regular Cast |
| 2017 | New Girl | Charmaine | Episode: "Misery" |
| 2018 | I Feel Bad | Norman's Mom | Episode: "My Kid Has to Grow Up" |
| 2018-19 | Mom | Ms. Ferguson | Guest Cast: Season 6-7 |
| 2019-21 | The Last O.G. | Roberta Barker | Recurring Cast: Season 1–3, Main Cast: Season 4 |
| 2020 | Sunnyside Up | Aunt Deedee | Recurring Cast |
| 2020 | The Conners | Nicole | Episode: "Plastics, Trash Talk & Darlene Antoinette" |
| 2020 | Ghost Tape | Gramma Missy | Recurring Cast |
| 2020-22 | Studio City | Jolene Hernandez | Recurring Cast: Season 1, Guest: Season 2 |
| 2021 | Hacks | Francine | Episode: "1.69 Million" |
| 2021 | Pose | Charlene | Recurring Cast: Season 3 |
| 2021-22 | B Positive | Althea Ludlum | Recurring Cast: Season 2 |
| 2022 | The Guardians of Justice | Serena Lyle | Main Cast |
| 2023 | History of the World, Part II | Mother Mary | Episode: "II" |
| 2023 | Bel-Air | Nita Banks | Episode: "Let the Best Man Win" |
| 2024 | No Good Deed | Denise | Recurring Cast |

## Live performances
### Theater

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1995 | "Dancing on Moonlight" | Neptune | Keith Glover, playwright. Marion McClinton, director. The eight-member ensemble included Terry Alexander, André de Shields, Kevin Jackson and Horsford. The play opened at the Joseph Papp Public Theater. |

## Awards and nominations

List of acting awards and nominations :
| Year | Award | Category | Title | Result |
| 1988 | Image Awards (NAACP) | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series | Amen | Nominated |
| 2005 | Black Reel Award | Best Actress – Network/Cable Television | Justice | Nominated |
| 2016 | Daytime Emmy Award | Outstanding Special Guest Performer in a Drama Series | The Bold and the Beautiful | Nominated |
| 2017 | Daytime Emmy Award | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series | The Bold and the Beautiful | Nominated |
| 2021 | Daytime Emmy Award | Outstanding Guest Performer in a Daytime Fiction Program | Studio City | Nominated |

## In popular culture

Horsford has been featured on the cover of several magazines, including:
* TV Guide, August 29 – September 4, 1987, issue #1796. Cover photograph featured Sherman Hemsley and Anna Maria Horsford of NBC's Amen.
* Jet Magazine, November 23, 1987. Cast members, including Horsford, are featured on the cover. Article titled "Fun-filled Amen still one of hottest TV shows”.
* TV Guide, February 3, 1990, Four television shows are featured including Amen with photo of Horsford and Clifton Davis. Article titled "Oh, what a week! February is off with a bang."
* Jet Magazine, February 5, 1990. Cover photo and article: "Clifton Davis and Anna Maria Horsford Tie Knot on TV's Amen"
* Jet Magazine, May 13, 1991, Photo and cover article feature Clifton Davis and Horsford. Article titled "New baby and guest star James Brown climax fifth season of TV’s Amen."
* Solo Magazine, 2011 Holiday Issue. Cover photograph and article: Anna Maria Horsford: Brings the Laughs and Drama to new BET Show.