# Valarie Pettiford

Valarie Pettiford (born July 8, 1960) is an American stage and television actress, dancer, and jazz singer. She received a Tony Award nomination for her role in the broadway production Fosse. She is also known for her role as Deirdre "Big Dee Dee" LaFontaine Thorne on the UPN television sitcom Half & Half.

## Stage

Pettiford began her career as a dancer and choreographer in Bob Fosse productions on Broadway. Alvin Klein of the New York Times wrote of her role in the 1983 musical revue Ladies and Gentlemen, Jerome Kern! that "You will not for a moment take your eyes off Valarie Pettiford, the show's standout: a sinewy dancer who can be sultry or sweet, measure for measure, as prescribed.... Miss Pettiford appears to be a superbly trained dancer, schooled in balletic finesse and Broadway-style razzmatazz - and a stunning presence." Leah Frank, also in the NYT, wrote of Pettiford's appearance in West Side Story in 1987: "The mainstay of the supporting cast is Valarie Pettiford, whose Anita is spicy, sensual and full of fire. She is an exciting actress who has a special quality needed to ignite a number such as America."
In 1994, she played lesbian Cassandra Keefer in The Naked Truth, and from 1995 to 1996 starred as Julie in a touring production of Show Boat.
Pettiford received a Tony nomination as Best Featured Actress in a Musical and a Dora Mavor Moore Award nomination for her role in the Broadway production Fosse from 1998 to 1999. Variety said Pettiford gave "a coolly elegant vocal rendition, [and she] is also a sultry, powerful dancer." She left Fosse to appear as Velma Kelly in Chicago in the West End in London from August 1999 to February 2000, alongside Chita Rivera as Roxie Hart.
In 2007, Pettiford won the Backstage Bistro Award for her cabaret debut at the Metropolitan Room in New York City, and won an NAACP Theatre Award for her lead role in The Wild Party. In 2008, she starred in a solo show, Valarie Pettiford - Thankful that played in New York City and Los Angeles. In 2009, she starred in the solo show Valarie Pettiford - The Concert in New York City.

## Film

In 1978, at age 17 and enrolled at the High School of Performing Arts, Pettiford did her first-ever movie work as part of the large ensemble in the film The Wiz. She starred as Mariah Carey's mother in the 2001 film Glitter, had a role in Stomp the Yard in 2007, and played Aunt Geneva in the 2011 film, Jumping the Broom.

## Television

In the 1990s, Pettiford appeared on daytime soap operas, including Another World and One Life to Live (where she originated the role of Sheila Price). Her Half & Half role from 2002 to 2006 as Dee Dee Thorne gained her three NAACP Image Award nominations. From 2008 to 2009, she played Sandra Lucas in the comedy-drama series Tyler Perry's House of Payne. She also appeared in the HBO pilot Anatomy of Hope, directed by J. J. Abrams. Pettiford plays a recurring role as the wife to Harold Cooper (Harry Lennix), Assistant Director of the FBI Counter-Terrorism Division, on the NBC drama The Blacklist. She has also starred in the TV series A Discovery of Witches as the witch Emily Mather.
In September 2024, it was announced Pettiford had joined the cast of The Young and the Restless in the role of Amy Lewis.

## Music

While on Half & Half, Pettiford released a jazz album, Hear My Soul, in 2005.

## Early and personal life

Pettiford was born on July 8, 1960, in Queens, to Ralph and Blanch Pettiford, and graduated from the High School of Performing Arts in 1978. She is married to her manager, actor and former Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Tony Rader. They got engaged in 1991.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1978 | The Wiz | Chorus Member | |
| 1984 | The Cotton Club | Dancer | |
| 1988 | Robots | Newscaster | Video |
| 1990 | Street Hunter | Denise | |
| 2001 | Confidences | Sean | Short |
| 2001 | Glitter | Lillian Frank | |
| 2002 | Like Mike | Mrs Boyd | |
| 2003 | Paris | Terry | |
| 2007 | Stomp the Yard | Aunt Jackie | |
| 2007 | The Stolen Months of September | Counselor | |
| 2009 | Why Am I Doing This? | Natalie | |
| 2009 | Guys and Dolls at the Hollywood Bowl | Hot Box Girl | Video |
| 2009 | Anatomy of Hope | Deanna Rivers | TV movie |
| 2010 | Why Did I Get Married Too? | Harriet | |
| 2010 | Not Your Time | Angel of Death | Short |
| 2011 | Jumping the Broom | Aunt Geneva | |
| 2011 | Nurse Jackée | - | Short |
| 2012 | Battlefield America | Ms. Williams | |
| 2012 | Note to Self | Mildred 'Momma' King | |
| 2012 | Birth Mother | Olivia | Short |
| 2013 | Love Will Keep Us Together | Paula | TV movie |
| 2013 | The Dempsey Sisters | Elizabeth Dempsey | |
| 2015 | My Favorite Five | Pamela Colburn | |
| 2015 | Will to Love | Avyon Hawkins | TV movie |
| 2015 | Welcome to the Family | Angela | TV movie |
| 2016 | The Secrets of Emily Blair | Detective Henson | |
| 2016 | Boy Bye | Linda | |
| 2016 | A Moment | Dana | Short |
| 2017 | The Preacher's Son | First Lady Charlene Wilson | |
| 2018 | The Choir Director | First Lady Charlene Wilson | |
| 2018 | No More Mr Nice Guy | Lorna Monroe | |
| 2018 | We Belong Together | Diane | |
| 2018 | Jingle Belle | Faith Williams | TV movie |
| 2019 | Blind Sight | Cheryl | Short |
| 2019 | If Not Now, When? | Lorna | |
| 2020 | Surviving in L.A. | Suzanne | |
| 2020 | Love Is Love Is Love | Wendy | |
| 2021 | Senior Moment | Judge Alice Miller | |
| 2021 | Hip Hop Family Christmas | Nancy | TV movie |
| 2021 | Merry Switchmas | Colleen | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1988 | The Equalizer | Jackie | Episode: "No Place Like Home" |
| 1988–90 | Another World | Detective Courtney Walker | Regular Cast |
| 1990–94 | One Life to Live | Dr. Sheila Price | Regular Cast |
| 1996 | The Sentinel | Angie Ferris | Episode: "Out of the Past" |
| 1997 | Silk Stalkings | Marnie | Episode: "Silent Witness" |
| 1997 | Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show | Bianca Fleischer/Persephone | Episode: "Honey, You Got Nine Lives" & "Honey, I Got Duped" |
| 1997–98 | Fame L.A. | Sylvia Williams | Recurring cast |
| 1998 | Walker, Texas Ranger | Angel Blake | Episode: "Angel" |
| 1998 | Sliders | Dr. Grace Venable | Episode: "Asylum" |
| 1999 | The X-Files | FBI Agent Ann Jones | Episode: "Two Fathers" |
| 2001 | Any Day Now | Valerie | Episode: "10 Days? Are You Crazy?" |
| 2001 | Jack & Jill | Gabi | Episode: "Caution: Parents Crossing" |
| 2001 | Sabrina, The Teenage Witch | Calliope | Episode: "Sabrina, The Muse" |
| 2001 | Frasier | P.R. Woman | Episode: "Hooping Cranes" |
| 2001 | Men, Women & Dogs | Teri Forrester | Episode: "Top Dog" |
| 2002 | State of Grace | - | Episode: "Fortunate Son" |
| 2002 | The West Wing | White House Security Guard Janice Allen | Episode: "Enemies Foreign and Domestic" |
| 2002–04 | The District | Gayle Noland | Guest: Season 2, Recurring cast: Season 3-4 |
| 2002–06 | Half & Half | Deirdre "Big Dee Dee" LaFontaine Thorne | Main Cast |
| 2006 | CSI: Miami | Dr. Lana Whitford | Episode: "Open Water" |
| 2007 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Susan Latham | Episode: "Fallen Idols" |
| 2007 | Bones | Ellen Laskow | Episode: "The Bodies in the Book" |
| 2008–11 | Tyler Perry's House of Payne | Sandra Lucas | Recurring cast: Season 4-7 |
| 2009 | Criminal Minds | Sharon Harris | Episode: "Soul Mates" |
| 2011 | The Cape | Judge Valerie Preston | Episode: "Scales on a train" |
| 2012 | The Finder | Chatney DuBois | Episode: "Bullets" |
| 2012 | Hart of Dixie | Carolyn Hayes | Episode: "Snowflakes & Soulmates" |
| 2012 | Bunheads | Vi | Episode: "For Fanny" |
| 2012 | Treme | Victorine Fornerat-Williams | Episodes: "Knock with Me-Rock With Me" & "Saints" |
| 2013 | Golden Boy | Maxine Owen | Recurring cast |
| 2013 | True Blood | Mary Wright | Episodes: "In the Evening" & "Dead Meat" |
| 2015–16 | Born Again Virgin | Beverly | Guest: Season 1, Recurring cast: Season 2 |
| 2015–21 | The Blacklist | Charlene Cooper | Recurring cast: Season 2-3 & 9, guest: Season 8 |
| 2016 | Black-ish | Donna Duckworth | Episode: "Johnson & Johnson" |
| 2017 | Being Mary Jane | Rhonda Sales | Recurring cast: Season 4 |
| 2017–18 | Valor | Simone Porter | Recurring cast |
| 2018–present | The Family Business | Charlotte Duncan | Main Cast |
| 2018–22 | A Discovery of Witches | Emily Mather | Main Cast |
| 2019 | The Baxters | Diane | Recurring cast: Season 3 |
| 2020 | BlackAF | Grandma | Episode: "yo, between you and me... this is because of slavery" |
| 2021 | Home Economics | Rachel | Episode: "Triple Scoop of Ice Cream, $6.39" |
| 2021 | A Luv Tale: The Series | Diana | Recurring cast |
| 2021 | NCIS | Sonia Eberhart | Episode: "Road to Nowhere" & "Great Wide Open" |
| 2022 | First Wives Club | Nancy | 2 episodes |
| 2022-2024 | The Equalizer | Carol Dante | 3 episodes |

## Stage roles

* The Wiz (2006), Aunt Em
* The Wild Party (2005)
* He Hunts (2002), Leontine Duchotel
* Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (2002), Dorothy Shaw
* Chicago (August 1999—February 2000), Velma Kelly
* Fosse (1998—99)
* Show Boat (1995—96), Julie
* Freefall (1994)
* The Naked Truth (1994), Cassandra Keefer
* Weird Romance (1992), Shannara and other roles
* West Side Story (1987), Anita
* Big Deal (1986), Pearl, dance captain
* Ladies and Gentlemen, Jerome Kern (1985), choreographer
* Grind (1985), Fleta
* Dancin' (1979), performer
* Sophisticated Ladies (1978), a sophisticated lady and understudy for Miss Jamison, dance captain
* A Broadway Musical (1978), swing performer
* Summer and Smoke
* The Balcony
* Beehive
* Tango Apasionato
* Sarah and Abraham
* She Stoops to Conquer
* Sweet Charity