# Francesca P. Roberts

Francesca P. Roberts (born December 19, 1953) is an American film and television actress known for playing Big Bertha in the live action movie Super Mario Bros. in 1993, as well as Anita Craig in ABC's sitcom TV series Baby Talk, which lasted from 1991 to 1992, and Anna-May in Frank's Place.

## Early life and education

Roberts was born on December 19, 1953 in Los Angeles, California but raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. The daughter of Margaret B. Roberts (née Gross, 1926–2016) and Bobby Ray Louis Roberts Sr., she had two younger sisters Melanie and Bianca, as well as two younger brothers who are now both deceased, Bobby Jr. and Gregory. She attended three colleges: University of New Orleans, Southern Illinois University and L'École de Mime Jacques LeCoq, where she has also studied in New Orleans, Louisiana and Paris, France. She did stage work at the North Hollywood's Group Repertory Theatre, New Orleans' Free Southern Theatre, Reseda Megaw Theatre, and with Hollywood's Touchstone Group.
Roberts is a graduate of Mount Carmel Academy.

## Career

Roberts was originally involved in stage work before appearing on TV.
Roberts made her first television appearance in Starsky & Hutch in 1979, only appearing in a minor role. Then she later moved on to make her debut film appearance in Inside Moves (1980), starring John Savage. She would continue on by making numerous TV guest appearances that had main or minor roles, in the likes of Private Benjamin, a show that was based on the film with the same name (1980), Fame, The Facts of Life, Frank's Place and Baby Talk. She would appear in movies, such as the 1993 live-action movie based on the Mario video game series, Super Mario Bros. (1993), playing as "Big Bertha", a bouncer of the Boom Boom Bar, Legally Blonde (2001) as judge "Marina R. Bickford", and Heart of Dixie (1989) as "Keefi". She frequently appears in film or TV, playing characters for only just a minimum time.
In 1994, Roberts appeared on Martin, playing as "Judge Wheatley" in two episodes, "No Justice, No Peace" & "Crunchy Drawers" (season 2).
Roberts often plays characters who are courtroom judges in movies or TV.

## Filmography

Film and television :
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1979 | Starsky & Hutch | Cora-Lee | Episode: "Huggy Can't Go Home" |
| 1980 | Inside Moves | Hooker | Film |
| 1981 | Private Benjamin | Private Harriet Dorsey | Episode: "Judy Got Her Gun" "Judy in the Driver's Seat" |
| 1982 | Money on the Side | Clerk | TV movie |
| 1983 | Dallas | Librarian | Episode: "To Catch a Sly" |
| 1985 | Fame | The Nurse | Episode: "Coco Returns" |
| 1985 | Generation | Spanish Woman | TV movie |
| 1985 | The Facts of Life | Vera | Episode: "Christmas Baby" |
| 1987–1988 | Frank's Place | Anna-May | Main role (22 episodes) |
| 1989 | Have Faith | Sally Coleman | 7 episodes |
| 1989 | Heart of Dixie | Keefi | Film |
| 1990 | Hard to Kill | Martha Coe | Film |
| 1990 | Murder, She Wrote | Ruth | Episode: "O'Malley's Luck" |
| 1990 | The Family Man | Miss Campbell | Episode: "Making Babies" |
| 1990 | ABC Afterschool Special | Sally | Episode: "Testing Dirty" |
| 1991 | Gabriel's Fire | Miss Richards | Episode: "The Great Waldo" |
| 1991 | What a Dummy | Sheila | Episode: "Bringing Up Baby" |
| 1991 | Prison Stories: Women on the Inside | Lucy | TV movie |
| 1991 | Davis Rules | Mrs. Barrett | Episode: " A Man for All Reasons" |
| 1991 | The Munsters Today | Okra Dimpley | Episode: "Diary of a Mad Munsterwife" |
| 1992 | Gladiator | Miss Higgins | Film |
| 1991–1992 | Baby Talk | Anita Craig | Main role (23 episodes) |
| 1993 | Super Mario Bros. | Big Bertha | Film |
| 1993 | Mad About You | Nurse | Episode: "Bedfellows" |
| 1994 | The Nanny | Nurse Smith | Episode: "Deep Throat" |
| 1994 | Martin | Judge Wheatley | Episode: "Crunchy Drawers" "No Justice, No Peace" |
| 1992 | S.F.W. | Kim Martin | Film |
| 1994 | My So-Called Life | Ms. Mandeville | Episode: "Father Figures" |
| 1994 | Melrose Place | Marcia | Episode: "Sex, Drugs and Rockin' the Cradle" |
| 1995 | Safe | Patient No. 2 | Film |
| 1995 | Step by Step | Dr. Postley | Episode: "A Foster/Lambert Production" "Can't Buy Me Love" |
| 1996 | Eye for an Eye | Parent of Murdered Children Group #2 | Film |
| 1996 | High Incident | ? | Episode: Till Death Do Us Part |
| 1996 | Moesha | Maxine | Episode: "Reunion" |
| 1997 | Hangin' with Mr. Cooper | Nicole | Episode: "Security" |
| 1997 | Women: Stories of Passion | Clara | Episode: "Chinese Take-Out" |
| 1997 | Fired Up | Mrs. Francis | 13 episodes |
| 1998 | The Odd Couple II | Passenger | Film |
| 1998–1999 | Maggie | Kimberly | 8 episodes |
| 1994–1999 | Home Improvement | Marge | Episode: "Knee Deep" "Future Shock" "It's My Party" "Slip Sleddin' Away" |
| 1999 | It's Like, You Know... | Mrs. Robinson | Episode: "Arthur 2: On the Rocks" |
| 2000 | City of Angels | Iris Forchette | Episode: "The Prince and the Porker" |
| 2000 | Family Law | Janet Moriarty | Episode: "One Mistake" |
| 2000 | Gideon's Crossing | Rae Trayfield | Episode: "The Gift" |
| 2000 | Felicity | Clinic Worker | Episode: "Surprise" |
| 1999–2000 | Ally McBeal | Judge Cynthia Harris | Episode: "Love on Holiday" "Love Unlimited" |
| 2001 | 7th Heaven | Mrs. Miller | Episode: "Regrets" |
| 2001 | Go Fish | Principal Fields | Episode: "Go Four-Point Plan" |
| 2001 | Legally Blonde | Marina R. Bickford | Film |
| 2001 | The District | Mrs. Nunez | Episode: "Melt Down" |
| 2002 | That '80s Show | Professor Webster | Episode: "Double Date" |
| 2003 | Presidio Med | ? | Episode: "Suffer Unto Me the Children..." |
| 2003 | The Division | Judge | Episode: "Body Double" |
| 2003–2004 | 10-8: Officers on Duty | Darla Handy | Episode: "Wild and the Innocent" "Blood Sugar Sex Magik" "Badlands" "A Hard Day's Night" "Brothers in Arms" |
| 2004 | Quintuplets | Principal Wilcox | Episode: "Teacher's Pet" |
| 2004 | In Good Company | Loan Officer | Film |
| 2002–2005 | Judging Amy | ASA Teresa Willings | Episode: "Getting Out" "Maxine Interrupted" "The Cook of the Money Pot" |
| 2006 | Grey's Anatomy | Estelle Byrd | Episode: "Let the Angels Commit" |
| 2007 | Man in the Chair | Juanita | Film |
| 2007 | Love Is a Four Letter Word | Judge Doolittle | TV movie |
| 2007 | Take | Principal | Film |
| 2007 | Big Shots | Dr. Seaver-Filner | Episode: "Greatest Amerimart Hero" "The Good, the Bad, and the Really Ugly" "Tall, Dark and Hairless" "Pilot" |
| 2005–2008 | Boston Legal | Judge Jamie Atkinson | Episode: "Guardians and Gatekeepers" "Word Salad Days" "Truly, Madly, Deeply" "Schadenfreude" "'Til We Meat Again" |
| 2009 | Pushing Daisies | Amelia Stingwell | Episode: "Water & Power" |
| 2009 | The Forgotten | Flora Williams | Episode: "River John" |
| 2010 | Outlaw | Judge Jenny Hagopian | Episode: "In Re: Curtis Farwell" |
| 2010–2011 | Law & Order: LA | Judge Martha Dreyer | Episode: "Echo Park" "Angel's Knoll" "Silver Lake" "Hondo Field" |
| 2012 | Wilfred | Felicia | Episode: "Service" "Dignity" "Progress" |
| 2015 | Bad Judge | ? | Episode: "The Fixer" |
| 2015 | It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia | Sandy Lawler | Episode: "Charlie Work" |
| 2016 | Shameless | Ms. Taylor | Episode: "Pimp's Paradise" |
| 2017 | Empire | Judge Barnes | Episode: "Fortune Be Not Crost" |