# LaTanya Richardson Jackson

LaTanya Richardson Jackson (born October 21, 1949) is an American actress. She began her career appearing in off-Broadway productions, before playing supporting roles on television and film. Her performances are credited to her birth name, LaTanya Richardson, from 1989–2013.
Richardson has appeared in films including Fried Green Tomatoes (1991), Malcolm X (1992), Sleepless in Seattle (1993), When a Man Loves a Woman (1994), Losing Isaiah (1995), Lone Star (1996), U.S. Marshals (1998), and The Fighting Temptations (2003). Her television credits include 100 Centre Street (2001–2002), Show Me a Hero (2015), Luke Cage (2016–2018), and Rebel (2017).

## Early and personal life

She was born in Atlanta, Georgia. While attending Atlanta's historically Black, all-female Spelman College in 1970, she met Samuel L. Jackson, then a student at the historically Black, all-male Morehouse College. She and Jackson married in 1980 and have one child together (b. 1982). After her daughter's birth, Richardson stopped working regularly for family reasons.

## Career

Richardson played Paulina Pritchett in the 2003 musical film The Fighting Temptations. She has appeared in four films with her husband, Samuel L. Jackson: Juice (1992), Losing Isaiah (1995), Freedomland (2006), and Mother and Child (2009).
In 2014, Richardson received a Tony Award nomination for Best Lead Actress in a Play for her performance in the play A Raisin in the Sun, her second appearance on Broadway after her debut in the 2009 revival of Joe Turner's Come and Gone. She appeared in Aaron Sorkin's adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird on Broadway in the 2018–19 season.
From 2017 to 2023, Richardson made regular appearances as Maggie Pierce’s adoptive mother, Diane, on Grey's Anatomy.
In September 2022, Richardson made her directorial debut directing the Broadway revival of August Wilson's play The Piano Lesson at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre.

## Filmography

On film, she has been credited under her birth name, LaTanya Richardson, from 1991–2009, except for the 2006 film Freedomland.

### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1991 | Hangin' with the Homeboys | Caseworker | |
| 1991 | The Super | Judge Smith | |
| 1991 | Fried Green Tomatoes | Janeen | |
| 1992 | Juice | Steel's Mother | |
| 1992 | Malcolm X | Lorraine | |
| 1992 | Lorenzo's Oil | Nurse Ruth | |
| 1993 | Sleepless in Seattle | Harriet | |
| 1994 | The Last Laugh | Elaine | Short film |
| 1994 | When a Man Loves a Woman | Dr. Gina Mendez | |
| 1995 | Losing Isaiah | Caroline Jones | |
| 1996 | Lone Star | Priscilla Worth | |
| 1997 | Loved | Attorney Rose Jackson | |
| 1997 | Julian Po | Darlene | |
| 1998 | U.S. Marshals | Deputy Marshal Savannah Cooper | |
| 1998 | Secrets | | Short film |
| 2003 | The Fighting Temptations | Paulina Pritchett | |
| 2006 | Freedomland | Marie | First film credit as LaTanya Richardson Jackson |
| 2007 | All About Us | Cousin Bernice | |
| 2007 | Blackout | Mrs. Thompson | |
| 2009 | Mother and Child | Carol | Last film credit as LaTanya Richardson |
| 2019 | Juanita | Kay-Rita | Second (hereafter continuous) film credit as LaTanya Richardson Jackson |
| 2023 | You Hurt My Feelings | Sylvia | |

### Television

On television, she has been credited as her birth name, LaTanya Richardson, from 1989–2013, except for a 2012 episode of Damages.
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1989 | A Man Called Hawk | Doris Gilbert | Episode: "Life After Death" |
| 1991 | Law & Order | Lorraine | Episode: "Life Choice" |
| 1992 | Law & Order | Anne Houston | Episode: "Sisters of Mercy" |
| 1992 | The Nightman | Emily | TV film |
| 1992 | Frannie's Turn | Vivian | Episodes: "Pilot", "Frannie and the Kitchen Sink" |
| 1992 | One Life to Live | Rodi | TV series |
| 1993 | Civil Wars | Van Beechley | Episode: "Hit the Road, Jack" |
| 1993 | Shameful Secrets | Louise Levy | TV film |
| 1993 | Cheers | Moderator | Episode: "Woody Gets an Election" |
| 1994 | Midnight Run for Your Life | Det. Dixon | TV film |
| 1994 | Party of Five | Jane Gideon | Episode: "Private Lives" |
| 1994 | Earth 2 | Alex Wentworth | Episode: "A Memory Play" |
| 1995 | Chicago Hope | Mrs. Parnett | Episode: "Cutting Edges" |
| 1995 | NYPD Blue | Sister Cecilia | Episode: "Heavin' Can Wait" |
| 1996 | The Deliverance of Elaine | Edna | TV film |
| 1997 | Homicide: Life on the Street | Lynette Thompson | Episode: "Betrayal" |
| 1998 | Any Day Now | Mrs. Walker | Episode: "Call Him Johnny" |
| 1998–1999 | Ally McBeal | Attorney Yvette Rose | Episodes: "Story of Love", "Let's Dance" |
| 1999 | Introducing Dorothy Dandridge | Auntie | TV film |
| 1999 | Judging Amy | Lena Railsback | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 1999 | Once and Again | Counselor | Episode: "Boy Meets Girl" |
| 2000 | Hairstory | | TV film |
| 2001 | Within These Walls | Melinda Donovan | TV film |
| 2001–2002 | 100 Centre Street | Atallah Sims | Recurring role (8 episodes) |
| 2003 | Boston Public | Sheila | Episode: "Chapter 62" |
| 2006 | The Water Is Wide | Edna | TV film |
| 2011 | Harry's Law | Noreen | Episode: "In the Ghetto" |
| 2012 | Damages | Judge Jaclynn Ellis | Episode: "You Want to End This Once and for All?"; first TV credit as LaTanya Richardson Jackson |
| 2013 | The Watsons Go to Birmingham | Grandma Sands | TV film; last TV credit as LaTanya Richardson |
| 2014–2015 | Blue Bloods | Lt. Dee Ann Carver | Recurring role, Season 5; second (hereafter continuous) TV credit as LaTanya Richardson Jackson |
| 2015 | Show Me a Hero | Norma O'Neal | TV miniseries |
| 2016–2018 | Luke Cage | Maybelline "Mama Mabel" Stokes | Episodes: "Manifest", "The Creator" |
| 2017 | Rebel | Detective Traylynn Jones | 2 episodes |
| 2017–2023 | Grey's Anatomy | Diane Pierce | Guest star (5 episodes; season 13, 18, and 19) |
| 2018 | American Masters | Narrator | Episode: "Lorraine Hansberry: Sighted Eyes/Feeling Heart" |
| 2022 | The Last Movie Stars | Maude Brink (voice) | 3 episodes |

### Theatre

| Year | Title | Role | Playwright | Venue |
| 2009 | Joe Turner's Come and Gone | Bertha Holly | August Wilson | Belasco Theatre, Broadway |
| 2014 | A Raisin in the Sun | Lena Younger | Lorraine Hansberry | Ethel Barrymore Theatre, Broadway |
| 2018–2019 | To Kill a Mockingbird | Calpurnia | Aaron Sorkin | Shubert Theatre, Broadway |
| 2022 | The Piano Lesson | — | August Wilson | Director; Ethel Barrymore Theatre, Broadway |
| 2025 | Purpose | Claudine Jasper | Branden Jacobs-Jenkins | Hayes Theater, Broadway |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Project | Result |
| 2010 | Audie Award | Audiobook of the Year | Nelson Mandela's Favorite African Folktales | Won |
| 2010 | Audie Award | Multi-Voiced Performance | Nelson Mandela's Favorite African Folktales | Won |
| 2014 | Tony Award | Best Actress in a Play | A Raisin in the Sun | Nominated |
| 2014 | Black Reel Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a TV Movie | The Watsons Go to Birmingham | Nominated |
| 2016 | Image Award | Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie or Limited Series | Show Me a Hero | Nominated |