Jackée Harry

Jacqueline Yvonne Harry (born August 14, 1956), better known by her mononymous stage name Jackée, is an American actress, singer, comedian, director, and television personality.[1] She is best known for her roles as Sandra Clark, the sexy nemesis of Mary Jenkins (played by Marla Gibbs), on the NBC TV series 227 (1985–90), and as Lisa Landry on the ABC/The WB sitcom Sister, Sister (1994–99). She is noted for being the first and currently only African-American to win an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.
== Early life ==
Harry was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, in 1956, and raised in Harlem, New York,[2] to an Afro-Trinidadian mother and African-American father. Harry began studying acting at the High School of the Performing Arts in Midtown Manhattan in New York City.[2] Harry graduated from Long Island University with a Bachelor of Arts in education. She worked as an American History teacher at Brooklyn Technical High School for two years before beginning a career on the New York stage.[3][4][5]
== Career ==
=== Theater ===
In 1978, Harry made her Broadway debut in A Broadway Musical.[5] Throughout the 1980s she starred in numerous productions both on and off Broadway, and in national touring productions. In 1994, Harry made her return to the theater by starring as Billie Holiday in the play Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill. Following that stage production, she fulfilled the role of "madam who runs a bordello" in the Broadway musical The Boys from Syracuse. In the mid-2000s, she appeared in stage productions of The Sunshine Boys, Damn Yankees, and A Christmas Carol. She also toured nationally in JD Lawrence's The Clean Up Woman.[6]
=== Television ===
In 1983, Harry made her acting debut in Another World as Lily Mason, a role she continued until 1986.[5] In 2003, she was a surprise guest on the Another World Reunion that SOAPnet coordinated and aired.[citation needed] In 1985, Harry began a co-starring role as Sandra Clark, on the NBC sitcom 227.[5][7] Her mother, Flossie, celebrated her getting the role but died before the show started airing. During the series run, Harry and Marla Gibbs began feuding privately over who was the series' lead. They have since reconciled and collaborated on a number of projects.[8] Her performance on 227 inspired NBC producers to create a television pilot for her entitled Jackée. Although the pilot episode was a success with audiences, the series did not last and the episode is now shown as an episode of 227.
After leaving 227 in 1989, Harry starred opposite Oprah Winfrey in The Women of Brewster Place, an adaptation of Gloria Naylor's novel of the same name.[9] In 1990, she headlined an NBC comedy pilot from Witt/Thomas titled We'll Take Manhattan; it aired as a summer special that year, but did not make it to series. In late 1991, she joined the cast of The Royal Family after the star, Redd Foxx, unexpectedly died.[10] She starred opposite two-time 227 guest-star Della Reese. In 1992, she starred as the assistant coach in Ladybugs.[11] Harry served as a guest panelist on the 2000 revival of To Tell the Truth and appeared on the second season of VH1's Celebrity Fit Club 2 in 2005.[12][13] From 1994 until 1999, Harry played Lisa Landry, the adoptive mother of Tia Mowry's character, on the sitcom Sister, Sister.[14]
She had a recurring role as Vanessa on the UPN/The CW series Everybody Hates Chris and had a recurring role on the BET Series Let's Stay Together.[11][15] She is starring in Byron Allen's syndicated sitcom The First Family, which also features Marla Gibbs in a recurring role. On April 12, 2013, it was announced that she was cast in the episodes "Girl Meets Crazy Hat" and the pilot of Disney sitcom Girl Meets World. Later, she also appeared in "Girl Meets Demolition". That same year, she also joined Gibbs in the movie Forbidden Woman. In 2014, she made a guest appearance on Instant Mom as her character Lisa Landry.[16] She appeared in the 2 Broke Girls episode "And the Sax Problem" in 2016, as Earl's ex and lounge owner.
== Awards ==
Harry became the first African American to win an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for 227 in 1987.[17] She won NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for Sister, Sister two consecutive years in 1999 and 2000.[18][19]
== Personal life ==
Harry was married to Elgin Charles Williams from 1996 to 2003.[20] They adopted their son, Frank, in 1997.[21]
== Filmograph ==
=== Film ===
Year	Film 	Role 	Notes
1984	Moscow on the Hudson 	Woman 	Uncredited
1984	The Cotton Club 	Dancer 	
1986	Alvin Goes Back to School 	Gina Lipman 	TV movie
1987	Alf Loves a Mystery 	Countess 	TV Movie
1987	The Incredible Ida Early 	Ida Early 	TV Movie
1988	Crash Course 	Edna Savage 	TV Movie
1988	The Cheech Show 	Sheila 	TV Movie
1989	Double Your Pleasure 	Linda Cavanaugh / Sharlene Cavanaugh	TV Movie
1989	Jackée 	Sandra Clark 	TV Movie
1989	The Women of Brewster Place 	Etta Mae Johnson 	TV Movie
1990	We'll Take Manhattan 	Yvonne 	
1992	Ladybugs 	Julie Benson 	
1993	Living and Working in Space: The Countdown Has Begun	Charmayne 	Direct-to-video
2003	The Nick at Nite Holiday Special 	Jackée / The Baker 	TV movie
2004	You Got Served 	Mama 	
2006	All You've Got 	Butt shorts salesman 	TV movie
2007	The Last Day of Summer 	Lola the Lobster 	
2009	Man of Her Dreams 	Louise Smith 	Stage play
2009	G.E.D. 	Mama 	
2010	Christmas Cupid 	Vivian 	TV movie
2010	The Clean Up Woman 	Jasmine 	Stage play
2010	Knight to D7 	Nurse Hamilton 	Short film
2011	The Ideal Husband 	Vivian Peterson 	TV movie
2011	Nurse Jackée 	Nurse Jackée 	Short film
2012	Brother White 	Veena 	TV movie
2012	Switchin' the Script 	Mrs. Shepard 	
2013	The Coalition 	Grandmother Hathaway 	Direct-to-video
2013	The Sins of Deacon Whyles 	Mom 	
2013	The Love Letter 	Josephine 	TV movie
2013	Forbidden Woman 	Sheila 	
2014	Knock 'Em Dead 	Savannah 	
2014	The Dirty 30 	Linda 	
2015	The Man in 3B 	Miss Bertha 	
=== Television ===
Year 	Title 	Role 	Notes
1983–1986 	Another World 	Lily Mason 	Main role
1985–1989 	227 	Sandra Clark 	Main role (Seasons 1–4); recurring role (season 5)
1988–1989 	Amen 	Roxanne Farley / Florence Hawkins	3 episodes
1990 	TGIF 	Lisa 	
1991–1992 	The Royal Family 	Ruth 'CoCo' Royal 	Main role, 8 episodes
1992 	Designing Women 	Vanessa Chamberlain 	Episode: "Shades of Vanessa"
1994 	Dave's World 	Estelle 	Episode: "Saved by Estelle"
1994–1999 	Sister, Sister 	Lisa Landry 	Main role, 120 episodes
1995–1997 	Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child 	Giant's Wife / Little Bo Peep 	Voice; episodes: "Jack and the Beanstalk", "Mother Goose"
1996 	Married... with Children 	Lady on show 	Episode: "The Hood, the Bud and the Kelly"
2000 	Twice in a Lifetime 	Darcy Green / Louise Lutrelle 	Episode: "Used Hearts"
2003 	7th Heaven 	Ms. Beane 	Episode: "It's Not Always About You"
2005 	That's So Raven 	Dava 	Episode: "Goin' Hollywood"
2005 	One on One 	Sherri St. Croix 	Episode: "Waiting for Huffman"
2006–2009 	Everybody Hates Chris 	Vanessa 	Recurring role, 26 episodes
2008 	The Mighty B! 	Nurse (voice) 	Episode: "Bee Patients"
2010 	Friends & Lovers 	Omar's Mother 	2 episodes
2011 	She's Still Not Our Sister 	Connie 	
2011–2013 	Let's Stay Together 	Delores Whitmore 	Recurring role, 5 episodes
2012–2015 	The First Family 	Pauletta Birdsong 	Main role, 36 episodes
2012 	For Richer or Poorer 	Mrs. Henderson 	Episodes: "Ex Files", "The Switch"
2012 	Are We There Yet? 	Jackée 	Episode: "The Ghost Dog Episode"
2013 	Celebrity Ghost Stories 	Herself 	(Season 4)
2013 	American Dad! 	Shonteeva's Assistant (voice) 	Episode: "For Black Eyes Only"
2013 	How to Live with Your Parents (For the Rest of Your Life)	Jessoka 	Episode: "How to Help the Needy"
2013 	Wanda Sykes Presents Herlarious 	Mrs. Jordan 	
2014 	Glee 	Herself 	Episode: "City of Angels"
2014 	Instant Mom 	Lisa Landry 	Episode: "Not Your Mother's Day"
2014 	One Love 	Nurse Beverly 	Episode: "Tea-Ball"
2014–2015 	Girl Meets World 	Evelyn Rand 	Recurring role, 3 episodes
2015 	In the Cut 	Nadine 	Main role, 4 episodes
2015 	Family Time 	Gladys 	Episode: "Hospitality"
2015 	Baby Daddy 	Judge Johnson 	3 episodes
2015 	Transformers: Robots in Disguise 	Zizza 	Episode: "The Buzz on Windblade"
2015 	Young & Hungry 	JoJo 	Episode: "Young & Christmas"
2016 	2 Broke Girls 	Ruby 	Episode: "And the Sax Problem"
2017 	The Thundermans 	Officer Bosco 	Episode: "Orange Is the New Max"
2018 	K.C. Undercover 	Betty/Midge Turner 	Episode: "The Gammy Files"
2018–present	Tyler Perry's The Paynes 	JoAnn Payne 	Lead role