Rosetta LeNoire

Rosetta LeNoire (born Rosetta Olive Burton; August 8, 1911 – March 17, 2002) was an American stage, screen, and television actress, as well as a Broadway producer and casting agent. LeNoire is known to contemporary audiences for her work in television. She had regular roles on the series Gimme a Break! and Amen, but is perhaps best known for her role as Estelle "Mother Winslow" (Carl'smother) on Family Matters, which ran from 1989 to 1998. In 1999, she was awarded the National Medal of Arts.
== Early life and career ==
Lenoire was born in Harlem, New York, as the eldest of 5 children to Harold Burton, who was from Dominica and Nymarie Edith Jacques Helwig, of Jamaicain the West Indies. As a young girl, LeNoire suffered from rickets, which her godfather, Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, helped her overcome by teaching her to dance. LeNoire made her acting debut in a 1939 production of The Hot Mikado, starring Robinson, in which she played "Little Maid From School" Peep-Bo. She also appeared onstage, mostly as a singer and dancer, in I Had a Ball, Bassa Moona, Marching with Jimmy, Janie, Decision, Three's a Family, Destry Rides Again, and the Off Broadway Double Entry (two one-act musicals showcasing Lenoire: "The Bible Salesman," with a pre-SNL Garrett Morris, and "The Oldest Trick in the World" with Jane Connell).[2]
== Amas Repertory Theater ==
Rosetta LeNoire championed the cause of racial equity for more than 70 years. Her efforts profoundly influenced the New York theater community. In 1968, using her own savings, LeNoire founded the AMAS Repertory Theatre Company, an interracial theatre dedicated to multi-ethnic productions in New York City. With this company, LeNoire created an artistic community where members' individual skills were recognized without regard to race, creed, color, religion, or national origin. She became a successful and groundbreaking Broadway producer. The Actors' Equity Association awarded her the first award for helping contribute to the diversification of theatre casting; in 1988, the award was named the Rosetta LeNoire Award.
Amas Repertory Theatre provided a nurturing atmosphere for actors, and a community performing arts center. Throughout its history, many of the company's productions garnered reviews in The New York Times. The long-running theater's cramped headquarters were originally located at 1 East 104th Street, in the uptown neighborhood known as East Harlem. The theater continues today as Amas Musical Theatre, now located midtown on West 52nd Street above Jersey Boys, and carries on LeNoire's dream of diversity in the creative and theatrical arts. Since its inception, Amas has produced over 60 original musicals. Many of them have gone on to Broadway, including Bubbling Brown Sugar, which received a Tony Award nomination in 1976 for Best Musical.
== Voice acting ==
She was the voice of Big Bertha in Ralph Bakshi's animated feature film Fritz the Cat (1972). [3]
== Death ==
On March 17, 2002, LeNoire died at Holy Name Hospital in Teaneck, New Jerseyof complications from diabetes, although an article in TV Guide reported that she died of pneumonia.[4] A resident of the Lillian Booth Actors Home in Englewood, New Jersey, she was 90 years old at the time of her death.[5]
== Legacy ==
The Rosie Award, named for Rosetta LeNoire, "is given to individuals who demonstrate extraordinary accomplishment and dedication in the theatrical arts and to corporations that work to promote opportunity and diversity",[6] with past honorees including Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee, Geoffrey Holder and Carmen de Lavallade, Leslie Uggams, Maurice Hines, Phylicia Rashad, Woodie King Jr., Dionne Warwick, and George C. Wolfe.[7]
== Filmography ==
Film
Year	Title 	Role 	Notes
1958	Anna Lucasta 	Stella 	
1972	Fritz the Cat 	Bertha / Additional Female Crows (voice)	
1975	The Sunshine Boys 	Odessa, Willy's nurse 	
1983	Daniel 	Prison Matron 	
1984	Moscow on the Hudson 	The Judge 	
1984	The Brother From Another Planet	Mum 	
1984	Lily in Love 	Rosanna 	
1985	Brewster's Millions 	Judge R. Woods 	
1986	Whatever It Takes 	Millie 	
Television
Year 	Title 	Role 	Notes
1957 	Studio One 	Maid / Mary Ellen Bailey 	Episodes: "The Mother Bit" and "The Defender": Parts 1 and 2
1957 	The Green Pastures 	Noah's Wife 	TV Movie
1960 	Play of the Week 	Belle 	Episodes: "Seven Times Monday" and "The Velvet Glove"
1962 	Armstrong Circle Theatre 	Kathy 	Episode: "Journey to Oblivion"
1964 	The Nurses 	Bessie 	
1966 	ABC Stage 67 	Woman 	Episode: "The Love Song of Barney Kempinski"
1970 	A World Apart 	Matilda 	
1971 	The Coming Asunder of Jimmy Bright	 	TV Movie
1971-72 	The Guiding Light 	Leona Herbert 	Episode: "Not with My Cousin You Don't"
1972 	Another World 	Gloria Metcalf 	Unknown episodes
1973 	Calucci's Department 	Mizzi Gordon 	Episode: "The $80 Heist"
1975 	Guess Who's Coming to Dinner 	Tillie 	TV Movie
1976 	Thank You, M'am 	Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones	Short
1977 	Ryan's Hope 	Miriam George 	6 episodes
1977 	The Royal Family 	Della 	TV Movie
1978 	Fantasy Island 	Cool Shade / Darryl (voice)[8] 	Episode: "Family Reunion/Voodoo"
1980 	Mandy's Grandmother 	Librarian 	Short
1980 	Big Blonde 	Nettie 	TV Movie
1982 	Benny's Place 	 	TV Movie
1984 	Great Performances 	Rheba 	Episode: "You Can't Take It with You"
1985 	Tales from the Darkside 	Miss Gillis 	Episode: "Parlour Floor Front"
1985–1987	Gimme a Break! 	Maybelle 'Mama' Harper 	16 episodes
1987 	The Father Clements Story 	Mrs. Clements 	TV Movie
1987–1989	Amen 	Leola Forbes / Leola Hudson 	8 episodes
1990 	Maverick Square 	Mrs. Lewis 	TV Movie
1989–1997	Family Matters 	Estelle 'Mother' Winslow 	Main (seasons 1-7) and recurrent (seasons 8-9) actress
1998 	Cosby 	Nurse 	Episode: "Playground Scar"