Anna Maria Horsford

Anna Maria Horsford (born March 6, 1948) is an American actress, known for her performances in television comedies.
Horsford is best known for her roles as Thelma Frye on the NBC sitcom Amen(1986–91), and as Dee Baxter on the WB sitcom The Wayans Bros. (1995–99). She had dramatic roles on the FX crime drama The Shield playing A.D.A. Beth Encardi, and CBS daytime soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful as Vivienne Avant, for which she was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Guest Performer in a Drama Series in 2016.
Horsford appeared in a number of movies, most notable as Craig Jones' mother Betty in 1995 comedy film Friday and its sequel Friday After Next (2002). Her other film credits include Times Square (1980), The Fan (1981), Presumed Innocent (1990), Set It Off (1996), Along Came a Spider (2001), Our Family Wedding (2010), and A Madea Christmas (2013).
== Early life ==
Horsford was born in Harlem in 1948 to Victor Horsford, an investment real estate broker originally from the Dominican Republic, and Lillian Agatha (née Richardson) Horsford, emigrated from Antigua and Barbuda in the 1940s.[2][3]According to a DNA analysis, she has maternal ancestry from the Limba peopleof Sierra Leone.[4]
== Career ==
Her first major role in television was as a producer for the PBS show Soul!, hosted by Ellis Haizlip, which aired between 1967 and 1973. One of her first TV appearances was on the first run syndication game show of To Tell the Truth in 1973 where she was an imposter for Laura Livingston, One of the first female military police. Horsford made guest appearances on such sitcoms as The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Sparks, Moesha, The Bernie Mac Show, The Shield, Girlfriends, and Everybody Hates Chris. She had main roles on the sitcoms The Wayans Bros. as "Dee Baxter" and "Thelma Frye" on Amen. She appeared on the drama Judging Amy.[5]
More recently, she was seen in the first season of Grey's Anatomy.[6] She returned to the big screen in the 2013 film A Madea Christmas. She portrayed Helen on the BET sitcom Reed Between the Lines.[5]
Horsford currently has a recurring role as Vivienne Avant on The Bold and the Beautiful. For the role, she was nominated for Outstanding Special Guest Performer in a Drama Series in the 43rd Daytime Emmy Awards.[7]
== Political and social causes ==
On October 29, 2011, Horsford was awarded the title of Ambassador of Tourism of Antigua.[3]
== Filmography ==
=== Films ===
Year	Title 	Role 	Notes 	
1979	An Almost Perfect Affair 	Amy Zon 	 	
1979	Hollow Image 	Monica 	Television Movie	
1980	Times Square 	Rosie Washington 	 	
1981	The Fan 	Emily Stolz 	 	
1981	Bill 	Ms. Marge Keating 	Television Movie	
1982	Love Child 	Mara 	 	
1982	Muggable Mary, Street Cop 	Kathy Thomas 	Television Movie	
1982	Benny's Place 	Charmaine 	Television Movie	
1983	Class 	Maggie 	 	
1984	Crackers 	Slam Dunk 	 	
1985	St. Elmo's Fire 	Naomi 	 	
1985	Stone Pillow 	Collins 	Television Movie	
1986	Nobody's Child 	Nurse Betty 	Television Movie	
1986	A Case of Deadly Force 	Virginia Cates 	Television Movie	
1986	Permanent Wave 	Eva 	Short film 	
1986	Heartburn 	Della, Harry's Maid 	 	
1986	C.A.T. Squad 	Mrs. Raines 	Television Movie	
1987	Street Smart 	Harriett 	 	
1987	If It's Tuesday, It Must Be Belgium 	 	Television Movie	
1988	Who Gets the Friends 	 	Television Movie	
1989	Taken Away 	Mrs. Pierson 	Television Movie	
1990	Presumed Innocent 	Eugenia 	 	
1990	A Killer Among Us 	Barbara Evans 	Television Movie	
1992	Murder without Motive: The Edmund Perry Story	Veronica Perry 	Television Movie	
1993	Mr. Jones 	Judge Harris 	 	
1995	Friday 	Betty Jones 	 	
1995	Once Upon a Time...When We Were Colored 	Miss Annie 	 	
1996	Dear God 	Lucille Barnett 	 	
1996	Set It Off 	Ms. Wells 	 	
1996	One Fine Day 	Evelyn 	 	
1996	Widow's Kiss 	Lavanda Harrison 	Television Movie	
1997	Circle of Pain 	 	Television Movie	
1997	Kiss the Girls 	Vickie Cross 	Cameo 	
1999	At Face Value 	Mosetta 	Short 	
2000	Dancing In September 	Sitcom Mom 	 	
2000	Nutty Professor II: The Klumps 	Denise's Mother 	 	
2000	Lockdown 	Saunders 	 	
2001	Along Came a Spider 	Vickie 	 	
2001	How High 	Mamma King 	 	
2001	Jacked 	Thelma Barnes 	 	
2002	Minority Report 	Casey 	 	
2002	Friday After Next 	Betty Jones 	 	
2004	Justice 	Chief Public Defender Poole	 	
2004	Guarding Eddy 	Carol 	 	
2005	My Big Phat Hip Hop Family 	Mamma Pearl 	 	
2005	Ganked 	Mrs. Barry 	Video 	
2006	Gridiron Gang 	Sharon Weathers 	 	
2006	Broken Bridges 	Loretta 	 	
2007	Trade 	Detective Martinez 	 	
2007	I Tried 	Milly 	 	
2010	Our Family Wedding 	Diane Boyd 	 	
2010	Wigger 	Ruth 	 	
2012	Living Loaded 	Bernie 	Television Movie	
2013	A Madea Christmas 	Elieen Murphy 	 	
2017	Jalen vs. Everybody 	Mom 	Television Movie	
2017	Gladys Brown 	Gladys Brown 	Short 	
=== Television ===
Year 	Title 	Role 	Notes
1978 	NBC Special Treat 	Ginnie Sheridan 	Episode: "The Tap Dance Kid"
1979 	Guiding Light 	Clara Jones 	Unknown episodes
1981-1984 	ABC Afterschool Specials 	Stephanie Marshak/Jessica 	Episodes: "Starstruck", "Summer Switch"
1982 	Nurse 	Joleen 	Episode: "The Store"
1983 	The Firm 	Sergeant Johnson 	Episode: "Pilot"
1985 	American Playhouse 	Hannah 	Episode: "Charlotte Forten's Mission: Experiment in Freedom"
1986-1991 	Amen 	Thelma Frye 	Series regular, 110 episodes
1987 	The Bronx Zoo 	Mrs. Devlin 	Episode: "It's Hard to Be a Saint in the City
1991 	Baby Talk 	Cynthia Willoughby 	Episode: "Womb with a View"
1991 	L.A. Law 	Judge 	Episode: "Do the Spike Thing"
1992 	The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air 	Karen Carruthers 	Episode: "Geoffrey Cleans Up"
1992-1993 	Rhythm & Blues 	Veronica Washington 	Series regular, 13 episodes
1992-1993 	The Adddams Family 	Additional Voices 	Recurring role, 21 episodes
1993 	Tall Hopes 	Lainie Harris 	Series regular, 6 episodes
1995-1999 	The Wayans Bros 	Deidre "Dee" Baxter 	Series regular, 80 episodes
1996 	Sparks 	Wilma's Aunt 	Episode: "How Papa Got His Groove Back"
1998 	L.A. Doctors 	Angela Daly 	Episodes: "Pilot", "Under the Radar"
1998 	7th Heaven 	Joyce 	Episode: "Here Comes Santa Claus"
1999 	The Wild Thornberrys 	Gola's Mother (voice) 	Episode: "Chimp off the Block"
1999 	Judging Amy 	Defense Attorney Charles 	Episode: "Crowed House"
2000 	Moesha 	Diane Henderson 	Episode: "The Candidate"
2002 	The Chronicle 	Jolene Freewald 	Episode: "Touched by an Alien"
2004 	The Bernie Mac Show 	Aunt Sis 	Episode: "Family Reunion"
2004 	The District 	Yates/Bobbi Yates/Vicky Yates	3 episodes
2004 	Method & Red 	Dorothea 	Series regular, 13 episodes
2005-2006 	Entourage 	Saigon's Mother 	Episodes: "Good Morning, Saigon", "I Wanna Be Sedated"
2005, 2007 	Grey's Anatomy 	Elizabeth Fallon 	Episodes: "No Man's Land", "Some Kind of Miracle"
2005-2008 	The Shield 	A.D.A Beth Encardi 	Recurring role, 8 episodes
2006 	Heist 	Wanda Evans 	Episode: "How Billy Got His Groove Back"
2008 	Las Vegas 	Aunt Vonice 	Episode: "Three Weddings and a Funeral Part 2"
2008 	Everybody Hates Chris 	Hattie Mitchell 	Episodes: "Everybody Hates Easter", "Everybody Hates the BFD"
2009 	Cold Case 	Geraldine Watkins '09 	Episode: "Soul"
2010 	American Dad! 	Voice 	Episode: "The People vs. Martin Sugar"
2011 	Let's Stay Together 	Raynelle/Jacqueline 	Episodes: "The Wedding Planner", "Your Arm's Too Short to Box with Grandparents"
2011 	Reed Between the Lines 	Helen Wilson 	Series regular, 20 episodes
2012 	Key and Peele 	Maid 	Episode: "Dueling Magical Negros"
2012 	The League 	Trina Richardson 	Episode: "Training Camp"
2012, 2017 	New Girl 	Charmaine 	Episodes: "Katie", "Misery"
2015 	It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia	Janet Barrett 	Episode: "The Gang Goes on Family Fight"
2015 	The Soul Man 	Ceci 	Episode: "Mo Momma, Mo Problems"
2015–present	The Bold and The Beautiful 	Vivienne Avant 	Series regular,
== Awards and nominations ==
List of acting awards and nominations
Year	Award 	Category 	Title 	Result 	Ref.
2005	Black Reel Award 	Best Actress – Network/Cable Television 	Justice 	Nominated	
2016	Daytime Emmy Award	Outstanding Special Guest Performer in a Drama Series	The Bold and the Beautiful	Nominated	[8]
2017	Daytime Emmy Award	Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series 	The Bold and the Beautiful	Nominated	[9]
Category:American film actresses