Roxie Roker

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BIRTHDAY

August 28, 1929

Miami, FL

DIED

December 02, 1995

RECENT CREDITS

The Jeffersons (TV) Nov. 24, 2006

Amazon Women on the Moon (FILM) Sep. 18, 1987

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BIOGRAPHY

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On television, supporting actress Roxie Roker may best be remembered for playing outspoken Helen Willis for ten years on the popular television sitcom The Jeffersons. She and TV husband Franklin Cover comprised the first interracial married couple on network television. But in addition to television, Roker had also found success on stage and in the occasional feature film. Miami-born and Brooklyn-raised, Roker graduated from Howard University with a drama degree and then flew to England to study at the Shakespeare Institute in Stratford-on-Avon. During the 1960s, Roker supported herself with a secretarial job at NBC's New York office while trying to find acting jobs. Roker launched her drama career off-Broadway in productions such as Jean Genet's The Blacks. Between 1967 and '68, Roker hosted a local community television show, but that wasn't close enough to acting, so she quit to practice her craft full time. With the Negro Ensemble Company she appeared in Ododo and Rosalie Pritchet. In 1974, she earned an Obie and a Tony nomination for The River Niger. In 1975, shortly after moving to Los Angeles, Norman Lear cast Roker in The Jeffersons. In addition to this role, Roker occasionally guest-starred on other series and appeared in television movies. Her feature-film appearances were rare. Roker made her debut in Claudine (1974). In the '90s, Roker resumed her stage career, appearing in a theatrical version of The Jeffersons and then touring opposite Mary Martin and Carol Channing in Legends. Roker's son, Lenny Kravitz is a noted rock musician and record producer.

~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

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Headlines

News, June 30: Celebs Roast MTV's Carson Daly, DMX Arrested in...

Jun. 30, 2003

Madonna, Britney Spears, Nelly, Jennifer Love Hewitt and Adam Carolla are just some of the celebs who took part in Saturday night's inaugural MTV Bash, the comedy roast of the network's Carson Daly. But it seems some of the jokes had more sting than humor. Also: Moscow International Film Festival Steven Seagal Scott Foley Scrubs Port Charles DMX Lenny Kravitz Clear Channel Joel...

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