Daphne Maxwell Reid

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BIRTHDAY

July 13, 1948

New York City, New York, United States

RECENT CREDITS

Eve (TV) Mar. 23, 2006

Slavery and the Making of America (TV) Feb. 16, 2005

Crossing Jordan (TV) Oct. 24, 2004

Alley Cats Strike! (TV) Mar. 18, 2000

Asunder (FILM) Jan. 1, 1999

View all Daphne Maxwell Reid Credits

BIOGRAPHY

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Poised, pretty, and personable TV lead and host who often worked with her husband actor-producer Tim Reid, most notably in the acclaimed but regrettably short-lived sitcom "Frank's Place" (CBS, 1987-88), an irreverent but classy look at some of the intricacies of the African-American experience. Elected Northwestern University's first Black Homecoming Queen, Reid entered showbiz as a model with the Eileen Ford modeling agency, appearing in numerous magazines and landing a Glamour cover. This exposure led to TV commercials and acting lessons under the tutelage of actor-teacher Robert Hooks, the co-founder of the Negro Ensemble Company. Reid made her acting debut in an off-Broadway production of "The Skin of Our Teeth" while attending the workshop. TV guest spots followed a few years later on the likes of "Cagney and Lacey", "Hill Street Blues", and "WKRP in Cincinnati".

Reid played a recurring character, often opposite her husband, on the detective series "Simon and Simon". The Reids also split hosting and presenting chores on various parades and awards shows and played a crime-solving couple on the short-lived "Snoops" (CBS, 1989-90). Reid joined the cast of the NBC sitcom "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" in the 1993-94 season replacing the departing Janet Hubert-Whitten as Will Smith's Aunt Vivian Banks. An accomplished seamstress and fashion designer, she created a series of instructional videos including "Suddenly You're Sewing--with Daphne Maxwell Reid" and sewing patterns under the Daphne Maxwell Reid Collection for The McCall Pattern Company.

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