Berlinda Tolbert

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Berlinda Tolbert
Berlinda Tolbert 1975.jpg
Tolbert in 1975
Born (1949-11-04) November 4, 1949 (age 75) [1] [2]
Education University of North Carolina School of the Arts
OccupationActress
Years active1973–2013
Known forJenny Willis Jefferson – The Jeffersons
Spouse
Bob Reid
​
(m. 1979)​
Damon Evans and Tolbert on TV's The Jeffersons (1976) Damon Evans Berlinda Tolbert 1976.jpg
Damon Evans and Tolbert on TV's The Jeffersons (1976)

Berlinda Tolbert (born November 4, 1949) [1] [2] is an American film and television actress. Tolbert is best known for her role as Jenny Willis Jefferson, the daughter of Tom and Helen Willis on the CBS sitcom The Jeffersons , which originally aired from 1975 until 1985.

Contents

Early life and education

Tolbert majored in theater at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem. [3] She also studied drama in London. [4]

Career

In a 2013 interview, Tolbert stated, "I've only had one job in my entire life... professional actress." [5] She got her first film part from Martin Scorsese in Mean Streets in 1973, when she was in acting school. [5]

The Jeffersons

On The Jeffersons, Tolbert played Jenny, the daughter of interracial couple Tom and Helen Willis. Jenny had become engaged to Lionel Jefferson, the son of George and Louise, when they were still characters on Norman Lear's "All In The Family". They married and had a daughter. Tolbert played the role of Jenny for the run of the series, from 1975 to 1985. [6]

Later career

In 1981, Tolbert competed for the CBS team on Battle of the Network Stars . [7] In 1983, Tolbert starred in the Maya Angelou play On A Southern Journey. [8] Following the cancellation of The Jeffersons in 1985, Tolbert appeared in films including Harlem Nights , Goodfellas , and Patriot Games , and television shows including ER , Six Feet Under , and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation . [9] Tolbert appeared in the 2011 indie film Last Ride on the Midwest Pacific. [5]

Personal life

Tolbert married journalist Bob Reid in 1979. [10]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1974 Airport 1975 AnneUncredited/ film debut
1989 Beverly Hills Brats Nina
1989 Harlem Nights Annie
1990 Goodfellas Berlinda
1992 Patriot Games Sissy
1994 Dangerous Touch Sasha Taylor
2004 Strange Fruit Emma Ayers
2007 Live! Clarissa Boyd
2011Last Ride on the Midwest PacificAngeline

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1974 That's My Mama Polly CarstairsEpisode: Clifton's Dubious Romance
1974 Sanford and Son DeloresEpisode: Sanford and Niece
1974 The Streets of San Francisco Chris JacksonEpisode: For Good or Evil
1975 All in the Family Jenny WillisEpisode: The Jeffersons Move on Up
1975 Mannix Jobina RogellEpisode: Chance Meeting
1975 S.W.A.T. Joanne WyattEpisode: Death Score
1975 Police Woman Lily ThomasEpisode: The Chasers
1975-1985 The Jeffersons Jenny Willis Jefferson / Jenny Willis66 episodes
1981-1984 Fantasy Island Sandy Hoffman / Linda Bell / Billie Joe3 episodes
1981-1985 The Love Boat Lynda Miles / Patty Phelps2 episodes
1983 Matt Houston Janey LennoxEpisode: The Rock and the Hard Place
1984 Airwolf Lea LoganaEpisode: And They Are Us
1985 Hotel Michelle ToddEpisode: Resolutions
1987 Amen DarleneEpisode: Thelma's Reunion
1990 Gabriel's Fire ShellyEpisode: To Catch a Con: Part 2
1990 Jake and the Fatman Sharon LeeEpisode: Goodbye
1993 FBI: The Untold Stories Mary SmithEpisode: Mary
1997 Sabrina, The Teenage Witch Mrs. HechtEpisode: The Crucible
1998 7th Heaven Ms. HanoverEpisode: It Takes Two, Baby
1998 The Army Show Phyliss Henchy2 episodes
1999 Home Improvement NoreenEpisode: The Long and Winding Road: Part 1
2001 Dead Last YolandaEpisode: The Problem with Corruption
2003 Half & Half DeniseEpisode: The Big Forbidden Fruit Episode
2004 ER Nancy NatarelliEpisode: Blood Relations
2004 Strong Medicine Episode: Cinderella in Scrubs
2005 Six Feet Under DebraEpisode: Time Flies
2007 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation BarbaraEpisode: Leapin' Lizards

References

  1. 1 2 "Happy Birthday to Berlinda Tolbert". facebook.com/soultvofficial. Soul TV. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  2. 1 2 "Actress Berlinda Tolbert". blackhistorydaily.com. Black History Daily. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  3. ↑ "Jeffersons' Jenny Has A 'Guardian Angel' She'd Like To Thank - If Possible". Jet . Johnson Publishing Company. July 21, 1977. pp. 62–63. Retrieved December 16, 2016.
  4. ↑ Louie Robinson (January 1976). "The Jeffersons: A look at life on black America's new 'Striver's Row'". Ebony . p. 115. Retrieved December 16, 2016.
  5. 1 2 3 Deanna Martin-Osuagwu (November 5, 2013). "What ever happened to... Berlinda Tolbert?". Jet. Retrieved December 16, 2016.
  6. ↑ Kathleen Fearn-Banks (August 4, 2009). The A to Z of African-American Television. Scarecrow Press. pp. 205, 220, 440. ISBN   9780810863484 . Retrieved December 20, 2016.
  7. ↑ "Battle of the Netowrk Stars XI". Turner Classic Movies . Retrieved January 22, 2017.
  8. ↑ "Berlinda Tolbert Stars In Maya Angelou Play". Jet. Johnson Publishing Company. December 19, 1983. p. 61. Retrieved December 16, 2016.
  9. ↑ "Remembering the Cast of The Jeffersons". BET . January 2015. Retrieved December 16, 2016.
  10. ↑ "Berlinda Tolbert, Los Angeles, Bob Reid, New York". Ebony. Johnson Publishing Company. March 1986. p. 160. Retrieved December 16, 2016.
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