Desreta Jackson

Last updated
Desreta Jackson
Born (1971-04-19) April 19, 1971 (age 52)
Occupation Actress
Years active1985–present
Known forActress
Founder, Black Silk Products [1]
Notable work The Color Purple [2]
Website http://desretajackson.com/

Desreta Jackson (born April 19, 1971) is a Virgin Islander actress, producer and entrepreneur. She is best known for her role as Young Celie in the movie The Color Purple . [2]

Contents

Early life and education

Jackson was born in Tortola in the British Virgin Islands and migrated to the United States at the age of nine. Her family settled in a skid row area of Los Angeles and her mother collected cans to support her. After two years, her mother found housing in South Central Los Angeles. After acting in a scene in a school play, she told her mother that she wanted to take drama classes. Her mother enrolled her in acting classes to keep her away from gang activity where they lived in California. [3]

After various roles in television and movies, Jackson earned a degree in directing from Los Angeles City College. [4]

Acting career

Jackson's career began after only a short time in acting school. She was at a casting call for The Color Purple when she was spotted by the producer Reuben Cannon and she was called back for more casting calls. [2] She was given the role of the young Celie Harris (with Whoopi Goldberg as adult Celie), who is forced to marry a wealthy young local widower (Danny Glover) who abuses her. [5]

Jackson continued her career with roles in both television and film.

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
1985 The Color Purple Young Celie [6]
1987Mighty PawnsLucyMade-for-TV movie starring Rosalind Cash, Shawn Harrison, and Desreta Jackson.
1989 Mancuso, F.B.I. Appeared in episode 2 ("Racial Matters"), broadcast on October 19, 1989.
1992 Sister Act Teenage GirlMinor role
2008Creating CelebritySelf / Producer

Theater

YearTitleRoleNotes
1995Andie
1996Alien Garden

Personal life

Jackson is the founder of BlackSilk Products, a hair care product company that she launched in 2011. She began the business from home in 2002, making her own hair care products such as oils, hair treatments, shampoos and conditioners. [1] [4]

Related Research Articles

<i>The Color Purple</i> 1982 novel by Alice Walker

The Color Purple is a 1982 epistolary novel by American author Alice Walker which won the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Award for Fiction. It was later adapted into a film and musical of the same name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whoopi Goldberg</span> American actor, comedian, and television personality (born 1955)

Caryn Elaine Johnson, known professionally as Whoopi Goldberg, is an American actor, comedian, author and television personality. A recipient of numerous accolades, she is one of 18 entertainers to win the EGOT, which includes an Emmy Award, a Grammy Award, an Academy Award ("Oscar"), and a Tony Award. In 2001, she received the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fantasia (singer)</span> American R&B singer

Fantasia Monique Barrino-Taylor, known professionally by her mononym Fantasia, is an American R&B singer and actress. She rose to prominence in 2004 for her performance of the Porgy and Bess standard "Summertime" during the third season of the reality television series American Idol, and eventually became that season's winner. Following her victory, Barrino became the second female artist to have their first single debut at number-one on the Billboard Hot 100, following Lauryn Hill, when her debut single "I Believe", launched atop the chart.

<i>Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit</i> 1993 American film directed by Bill Duke

Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit is a 1993 American musical comedy film, directed by Bill Duke, and released by Touchstone Pictures. It is the sequel to the 1992 film Sister Act, and is loosely based on the life of Crenshaw High School choir instructor Iris Stevenson. The story sees Whoopi Goldberg reprising her role as Deloris van Cartier, as she finds herself coming to the aid of her nun friends who need her help to save her old school. Maggie Smith, Kathy Najimy, Wendy Makkena, and Mary Wickes also reprised their roles in the sequel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Akosua Busia</span> Ghanaian actress and writer (born 1966)

Akosua Gyamama Busia is a Ghanaian actress, film director, author and songwriter who lives in the United Kingdom. She played Nettie Harris in the 1985 film The Color Purple, alongside Whoopi Goldberg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Margaret Avery</span> American actress

Margaret Avery is an American actress and singer. She began her career appearing on stage and later had starring roles in films including Cool Breeze (1972), Which Way Is Up? (1977), Scott Joplin (1977), and The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh (1979).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jenifer Lewis</span> American actress

Jenifer Jeanette Lewis is an American actress and singer. She began her career appearing in Broadway musicals and worked as a back-up singer for Bette Midler before appearing in films Beaches (1988) and Sister Act (1992). Lewis is known for playing roles of mothers in the films What's Love Got to Do With It (1993), Poetic Justice (1993), The Preacher's Wife (1996), The Brothers (2001), The Cookout (2004), Think Like a Man (2012) and in the sequel Think Like a Man Too (2014), Baggage Claim (2013) and The Wedding Ringer (2015), as well as in The Temptations miniseries (1998).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">68th Academy Awards</span> Award ceremony for films of 1995

The 68th Academy Awards ceremony, organized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 1995 in the United States and took place on March 25, 1996, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles beginning at 6:00 p.m. PST / 9:00 p.m. EST. During the ceremony, AMPAS presented Academy Awards in 24 categories. The ceremony, televised in the United States by ABC, was produced by David Salzman and Quincy Jones and directed by Jeff Margolis. Actress Whoopi Goldberg hosted the show for the second time, having previously presided over the 66th ceremony in 1994. Three weeks earlier, in a ceremony held at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, on March 2, the Academy Awards for Technical Achievement were presented by host Richard Dreyfuss.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lynn Whitfield</span> American actress (born 1953)

Lynn Whitfield is an American actress. She began her acting career in television and theatre before progressing to supporting roles in film. She won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie and received a Golden Globe Award nomination for her breakout performance as Josephine Baker in the HBO biographical film The Josephine Baker Story (1991).

<i>The Color Purple</i> (1985 film) 1985 film by Steven Spielberg

The Color Purple is a 1985 American epic coming-of-age period drama film directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Menno Meyjes, based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning 1982 novel of the same name by Alice Walker. It was Spielberg's eighth film as a director, and marked a turning point in his career, as it was a departure from the summer blockbusters for which he had become known. It was also the first feature film directed by Spielberg for which John Williams did not compose the music, instead featuring a score by Quincy Jones, who also produced. The cast stars Whoopi Goldberg in her breakthrough role, with Danny Glover, Oprah Winfrey in her film debut, Margaret Avery, Rae Dawn Chong, Willard Pugh, and Adolph Caesar.

Shadia Simmons is a Canadian former actress, teacher, and director. She is best known for her role as Corrine Baxter in the television series Strange Days at Blake Holsey High, her recurring role as Emily on Life with Derek and for her starring role as Piper Dellums in the 2000 movie The Color of Friendship.

<i>Made in America</i> (1993 film) 1993 film by Richard Benjamin

Made in America is a 1993 American comedy film starring Whoopi Goldberg and Ted Danson, and featuring Nia Long, Jennifer Tilly and Will Smith. The film was directed by Richard Benjamin. It was shot in various locations in Oakland, California, and at Oakland Technical High School.

The 11th Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards were announced on 14 December 1985 and given on 23 January 1986.

<i>The Color Purple</i> (musical) 2005 musical

The Color Purple is a musical with a book by Marsha Norman and music and lyrics by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis, and Stephen Bray. Based on the 1982 novel of the same name by Alice Walker and its 1985 film adaptation, the show follows the journey of Celie, an African-American woman in the American South from the early to mid-20th century.

<i>The Deep End of the Ocean</i> (film) 1999 film by Ulu Grosbard

The Deep End of the Ocean is a 1999 American drama film directed by Ulu Grosbard, and starring Michelle Pfeiffer, Treat Williams, Jonathan Jackson, John Kapelos, and Whoopi Goldberg. It is based on the 1996 novel of the same name by Jacquelyn Mitchard, a bestseller that was the first novel selected by Oprah Winfrey to be discussed on Oprah's Book Club in 1996. The film tells the story of a family’s reaction, when Ben, the youngest son is kidnapped and then found nine years later, living in the same town where his family had just moved. The film was released in theaters on March 12, 1999 by Columbia Pictures, and was a box-office flop, grossing $28 million worldwide.

<i>Cinderella</i> (1997 film) 1997 television film directed by Robert Iscove

Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella is a 1997 American musical fantasy television film produced by Walt Disney Television, directed by Robert Iscove and written by Robert L. Freedman. Based on the French fairy tale by Charles Perrault, the film is the second remake and third version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's musical, which originally aired on television in 1957. Adapted from Oscar Hammerstein II's book, Freedman modernized the script to appeal to more contemporary audiences by updating its themes, particularly re-writing its main character into a stronger heroine. Co-produced by Whitney Houston, who also appears as Cinderella's Fairy Godmother, the film stars Brandy in the titular role and features a racially diverse cast consisting of Whoopi Goldberg and Paolo Montalban.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cynthia Erivo</span> British actress, singer and songwriter (born 1987)

Cynthia Erivo is an English actress, singer, and songwriter. She is the recipient of several accolades, including a Grammy Award and a Tony Award, in addition to nominations for two Academy Awards and a Primetime Emmy Award.

The Color Purple is an upcoming American musical coming-of-age period drama film directed by Blitz Bazawule and adapted for the screen by Marcus Gardley from the 2005 stage musical of the same name, which is in turn based on Alice Walker's 1982 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name. It is the second film adaptation of the novel, following Steven Spielberg's 1985 film adaptation. Spielberg and Quincy Jones return to produce this version, along with the stage musical's producers Scott Sanders and Oprah Winfrey, the latter of whom also starred in the 1985 film as Sofia.

Reuben Cannon is an American film producer and casting director. Cannon was the first black casting director in Hollywood; he was the head of television casting for Warner Brothers from 1977 to 1978, and started his own casting agency in 1978. Through this company, he has cast nearly 100 television series, made-for-TV movies, and feature films. He won the Artios Award for Best Casting for Feature Film—Drama for The Color Purple, which was the feature film debut of Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey, and an early film of Danny Glover. Cannon has also worked as a producer on most of Tyler Perry's television shows and movies.

References

  1. 1 2 Cane, Clay (16 November 2010). "Exclusive: Desreta Jackson Talks Behind The Scenes Of Oprah's The Color Purple Reunion". BET. Retrieved 30 April 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 "Whoopi Goldberg And 25 Years Later: The Color Purple Reunion". The Oprah Winfrey Show. Chicago, IL. 15 November 2010. Syndicated.
  3. "Actors enrich roles with personal experiences". The Gazette (Cedar Rapids-Iowa City). November 1, 1996. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
  4. 1 2 "Poetic Justice – This Actress From The Movie The Color Purple Creates A Beauty Innovation To Protect Women's Health". Innotech Breakthroughs. Archived from the original on 16 June 2013. Retrieved 30 April 2013.
  5. Carr, Jay (19 July 1987). "Purple Powerful". The Boston Globe. HighBeam Research. Archived from the original on 5 November 2013. Retrieved 30 April 2013.
  6. "Film: "The Color Purple," from Steven Spielberg". NY Times. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
    - Bogle, Donald (1989). Blacks in American films and television: an encyclopedia. Fireside. pp. 61, 150. ISBN   0671675389.