Suzzanne Douglas (April 12, 1957 – July 6, 2021) was an American actress.[2] She was best known for her role as matriarch Geraldine "Jerri" Peterson on The WB sitcom The Parent 'Hood,[2] starring Robert Townsend, which originally ran from 1995 to 1999. Douglas also portrayed Amy Simms in the 1989 dance/drama film Tap alongside Gregory Hines and the legendary Sammy Davis Jr., for which she won an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture.
Suzzanne Douglas | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | April 12, 1957 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | July 6, 2021 (aged 64) Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Education | Illinois State University (BA) Manhattan School of Music (MM) |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1978–2021 |
| Known for | Jerri Peterson – The Parent 'Hood Amy Simms – Tap |
| Spouse | Roy J. Cobb (m. 1989) |
| Children | 1 |
| Awards | NAACP Image Award – (1989) Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture (Tap) |
In addition to Tap, Douglas starred in several other motion pictures, among them How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998), Jason's Lyric (1994), The Inkwell (1994) as well as the 2003 Disney/ABC version of Sounder with Carl Lumbly. Douglas was also well known for her portrayal as Cissy Houston in the Lifetime TV movie Whitney which aired in 2015. In May 2019, she appeared as the mother of one of the main characters in the Netflix miniseries When They See Us directed by the acclaimed Ava DuVernay and produced by Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Films.
Early life and education
Douglas was born on April 12, 1957, in Chicago, Illinois,[3] to Lois Mae Thompson and Donald Douglas, Sr. One of four children, Douglas was reared by a single mother, and grew up in the Altgeld Gardens Homes public housing complex on the city's far south side.[4] She became interested in the arts as a child, citing 1965's The Sound of Music as her inspiration for acting.[5] Douglas attended Thornton Township High School, graduating in 1975.[6] After high school, she studied at Illinois State University; graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree. She later earned a Master's degree in music specializing in Jazz Vocals at the prestigious Manhattan School of Music.[7]
Career
Douglas made numerous television guest star appearances on shows such as Bull, Bones and The Good Wife.[8] She also appeared on The Parkers,[8] The Cosby Show, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, NYPD Blue,[9] and Touched by an Angel.[8] On stage, Douglas performed the role of Jenny Diver in The Threepenny Opera starring Sting and Dr. Bearing in Wit, where she was the first African American to perform the role.[3][10] Douglas was a two-time NAACP Image Award winner, and also won the Black Oscar, a Reel Award,[11] and the Mary Martin Award.[12] Douglas appeared in the Rel Dowdell film Changing the Game in 2011.[8]
Other
Douglas was a honorary member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority where she served on its national executive board as the Honorary Co-chair of the Arts and Letters Commission for thirteen years. In the community, she was a lifetime member of Girl Scouts of the USA, The National Council of Negro Women, Sigma Alpha Lambda (a national leadership and honors organization), and Jack and Jill of America.[11]
Personal life and death
In February 1989, Douglas wed neuro-radiologist Roy Jonathan Cobb, to whom she was still married at the time of her death. Together, the couple had one daughter.[3][13]
Douglas died on July 6, 2021, at age 64, at her home in Martha's Vineyard after a two-year battle with pancreatic cancer.[3][14]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Purlie[3] | Television film | |
| 1989 | Tap[8][15] | Amy Simms | |
| 1990 | The Knife and Gun Club[16] | Ginny Ducette | Television film |
| 1992 | Chain of Desire[8][17] | Angie | |
| 1992 | Condition: Critical[9] | Dr. Bailey Wallace | Television film |
| 1994 | I'll Do Anything[9] | Rainbow House Star | |
| 1994 | The Inkwell[8][15] | Brenda Tate | |
| 1994 | Search for Grace[17][9] | Margaret / Melody | Television film |
| 1994 | Jason's Lyric[8][17] | Gloria Alexander | |
| 1998 | The Last Weekend[11][18] | Mrs. Fisher | Short film |
| 1998 | How Stella Got Her Groove Back[8][15] | Angela | |
| 2003 | Sounder[8][16] | The Mother | Television film |
| 2003 | School of Rock[17][9] | Tomika's Mother | |
| 2004 | Sunday on the Rocks[8][17] | Jessica | |
| 2012 | Changing the Game[8][9] | Mrs. Davis | |
| 2015 | Whitney[8][9] | Cissy Houston | Television film |
| 2016 | Happy Yummy Chicken[8][9] | Sarah Del Casserole | |
| 2020 | Really Love[19] | Ann Richmond |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | A Man Called Hawk[18] | Lorna Wells | Episode: "Vendetta" |
| 1990 | The Cosby Show[9] | Rebecca Shorter | Episode: "Live and Learn" |
| 1990–1991 | Against the Law[18] | Yvette Carruthers | 17 episodes |
| 1991 | Great Performances | Lady In Plaid / The Girl | Episode: "The Colored Museum"[16] |
| 1991 | ABC Afterschool Specials | Sammy | Episode: "In the Shadows of Love: A Teen AIDS Story"[17] |
| 1992 | I'll Fly Away[9] | Ruth | 3 episodes |
| 1993 | American Playhouse | Eunice Perry | Episode: "Hallelujah"[16] |
| 1995–1999 | The Parent 'Hood[8][17] | Geraldine "Jerri" Peterson | 90 episodes |
| 1996–1999 | Touched by an Angel[8][17] | Dr. Rebecca Dixon / Brianna | 2 episodes |
| 1996 | NYPD Blue[8][9] | Mrs. Torrence | Episode: "Where's 'Swaldo" |
| 1997–1998 | Promised Land[8][9] | Dr. Rebecca Dixon | 4 episodes |
| 1999–2000 | The Parkers[8] | Constance West-McFarland | 2 episodes |
| 2001 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Principal | Episode: "Secrets" |
| 2004 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent[9] | Karen Watkins | Episode: "Mad Hops" |
| 2010 | The Good Wife[8][9] | Judge Keely Farmer | Episode: "Infamy" |
| 2011 | Are We There Yet? | Melissa | Episode: "The Parent Teacher Trap Episode" |
| 2016 | Bones[8][9] | Elizabeth Burkhart | Episode: "The Monster in the Closet" |
| 2016 | Bull[8] | Betty Everton | Episode: "Just Tell the Truth" |
| 2019 | When They See Us[3] | Grace Cuffe | Miniseries |
Theatre
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | The Tap Dance Kid | Little Rio Dancer/New Yorker Ginnie (Understudy) | Broadway |
| 1987-89 | Into the Woods | Witch, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty (Understudy) | Broadway |
| 1989 | Threepenny Opera | Jenny Diver | Broadway |