Donna Biscoe
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Donna Biscoe (born September 30, 1955) is an American actress.


Early years

Biscoe was born in Fort Benning,
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, the daughter of Mildred Skillern, a retired Carver High School English teacher. Biscoe attended Carver, then graduated from Kendrick High School in Columbus in 1973 and later graduated from Clark Atlanta University with a bachelor's degree in elementary education. Biscoe later went to
Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute (originally the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute) is an acting school founded in 1969 by actor, director, and acting teacher Lee Strasberg. The Institute is located in Union Square on East 15th Street, ...
in New York for six months. In the 1980s, a casting agent discovered Biscoe while she worked as a flight attendant for Eastern Airlines.


Career

After returning to Atlanta, Biscoe began acting in plays, including playing
Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist, one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968 ...
’s mother in ''A Boy King'' at the Atlanta Children’s Theater. In late 1980s, Biscoe also began appearing in an supporting roles in film and television, including four appearances in '' In the Heat of the Night'', CBS miniseries ''
Mama Flora's Family ''Mama Flora's Family'' is a 1997 historical fiction novel by Alex Haley and David Stevens. The story spans from the 1920s to the 1970s as it follows Flora, a daughter of poor black Mississippi sharecroppers, and her descendants. Haley died befo ...
'' (1998), and well as films '' Love Crimes'' (1992) and '' Blue Sky'' (1994). Biscoe worked mostly in theatre in 1980s and 1990s. Her stage credits including ''
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'', ''
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'', ''Waiting To Be Invited'', '' Holiday Heart'', ''Homebody Kabul'', ''Our Town'' and ''
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''. In 2000s, she began appearing in films playing mostly roles of mothers of grandmothers. Her film credits including '' Motives 2'' and ''
Three Can Play That Game ''Three Can Play That Game'' is a 2007 romantic comedy film directed by Samad Davis and starring Jason George, Jazsmin Lewis, and Vivica A. Fox. It is a sequel to the 2001 film '' Two Can Play That Game''. Plot When Byron ( George) hits the big ...
'' (2007) starring
Vivica A. Fox Vivica Anjanetta Fox (born July 30, 1964) is an American actress, producer, and television host. Fox began her career on ''Soul Train'' (19821983). She eventually continued her career with roles on the daytime television soap operas ''Days of O ...
, '' Mississippi Damned'' (2009), '' The Sacrament'' (2013), '' The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1'' (2014), and '' Girls Trip'' (2017). She played Taraji P. Henson's character mother in the 2016 biographical drama film ''
Hidden Figures ''Hidden Figures'' is a 2016 American biographical drama film directed by Theodore Melfi and written by Melfi and Allison Schroeder. It is loosely based on the 2016 non-fiction book of the same name by Margot Lee Shetterly about African Ame ...
'', and
Kevin Hart Kevin Darnell Hart (born July 6, 1979) is an American comedian and actor. Originally known as a stand-up comedian, he has since starred in Hollywood films and on TV. He has also released several well-received comedy albums. After winning se ...
's mother in the 2018 comedy ''
Night School A night school is an adult learning school that holds classes in the evening or at night to accommodate people who work during the day. A community college or university may hold night school classes that admit undergraduates. Italy The Scuola ...
''. On television, Biscoe guest-starred in ''
Drop Dead Diva ''Drop Dead Diva'' is an American legal comedy-drama/fantasy television series that aired on Lifetime from July 12, 2009, to June 22, 2014. The series was created by Josh Berman and produced by Sony Pictures Television. It stars Brooke Elliott ...
'', '' Nashville'' and ''
Being Mary Jane ''Being Mary Jane'' is an American drama television series created by Mara Brock Akil and starring Gabrielle Union, that debuted January 7, 2014 on BET. The 90-minute-pilot for the series aired on July 2, 2013. The series follows the professiona ...
''. She had a recurring roles in the two Oprah Winfrey Network series: drama '' Greenleaf'' as Clara Jackson, and prime time soap opera '' Ambitions'' as
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' character mother. In 2017, she began starring in the Bounce TV prime time soap opera '' Saints & Sinners'' playing villainous Lady Leona Byrd. The series ended in 2022 after six seasons.


Other activities

In 2008, Biscoe ran a Pilates studio in downtown Atlanta.


Filmography


Film


Television


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Biscoe, Donna 1955 births African-American actresses Clark Atlanta University alumni American television actresses American film actresses American stage actresses 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Living people 20th-century African-American women 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American women 21st-century African-American people