Kellita Smith (born January 15, 1969) is an American actress, model and comedian. She is best known for her role as Wanda McCullough, Bernie Mac's wife on the

Fox Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species ...

sitcom ''

The Bernie Mac Show ''The Bernie Mac Show'' (often shortened to ''Bernie Mac'' in syndication) is an American sitcom television series created by Larry Wilmore, that aired on Fox for five seasons from November 14, 2001, to April 14, 2006. The series featured Ber ...

''.

Life and career

Born in

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, She was raised in

Oakland, California Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, California, Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major We ...

. Smith studied at

Santa Rosa Junior College Santa Rosa Junior College (SRJC) is a public community college in Santa Rosa, California with an additional campus in Petaluma and centers in surrounding Sonoma County. SRJC is governed by the Sonoma County Junior College District. History F ...

, receiving her associate degree in political science. In early years, Smith worked as a model. She began her acting career on stage in a regional production of ''Tell It Like It Tiz''. Other theatrical credits include the Los Angeles productions of '' No Place to be Somebody'' at the K.C. Theatre Company, ''Feelings'' (The Hudson Theatre) for which she won an NAACP Theatre Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1996, ''The Thirteenth Thorn'' (Complex Theatre) for which she was nominated for an NAACP Theatre Award for Best Actress, and ''One Woman Two Lives'', which premiered at The Imagined Life Theater in July 2009. On television, Smith made her debut in an episode of ''

In Living Color ''In Living Color'' is an American sketch comedy television series that originally ran on Fox from April 15, 1990, to May 19, 1994. Keenen Ivory Wayans created, wrote and starred in the program. The show was produced by Ivory Way Productions ...

'' and later guest-starred on ''

Living Single ''Living Single'' is an American television sitcom created by Yvette Denise Lee that aired for five seasons on the Fox network, from August 22, 1993, to January 1, 1998. The show centers on the lives of six New York City friends who share perso ...

'', ''

Moesha ''Moesha'' (, ) is an American television sitcom that aired on UPN from January 23, 1996, to May 14, 2001. The series stars Contemporary R&B, R&B singer Brandy Norwood, Brandy as Moesha Denise Mitchell, an African-American teenager living with ...

'', ''

3rd Rock from the Sun ''3rd Rock from the Sun'' is an American television sitcom created by Bonnie and Terry Turner, which originally aired from January 9, 1996, to May 22, 2001, on NBC. The show is about four Extraterrestrial life, extraterrestrials who are on an e ...

'', ''

The Parkers ''The Parkers'' is an American television sitcom created by Ralph Farquhar, Sara V. Finney and Vida Spears. The series ran for five seasons from August 30, 1999, to May 10, 2004, on UPN. It stars Mo'Nique, Countess Vaughn, Mari Morrow, Dorien Wi ...

'' and ''

NYPD Blue ''NYPD Blue'' is an American police procedural television series set in New York City, exploring the struggles of the fictional 15th Precinct detective squad in Manhattan. Each episode typically intertwines several plots involving an ensemble ca ...

''. She had recurring roles in ''

Martin Martin may refer to: Places Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Europe * Martin, Croatia, a village * Martin, Slovakia, a city * Martín del Río, Aragón, Spain * M ...

'', '' Sister, Sister'', and ''

Malcolm & Eddie ''Malcolm & Eddie'' is an American television sitcom that premiered August 26, 1996, on UPN, and ran for four seasons, airing its final episode on May 22, 2000. This series starred Malcolm-Jamal Warner and Eddie Griffin in the lead roles. The ...

'' before co-starring on ''

The Jamie Foxx Show ''The Jamie Foxx Show'' is an American television sitcom created by Jamie Foxx and Bentley Kyle Evans for The WB. It premiered on August 28, 1996, and ended on January 14, 2001, with a total of 100 episodes over the course of five seasons. A ...

'' from 1997 to 1999. In 2001, she was cast opposite

Bernie Mac Bernard Jeffrey McCullough (October 5, 1957 – August 9, 2008), better known by his stage name Bernie Mac, was an American stand up comedian, actor and film producer. He joined fellow comedians Steve Harvey, Cedric the Entertainer, and D. L. H ...

in the Fox sitcom ''

''. The series aired on Fox for five seasons from 2001 to 2006. She was nominated four times for an

NAACP Image Award The NAACP Image Awards is an annual awards ceremony presented by the U.S.-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to honor outstanding performances in film, television, theatre, music, and literature. The over 40 ...

for her role as Wanda McCullough on ''The Bernie Mac Show''. In film, Smith co-starred alongside

Mo'Nique Monique Angela Hicks (née Imes; born December 11, 1967), known mononymously as Mo'Nique, is an American comedian and actress. She debuted as a member of The Queens of Comedy and earned recognition as a Stand-up comedy, stand-up comedian. In 2 ...

in ''

Hair Show ''Hair Show'' is a 2004 comedy film directed by Leslie Small starring Mo'Nique and Kellita Smith. It is the theatrical directorial debut of Leslie Small. Plot Peaches (Mo'Nique), a hair stylist from Baltimore, and her estranged sister, Angela ...

'' (2004), and later appeared in ''

Fair Game Fair Game may refer to: Film * ''Fair Game'' (1928 film), a German silent drama film * ''Fair Game'' (1986 film), an Australian action film * ''Fair Game'' (1988 film), an Italian thriller-horror film * ''Fair Game'', a 1994 television film sta ...

'', '' King's Ransom'', ''

Roll Bounce ''Roll Bounce'' is a 2005 American comedy-drama film written by Norman Vance Jr. and directed by Malcolm D. Lee. The film stars hip hop artist Bow Wow as the leader of a roller skating crew in 1970s Chicago. The film also includes Nick Cannon, ...

'' 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 ...

''. In 2012, Smith returned to television with the role of First Lady Katherine Johnson in the syndicated sitcom, '' The First Family''. In 2014, Smith was cast as Roberta Warren in the Syfy post-apocalyptic series, ''

Z Nation ''Z Nation'' is an American horror television series created by Karl Schaefer and Craig Engler that aired on Syfy from 2014 to 2018, and was produced by The Asylum. The first season of 13 episodes premiered on September 12, 2014. ''Z Nation'' ...

''. In this role, she also appeared on '' Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No!'' in 2015. In the Cut is an American sitcom created by Bentley Kyle Evans that debuted on Bounce TV on August 25, 2015. Seth Kelley. "Bounce TV Orders Original Comedy Series 'In the Cut'". Variety. Retrieved January 28, 2016. Kellita Smith as Cheryl (season 2–present), the new owner of the beauty salon Cheryl's, and Jay's wife. On March 19, 2020, it was announced that the sixth season would premiere on April 1, 2020. ""In the Cut" Returns for New Season Starting April 1 on Bounce". The Futon Critic. March 19, 2020. She is also described as B. Rosenberger Rosenberg's African American girlfriend in

Charlie Kaufman Charles Stuart Kaufman (; born November 19, 1958) is an American screenwriter, film director, and novelist. Having first come to prominence for writing ''Being John Malkovich'' (1999), ''Adaptation (film), Adaptation'' (2002), and ''Eternal Sun ...

's novel Antkind.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Kellita 1969 births Living people 20th-century African-American actresses 20th-century American actresses 20th-century American comedians 21st-century African-American actresses 21st-century American actresses 21st-century American comedians Actresses from Chicago American female models American film actresses American television actresses American women comedians Comedians from Chicago Santa Rosa Junior College alumni African-American female comedians African-American comedians