Rosanna Rolle Carter (September 20, 1918 – December 30, 2016) was a Bahamian American television, stage and film actress, who was born in

Nassau, Bahamas Nassau ( ) is the capital and largest city of The Bahamas. It is on the island of New Providence, which had a population of 246,329 in 2010, or just over 70% of the entire population of The Bahamas. As of April 2023, the preliminary results of ...

, to two Bahamian parents, and the sister of

Esther Rolle Esther Elizabeth Rolle (November 8, 1920 – November 17, 1998) was an American actress. She is best known for her role as Florida Evans, on the CBS television sitcom '' Maude,'' for two seasons (1972–1974), and its spin-off series '' Good ...

and

Estelle Evans Estelle Rolle Evans (October 1, 1906 – July 20, 1985) was a Bahamian-American actress during the 20th century. Some of her more famous appearances were in the movies '' The Quiet One'' (1948), ''To Kill a Mockingbird'' (1962), and '' The Le ...

, one of 18 children. During the

Harlem Renaissance The Harlem Renaissance was an intellectual and cultural revival of African-American music, dance, art, fashion, literature, theater, politics, and scholarship centered in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, spanning the 1920s and 1930s. At the ti ...

, she acted at New Lafayette Theater as one of the Lafayette Players. She acted in '' The Brother from Another Planet'', a well-reviewed 1984 film described by its director as a

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

allegory of immigration.

Career

In the 1970s, Carter was a member of the

Negro Ensemble Company The Negro Ensemble Company (NEC) is a New York City-based theater company and workshop established in 1967 by producer-actor Robert Hooks, playwright Douglas Turner Ward, and theater manager Gerald S. Krone, with funding from the Ford Foundatio ...

theatrical group. Her

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

credits include ''Inacent Black'' (1980), ''The American Clock'' (1980), and ''My Sister, My Sister'' (1973). She starred in many movies, including '' Night of the Juggler'' (1980), and '' The Brother from Another Planet'' (1984). Carter also guest starred on many television shows. In 1974, she made a guest appearance on her sister,

's sitcom ''

Good Times ''Good Times'' is an American television sitcom that aired for six seasons on CBS, from February 8, 1974, to August 1, 1979. Created by Eric Monte and Mike Evans (actor), Mike Evans and developed by executive producer Norman Lear, it was televis ...

'' as Cora. In 1985, she guest starred as Mrs. McNeill on television's ''

Tales from the Darkside ''Tales from the Darkside'' is an American horror anthology television series created by George A. Romero. A pilot episode was first broadcast on October 29, 1983. The series was picked up for syndication, and the first season premiered on S ...

''. In 1992, she guest starred as Rosanna on television's ''

The Cosby Show ''The Cosby Show'' is an American television sitcom created by (along with Ed. Weinberger and Michael J. Leeson) and starring Bill Cosby that originally aired on NBC from September 20, 1984, to April 30, 1992, with a total of 201 half-hour e ...

''. Also, she guest starred on the television show ''

I'll Fly Away "I'll Fly Away"( Roud 18437) is a hymn written in 1929 by Albert E. Brumley and published in 1932 by the Hartford Music company in a collection titled ''Wonderful Message''.Richard Matteson, Jr.''The Bluegrass Picker's Tune Book'' Mel Bay Publi ...

'' in 1993. Her last guest star appearance was on television's ''

Law & Order ''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment and Universal Television, launching the ''Law & Order'' franchise. ''Law & Order'' aired its entire ...

'' in 1997 as Mrs. Hemmerick in the season eight première. She appeared on ''Law & Order'' twice before; first in 1990 as Mrs. Jackson and a small extra role in 1994 as an old woman.

Personal life

In 1974, Carter was injured when a police car struck her automobile from behind, forcing it to hit a parked bus. Seven years later, a Bronx Supreme Court jury awarded her $1 million for her injuries, impairment of earning capacity, and lost wages.

Awards

Carter received an AUDELCO award in 1977 for her work as a supporting actress in the play, ''Unfinished Women''. She was nominated for an

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

as Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series in ''

'' in 1993, losing to

Elaine Stritch Elaine Stritch (February 2, 1925 – July 17, 2014) was an American actress, singer, and comedienne, known for her work on Broadway and later, television. She made her professional stage debut in 1944 and appeared in numerous stage plays, music ...

who performed in ''

''.

Filmography

*''Wedding Band (TV Movie)'' (1974) *''

'' (1974, episode: "Florida Flips"), as "Cora" *''Gettin' to Know Me'' (1980), as "Momma Violet" *'' Night of the Juggler'' (1980), as "old woman" *'' See China and Die'' (1981), as "maid", a.k.a. ''Momma the Detective'' *'' The Brother from Another Planet'' (1984), as "West Indiaemmern Story" *''Tales of the Unknown South'' (1984, segment: Ashes) *''

'' (1985, episode: "In the Cards"), as "Mrs. McNeill" *''

A Gathering of Old Men ''A Gathering of Old Men'' is a novel by Ernest J. Gaines published in 1983. Set on a 1970s Louisiana cane farm, the novel addresses racial discrimination in the post-civil rights era South. The novel's title characters each admit to the mu ...

'' (1987,

TV movie A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a terrest ...

), as "Beulah" *'' She-Devil'' (1989), as "Judge Brown" *''

'' (1990–1997, 3 episodes: "Out of the Half-Light", as "Mrs. Jackson", "Snatched", as "old woman", "Thrill", as "Mrs. Hemmerick") *'' Carolina Skeletons'' (1991,

), as "Mother Bragg" *''

'' (1992, episode: The Price is Wrong), as "Rosanna" *''

'' (1993, episode: What's in a Name?), as "Eulalia Jefferson" *''

American Playhouse ''American Playhouse'' is an American anthology television series periodically broadcast by Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). It premiered on January 12, 1982, with ''The Shady Hill Kidnapping'', written and narrated by John Cheever and direc ...

'' (1993, episode: "Hallelujah"), as "Minnie" https://www.imdb.com/name/mm0141915/filmotype#actress_tv1990

Notes

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Carter, Rosanna Entertainers from Nassau, Bahamas Bahamian emigrants to the United States American television actresses American film actresses 1918 births 2016 deaths 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American women