Roz Ryan (born Rosalyn Bowen; July 7, 1951) is an American actress, singer, and comedian who has worked for productions in film, television, and

Broadway theatre Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences), 130 of the 144 extant and extinct Broadway venues use (used) the spelling ''T ...

for over 40 years. Ryan's first role on Broadway was in '' Ain't Misbehavin''', a Fats Waller-influenced musical revue that debuted in 1978. She is well known for her part in the television show, ''

Amen Amen ( he, אָמֵן, ; grc, ἀμήν, ; syc, ܐܡܝܢ, ; ar, آمين, ) is an Abrahamic declaration of affirmation which is first found in the Hebrew Bible, and subsequently found in the New Testament. It is used in Jewish, Christian, and ...

'', for her character Amelia Hetebrink, for being the voice of Thalia, the Muse of Comedy in the 1997 Disney animated film, ''

Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted th ...

,'' and for guest starring on the Disney Channel sitcom, ''

K.C. Undercover ''K.C. Undercover'' is an American comedy television series created by Corinne Marshall that aired on Disney Channel from January 18, 2015 to February 2, 2018. The series stars Zendaya, Veronica Dunne, Kamil McFadden, Trinitee Stokes, Tammy ...

'' as Grandma Gayle.

Life and career

Ryan was born Rosalyn Bowen in

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

, the daughter of Gertrude and Thomas Bowen, who worked for the Board of Education. She is a 1969 graduate of Mackenzie High School. For 13 years, Ryan worked as a nightclub singer in Detroit before a friend suggested she audition for '' Ain't Misbehavin'', a

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 Stree ...

musical revue featuring the music of Fats Waller. Her audition was successful, and she was on stage only 10 days later. Ryan continued to star in numerous Broadway musicals including the

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

-winning ''

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

'', for which she holds the record of longest tenure for the character Matron "Mama" Morton. Other plays Ryan has appeared in are '' A Christmas Carol'', ''

Dreamgirls ''Dreamgirls'' is a Broadway musical, with music by Henry Krieger and lyrics and book by Tom Eyen. Based on the show business aspirations and successes of R&B acts such as The Supremes, The Shirelles, James Brown, Jackie Wilson, and other ...

'', ''One Mo' Time'', and the 2006 revival of ''

The Pajama Game ''The Pajama Game'' is a musical based on the 1953 novel ''7½ Cents'' by Richard Bissell. The book is by George Abbott and Richard Bissell; the music and lyrics are by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. and dances were staged by Bob Fosse in his ch ...

''. In television and film, Ryan is better known for her roles as Amelia Hetebrink on ''

'', Mrs. Dixon on '' Good News'' and Flo Anderson on '' All About the Andersons''. She also guest starred on an episode on '' Barbershop''. She was the voice of

Thalia Thalia, Thalía, Thaleia or Thalian may refer to: People * Thalia (given name), including a list of people with the name * Thalía (born 1971), Mexican singer and actress Mythological and fictional characters * Thalia (Grace), one of the three ...

, the Muse of Comedy in Disney's animated film ''

'' and '' Hercules: The Animated Series''. She is the voice of Bubbie the whale in the 2008 animated television series ''

The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack ''The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack'' (also known as ''The Misadventures of Flapjack'', or simply ''Flapjack'') is an American animated television series created by Thurop Van Orman for Cartoon Network. It premiered in the United States ...

''. She had roles in the films ''

I Think I Love My Wife ''I Think I Love My Wife'' is a 2007 American romantic comedy film starring Chris Rock, Gina Torres and Kerry Washington. Rock co-wrote the film with Louis C.K. and also directed and produced it. It is a remake of the 1972 French film '' Love i ...

'', ''

The Invention of Lying ''The Invention of Lying'' is a 2009 American romantic comedy film written and directed by comedian Ricky Gervais and writer Matthew Robinson in their directorial debuts. The film stars Gervais as the first human with the ability to lie in a worl ...

'' and ''

Waiting for Forever ''Waiting for Forever'' is a 2010 American romance film directed by James Keach and starring Rachel Bilson and Tom Sturridge. The film had a limited theatrical release beginning February 4, 2011. Plot Emma ( Rachel Bilson) and Will ( Tom St ...

''. She voices Kick's teacher Ms. Fitzpatrick in the animated series '' Kick Buttowski: Suburban Daredevil''. She was the voice of Witch Lezah in ''

The Looney Tunes Show ''The Looney Tunes Show'' is an American animated sitcom produced by Warner Bros. Animation that ran from May 3, 2011, through November 2, 2013, on Cartoon Network. The series consists of two seasons, each containing 26 episodes, and features ...

''. She has also played

Jake Jake may refer to: Name * Jake (given name), including a list of persons and fictional characters with the name * Katrin Jäke (born c. 1975), German swimmer * Jake (gamer), American ''Overwatch'' player and coach Animals * Jake (rescue dog), a s ...

's female and feline counterpart Cake in the ''

Adventure Time ''Adventure Time'' is an American fantasy animated television series created by Pendleton Ward for Cartoon Network and distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television. The series follows the adventures of a boy named Finn ( Jeremy Shada) and ...

'' episodes "

Fionna and Cake "Fionna and Cake" is the ninth episode of the third season of the American animated television series '' Adventure Time''. The episode was written and storyboarded by Adam Muto and Rebecca Sugar, from a story by Mark Banker, Kent Osborne, Patr ...

", "

Bad Little Boy "Bad Little Boy" is the eleventh episode of the fifth season of the American animated television series ''Adventure Time''. The episode was written and storyboarded by Cole Sanchez and Rebecca Sugar, from a story by Sugar, Patrick McHale, Adam M ...

", "The Prince Who Wanted Everything", and "Five Short Tables". She has also starred in TVOne's ''The Rickey Smiley Show''. She most recently starred on Broadway in '' Scandalous: The Life and Trials of Aimee Semple McPherson''. In late May 2016 Ryan begun her 13th run in ''

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

'' as Matron "Mama" Morton.

Broadway stage

* '' Scandalous: The Life and Trials of Aimee Semple McPherson'' (2012) * ''

'' (2006) * ''

One Mo' Time One More Time may refer to: Film and television * ''One More Time'' (1931 film), a Merrie Melodies cartoon * ''One More Time'' (1970 film), a film by Jerry Lewis * ''One More Time'', a 1974 TV special with Carol Channing, Pearl Bailey, and other ...

'' (2002) * ''

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

'' (1996–2019) * ''

'' (1981–1985) * '' Ain't Misbehavin''' (1978–1981)

Filmography

References

External links

Official site
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ryan, Roz 1951 births Living people Actresses from Detroit African-American actresses American women singers American film actresses American stage actresses American television actresses American voice actresses Mackenzie High School (Michigan) alumni 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses 20th-century African-American women 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American women 21st-century African-American people