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Suzzanne Douglas
Born	(1957-04-12)April 12, 1957 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Died	July 6, 2021(2021-07-06) (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)

Suzzanne Douglas (April 12, 1957 – July 6, 2021) was an American actress. She was best known for her role as matriarch Geraldine "Jerri" Peterson on The WB sitcom The Parent 'Hood, 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.

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, 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. She became interested in the arts as a child, citing 1965's The Sound of Music as her inspiration for acting. Douglas attended Thornton Township High School, graduating in 1975. 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.

Career

Douglas made numerous television guest star appearances on shows such as Bull, Bones and The Good Wife. She also appeared on The Parkers, The Cosby Show, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, NYPD Blue, and Touched by an Angel. 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. Douglas was a two-time NAACP Image Award winner; she also won a Reel Award, and the Mary Martin Award. In 2011, Douglas appeared in the Rel Dowdell film Changing the Game.

Other work

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.

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.

Douglas died on July 6, 2021, at age 64, at her home in Martha's Vineyard after a two-year battle with pancreatic cancer.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre

References

1. JET Magazine - People Are Talking About... - February 27, 1989
2. ^ "Suzzanne Douglas". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2016. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016.
3. ^ Taylor, Derrick Bryson (July 7, 2021). "Suzzanne Douglas, Star of 'The Parent 'Hood,' Dies at 64". The New York Times. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
4. Kiro7, ‘The Parent ’Hood’ star Suzzanne Douglas dead at 64, July 7, 2021
5. Mendoza, M. F. (May 10, 1994). "No More 'Dodging Bullets' for Actress Suzzanne Douglas – FAST TRACK: Up and Comers in Arts and Entertainment; One in a Series". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 17, 2017.
6. "1974 Thornton Township High School Yearbook (Harvey, Illinois)". Classmates.com. 1974. Retrieved September 17, 2017.
7. Baltimore Times (Online) – An Interview with Suzzanne Douglas - January 13, 2017
8. ^ "Suzzanne Douglas". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
9. ^ "Suzzanne Douglas List of Movies and TV Shows". TV Guide. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
10. Perez, Lexy (July 7, 2021). "Suzzanne Douglas, 'The Parent 'Hood' Actress, Dies at 64". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
11. ^ "IJS Concert Series – Suzzanne Douglas". Rutgers University. 2018. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
12. "Suzzanne Douglas Scholarship". Illinois State University. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
13. Randolph, Laura B. (October 1995). "How He (She) Proposed". Ebony Magazine. Retrieved September 17, 2017.
14. Victorian, Brande (July 7, 2021). "Actress Suzzanne Douglas Dead At 64". Essence. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
15. ^ "Suzzanne Douglas". American Film Institute. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
16. ^ "Suzzanne Douglas – Filmography". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
17. ^ "Suzanne Douglas". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on May 28, 2018. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
18. ^ Evans, Greg (July 7, 2021). "Suzzanne Douglas Dies: 'The Parent 'Hood', 'When They See Us' Actress Was 64". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
19. "Really Love". American Film Institute. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
20. "Suzzanne Douglas (Performer)". Playbill.

External links

• Suzzanne Douglas at IMDb
• Suzzanne Douglas at AllMovie

• 1957 births
• 2021 deaths
• 20th-century African-American actresses
• 20th-century American actresses
• 20th-century American singers
• 20th-century American women singers
• 21st-century African-American actresses
• 21st-century American actresses
• 21st-century American singers
• 21st-century American women singers
• Actresses from Chicago
• American film actresses
• American musical theatre actresses
• American television actresses
• Deaths from pancreatic cancer in Massachusetts
• Delta Sigma Theta members
• Illinois State University alumni
• People from Martha's Vineyard
• 20th-century African-American women singers
• 21st-century African-American women singers