Esther Rolle

Esther Rolle

Birthday: 1920-11-08

Deathday: 1998-11-17

Place of birth: Pompano Beach, Florida USA

Also known as:

imdb_id: nm0738354

Biography:

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Esther Elizabeth Rolle (November 8, 1920 – November 17, 1998) was a Bahamian American actress. Rolle 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 Times, for five seasons (1974–77, 1978–79), for which Rolle was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Television Series Musical or Comedy in 1976. Rolle is best known for her television role as Florida Evans, the character she played on two 1970s sitcoms. The character was introduced as Maude Findlay's housekeeper on Maude, and was spun off in the show's second season into Good Times, a show about Florida's family. Rolle was nominated in 1975 for the Best Actress in a Musical/Comedy Golden Globe Award for her role in Good Times. Rolle was 19 years older than the actor (John Amos) who played her husband James Evans. The James Evans character was only added after Esther Rolle fought hard for a father figure and husband to be added to the show. Rolle had fought for the father character on the show, more relevant themes and scripts and was unhappy when the success of Jimmie Walker's character, J.J. Evans, took the show in a frivolous direction. John Amos agreed with Rolle about Walker's character and was fired from the show after the third season ended. Later on, in a stand-off with Good Times producer Norman Lear, Rolle also quit when her contract ended. Although the show continued without her for the fifth season, she returned for the show's final season. In 1979 she won an Emmy for her role in Summer of My German Soldier, a made-for-television movie. Among her guest star roles was one on The Incredible Hulk in an episode entitled "Behind the Wheel" where she played a taxicab business owner. In the 1990s, Rolle was a surprise guest on RuPaul's VH-1 talk show. Her Maude co-star Bea Arthur was the guest, and Rolle was brought out to surprise Arthur. The two had not seen each other in years, Arthur said, and embraced warmly. Rolle also appeared in a series of psychic hotline TV commercials in the 1990s. "Tell them Esther sent you," was her trademark line.

Played in movies:

Age-Old Friends

Score: 7.7

A Raisin in the Sun

Score: 7.5

Nothing But a Man

Score: 7.4

Cape Fear

Score: 7.3

Driving Miss Daisy

Score: 7.2

Ethnic Notions

Score: 7.1

Up the Down Staircase

Score: 7.0

To Dance with the White Dog

Score: 7.0

Color Adjustment

Score: 6.9

The Kid Who Loved Christmas

Score: 6.6

Rosewood

Score: 6.5

How to Make an American Quilt

Score: 6.4

Down in the Delta

Score: 6.4

House of Cards

Score: 6.2

The Mighty Quinn

Score: 6.1

My Fellow Americans

Score: 6.0

Who Says I Can't Ride a Rainbow!

Score: 6.0

Don't Play Us Cheap

Score: 5.8

Summer of My German Soldier

Score: 5.8

Cleopatra Jones

Score: 5.7

Message from Nam

Score: 5.1

P.K. and the Kid

Score: 5.0

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

Score: 4.2

Train Ride

Score: 4.0

The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet

Score: 0.0

Nobody's Girls: Five Women of the West

Score: 0.0

See China and Die

Score: 0.0

Played in tv shows:

Hallmark Hall of Fame

Score: 8.6

Good Times

Score: 8.0

Murder, She Wrote

Score: 7.5

The Incredible Hulk

Score: 7.2

Touched by an Angel

Score: 7.2

Maude

Score: 6.7

Donny & Marie

Score: 6.7

Scarlett

Score: 6.6

Promised Land

Score: 6.1

Singer and Sons

Score: 6.0

Flamingo Road

Score: 6.0

Finder of Lost Loves

Score: 5.7

The New Odd Couple

Score: 5.0