Foster, Gloria (b. 1936), actress. A revered African‐American performer, Foster more often than not played classical roles that were rarely performed by blacks in her day. She was born in Chicago, educated at Illinois State University, and trained at the Goodman Theatre, eventually performing major roles there. Foster made her New York debut Off Broadway in 1963 and was soon playing Medea, Yerma, Madame Ranevskaya, and other classical heroines. She eventually acted in classic revivals that were cast with African Americans, bringing new nuances to her portrayals of Clytemnestra in Agamemnon (1977), Volumnia in Coriolanus (1979), Mother Courage (1980), and Mary Tyrone in Long Day's Journey into Night (1981). Foster's most cherished contemporary role was the aged but spry Sadie Delaney in Having Our Say (1995).
Gloria Foster
| American Theater Guide: Gloria Foster |
| Actor: Gloria Foster |
- Born: Nov 15, 1933 in Chicago, Illinois
- Died: Sep 29, 2001 in Manhattan, New York, New York
- Occupation: Actor
- Active: '60s-'90s
- Major Genres: Drama, Crime
- Career Highlights: Nothing But a Man, The Matrix, Man and Boy
- First Major Screen Credit: Nothing But a Man (1964)
Biography
Distinguished African-American actress Gloria Foster studied at the Goodman Theatre, making her earliest professional appearances with the University of Chicago County Theater. Foster's first Broadway role was Ruth in Lorraine Hansbury's Raisin in the Sun. In 1963, she appeared in the powerful dramatic review In White America, earning an Obie Award as well as a two-page spread in Life Magazine. The following year, she was honored with a Theatre World award for her portrayal of Medea, one of dozens of classic stage roles to her credit. She made her film bow in 1963's The Cool World, followed by a sizeable role opposite Ivan Dixon in the critically acclaimed Nothing But a Man. She later co-starred with Bill Cosby (To All My Friends on Shore, Leonard Part 6) and Sidney Poitier (Separate but Equal). Gloria Foster's many television credits include two guest appearances on The Mod Squad, co-starring with her then-husband, actor/director Clarence Williams III. Though her film roles remained relatively scarce throughout the 1990s, Foster's role as The Oracle in the 1999 metaphysical sci-fi smash The Matrix proved a welcome sight to fans who hadn't seen her since her 1993 television effort Percy and Thunder. Returning to the role for 2003's The Matrix Reloaded, Foster sadly died of diabetes before completing all of her scenes for the film (and having not even begun shooting her scenes for the same year's The Matrix Revolutions). She was 64. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide| Filmography: Gloria Foster |
| Wikipedia: Gloria Foster |
| Gloria Foster | |
|---|---|
.gif) Foster in The Matrix Reloaded as The Oracle |
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| Born | November 15, 1933 Chicago, Illinois |
| Died | September 29, 2001 (aged 67) New York City |
| Spouse(s) | Clarence Williams III |
Gloria Foster (November 15, 1933 – September 29, 2001) was an American actress, most known for a her stage performances portraying an array of African-American characters, including her acclaimed roles, in plays In White America and Having Our Say[1] winning three Obie Awards during her career.
In films, she was perhaps best known as The Oracle in The Matrix (1999) and The Matrix Reloaded (2003), starring alongside Keanu Reeves, the latter film being her last.[2]
Contents |
Biography
Foster was born in Chicago, Illinois, and raised in Wisconsin by her maternal grandparents, Eleanor and Clyde Sudds. She first studied in oratory classes at University of Illinois, followed by a stint at the Goodman Theater School of Drama at Chicago, she made her professional debut in the Court Theater at the University of Chicago, eventually graduating to Broadway, in 1961, with her role as Ruth in Lorraine Hansberry's, A Raisin in the Sun.[3] She moved to New York, in 1963, and walked into an open audition for Martin B. Duberman's In White America, landing the acclaimed role and later an Obie Award.[1] In the early '70s, she was admitted to a special graduate program in education at UMass.[4]
She made her film debut with, The Cool World (1964), during which she met her future husband, actor-director Clarence Williams III, who portrayed Linc Hayes on the 1960s TV show, Mod Squad. Before becoming known on the big screen, Foster had a long career in theater, winning three Obie Awards, for playing 27 different characters in Martin Duberman's historical drama, In White America (1963), while reprising the role of Medea, in 1965, for which she also won a Theatre World Award; she received her third Obie, in 1989, playing, "Miss Molly Hofenburg," in Bill Gunn’s Forbidden City.[3][5] She returned to theatre again in 1995, acting alongside Mary Alice (who was later to replace her in the Matrix films following her death), appearing as 103-year-old "Sadie Delany," in Having Our Say, on Broadway at the Booth Theater, for which she received to rave reviews.[5][6]
She was also active in television, appearing in such programs as I Spy, two episodes of Law & Order and The Cosby Show (1987).
Her character in both Law and Order episodes was based on the widow of Malcolm X, Betty Shabazz. The first episode was based on Malcolm X's assassination, while the second focused on her character's children's acts of revenge against those who they thought were really responsible.
Foster died on September 29, 2001, in New York City, of diabetes, and was interred in the Cypress Hills Cemetery in Brooklyn.[7] She was a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
Filmography
- Films
- The Matrix Reloaded (2003) as The Oracle
- The Matrix (1999) as The Oracle
- City of Hope (1991) as Jeanette
- Leonard Part 6 (1987) as Medusa
- Man and Boy (1972) as Ivy Revers
- The Angel Levine (1970) as Sally
- The Comedians (1967) as Mrs. Philipot
- Nothing But a Man (1964) as Lee
- The Cool World (1964) as Mrs. Custis
- Television
- Percy & Thunder (1993) as Sugar Brown
- Separate But Equal (1991) as Buster
- The Cosby Show (1987) as Dr. Barbara Bracy
- The Atlanta Child Murders (1985) (miniseries) as Camille Bell
- House of Dies Drear (1984) as Sheila Small
- The Files on Jill Hatch (1983) as Mrs. Hatch
- Top Secret (1978) as Judith
- To All My Friends on Shore (1972) as Serena
References
- ^ a b Gloria Foster, Stage Actress, Is Dead at 64 New York Times, October 5, 2001.
- ^ Gloria Foster as The Oracle - Profile blackfilm.com.
- ^ a b Gloria Foster Allmovie.
- ^ Gloria Foster Biography UMass.
- ^ a b Gloria Foster bio: The Matrix Actor
- ^ Gloria Foster (1936–2001) Villagevoice.com, Robert Simonson, October 9, 2001.
- ^ Notable Burials cypresshillscemetery.org.
External links
- Gloria Foster at the Internet Movie Database
- Gloria Foster Biography UMass.
- Gloria Foster Biography New York Times.
- Gloria Is The Glory, March 26, 1972 New York Times.
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 | Leonard, Part 6 (1987 Spy Film) |
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| The Cool World (1963 Crime Film) |
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 | American Theater Guide. The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. Copyright © 2004 by Oxford University Press, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Actor. Copyright © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved. Read more |
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Mentioned in
- Leonard, Part 6 (1987 Spy Film)
- Shana: I Spy (TV Episode) (1968 Action TV Episode)
- The Cool World (1963 Crime Film)
- The File on Jill Hatch (1983 Drama Film)
- Hillman: The Cosby Show (TV Episode) (1987 Comedy TV Episode)
- Clarence Williams III (Actor, Drama/Crime)
- The Matrix Revolutions (2003 Science Fiction Film)
- The Anniversary Present: I Love Lucy (TV Episode) (1952 Comedy TV Episode)
- Long Day's Journey into Night (American Theater)
- Mary Alice (Actor, Drama/Comedy)
- The Matrix Reloaded (2003 Science Fiction Film)
- Keith David
- Clarence Williams III
- The Atlanta Child Murders (TV miniseries)
