actress
Personal Information
Born Loretta Devine on August 21, 1953, in Houston, Texas. Single. No Children.
Education: Bachelor's Degree in Speech and Drama Education, University of Houston, 1971; Master's of Fine Arts Degree in Theater Arts: Brandeis University, 1976; Studied acting with Ed Koven and Improvisation with Gary Austin.
Career
Actress, singer, songwriter, and writer. Julia C. Hester House, youth program director and activity coordinator, 1971-72; founder of Hester House Players and Hester House Dancers, 1971; Black Arts Center, Houston, TX, director of theater department, 1972-74; Ethnic Arts Center Players, founder, 1972-74; Instructor in English and Dorm Supervisor at Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, 1974-76; Texas Southern University, instructor, summer, 1974; Harvard University, instructor, summers, 1975-76; worked in repertory theater, Rhode Island, before her Broadway debut, 1977. In addition to several Broadway and Off-Broadway shows to her credit, Devine's credits include dozens of television shows and motion pictures. Credits include, stage: Big Deal, and Dreamgirls (both on Broadway);The Colored Museum, and Spunk (Off-Broadway); A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Hot Mikado, East Texas Hot Links, The Rabbit's Foot, and Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill (Regional Theatre). Television: Jackie's Childhood Friend in Jackie's Back! (1999), Dearie B. in Funny Valentines (1999), the voice of Muriel Stubbs in "The Pjs" (1999), Steph in The Parkers (1999), Ruby Dandridge in Introducing Dorothy Dandridge (1999), Everleen in Clover (1997), Miss Mary in Rebound: The Legend of Earl "The Goat" Manigault (1996), Irene in The American Clock (1993), Marla Melrose in Picket Fences (1992), Valerie Hall in Reasonable Doubts (1991), Loretta Fontaine in "Sugar and Spice" (1990), Thelma in Parent Trap III (1989), Annie Maude Carter in The Murder of Mary Phagan (1988), Nurse Hawking in Murphy Brown (1988), Stevie Rallen in "A Different World" (1987), The Colored Museum (1986). Motion pictures: Operation Splitsville (1999), Book of Love (1999), Michelle in Lillie (1999), Reese Wilson in Urban Legend (1998), Zenia in Down in the Delta (1998), Sylvia Finkelstein in Love Kills (1998), Pigfoot Mary in Hoodlum (1997), Coco in Lover Girl (1997), Jackee in The Price of Kissing (1997), Beverly in The Preacher's Wife (1996), Gloria Johnson in Waiting to Exhale (1995), Nichols' Secretary in The Hard Truth (1994), Ula in Amos & Andrew (1993), Judy in Caged Fear (1992), Blade's Mom in Class Act (1992), Nadine Biggs in Livin' Large (1991), Bertha in Stanley & Iris (1990), Verna McLaughlin in Little Nikita (1988), Sticky Fingers (1988), Ms. Benson in Anna to the Infinite Power (1983).
Life's Work
Soft-spoken, dreamy-eyed Loretta Devine is a big-boned beauty who is instrumental in changing the way African American females are viewed on stage, television, and screen. Ebony writer, Lisa Jones Townsel, includes Devine as one of the "beautiful big women who continue to make significant strides." Although she debuted on Broadway in 1977 in "Hair" and tasted a large dose of success in 1982 with her role in the Broadway blockbuster "Dreamgirls," Devine was not a household word until 19 years after she first appeared on Broadway when her role in the movie "Waiting to Exhale" earned her the 1996 Image Award for "Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture." Diane Haithman, a writer for the Los Angeles Times confirms that "Devine, a theater, film, and television veteran is probably best known for her role as a sensible single mom Gloria in the 1995 movie "Waiting to Exhale," or in Broadway's "Dreamgirls" in the mid-1980s."
Loretta Devine, daughter of laborer, James Devine and beautician, Eunice O'Neal Devine was born in Houston, Texas on August 21, 1953. She worked her way through Brandeis University. According to Haithman, "Devine, who comes from a 'large, poor' Houston family... is a graduate of the University of Houston" and "received her master's degree in fine arts from Brandeis University, working as a teacher and a dorm supervisor to help pay for her studies." Devine wasted no time launching her career.
Launch from Phase I to Phase II
In 1977, she landed the role of Dionne in the hit musical "Hair." Four years and at least 14 stage productions later, Devine was cast as Lorell Robinson, in "Dreamgirls," at the Imperial Theatre in New York City in 1981. Although some would consider "Dreamgirls" to be the play that launched Devine's career, she attributes it to her performance in another play five years later. In an article written by Emory Holmes II for the Los Angeles Times, Devine says it was George C. Wolfe's play, "The Colored Museum" in 1986, that "really did project her career into the next phase." Holmes quotes Devine as saying, "I had just finished doing 'Dreamgirls,' and the talk of the town around New York was that there was this new show coming. I read the script and said 'Oh my God, I will never get a chance to do this.' But I auditioned for the La La part, and I got it. I was so amazed, because La La is so broad and huge compared to what I thought my personality was at the time. My agents were so upset because I chose this, making absolutely no money, and I had no idea that it would be the sort of thing that pivoted my career from where I was into the next phase." As a result of her performance in "The Colored Museum," Devine told Holmes, "I got a chance to go to London. I got a chance to come out here to L.A. to do the play." And from that I got my first pilot for television, 'Sugar & Spice.'"
Since that time, she has not only become a familiar face on stage, television, and in motion pictures, but she has also become a familiar voice. Diane Haithman describes Devine as having a "...breathy, little-girl voice that belies her statuesque physique." Devine's unmistakably identifiable voice got her the role of Muriel Stubbs, wife of Thurgood (voiced by Eddie Murphy) in Murphy's controversial animated TV series, "The PJs" in 1999.
Sexy and Respectable
Loretta Devine's success opened doors for African American actresses who previously may have felt they had to be pencil-thin and light-skinned to make a mark in Hollywood. In fact, the role that won Devine the "Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture" was Gloria, in "Waiting to Exhale." Devine actually "gained 30 pounds for the role of a woman who struggled with weight along with her relationships with men." Says Haithman, who notes that Devine "has since lost" the 30 pounds. Traditionally, it was never the heavier set or darker-skinned woman who got the sexy roles, but when Gloria (Loretta Devine) says 'good-bye' and walks away from her new neighbor (handsome Gregory Hines) in a scene in "Waiting to Exhale," she turns and notices he is watching her, then changes her walk to a sexy strut as she goes on her way. As noted in USA Today, Devine's prize-winning role also demonstrated that a black woman can play a sexy role that is respectable. "Unlike three of the movie's four principle characters, many (upscale black women) don't flaunt their bodies, fornicate, or commit adultery." The USA Today article goes on to say, "That's why there was so much applause for Gloria, played nicely by Loretta Devine... who doesn't sleep around and still ends up with heartthrob (Gregory) Hines."
Ellen Futterman, Entertainment Editor of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says Devine believes the movie captures the essence of sisterhood regardless of race. Devine told Futterman, "The problems these women are dealing with are problems for a lot of women. How can I get all of these other things in my life right and still be so off when it comes to men? Unfortunately, the way our society is, it's hard to feel total and complete if you're a woman and you don't have a man." Devine, a single woman herself, lives in Culver City. According to Diane Haithman, in the 1998 Los Angeles Times article, Devine "maintains a long-distance relationship with a man who lives in Alabama."
Keeping Busy
Jack E. White, of Time Australia, says he can "remember the 1950s, when blacks were so rarely on television that the mere sight of one was enough to produce pandemonium," in his neighborhood. "'Colored on TV,' someone would shout from the front porch," He said "all normal activity ceased as everybody within earshot rushed to the nearest set for a moment of electronic racial solidarity." Devine was just a baby in diapers back then, but today black actresses continue to struggle to find decent roles and keep busy, even proven talent like Devine. There is no doubt that Devine is one of the most talented actresses of her time. She has won numerous awards for her performances, including the 1996 Image Award for "Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture" for her performance in "Waiting to Exhale." For the African American actress, unfortunately, winning awards does not guarantee adequate work. "Actresses perennially complain of lack of work," says Bob Ivry of The Record "And the roles they do get usually fall into the girlfriend-wife-mother category, playing second fiddle to men. As bad as things are for women in general, for black women it's downright scary." Ivry goes on to say that except for "...three films from the '98 roster -- 'Beloved,' 'Down in the Delta,' and 'Why Do Fools Fall in Love' ... African American women weren't even a blip on the big screen in 1998. Devine appeared in one of those three films, "Down in the Delta."
Bob Ivry says that "for every Cuba Gooding Jr. who goes from 'Boyz N the Hood' to an Oscar for 'Jerry Maguire,' there are a dozen talented black actors who can't find enough work, especially women." In fact, Ivry gives the example of Dorothy Dandridge who was "the first African American female to be nominated for a best actress Oscar..." Yet, tragically, Ivry goes on to say that Dandridge's "life fell apart after she could no longer find enough work." Another example is given by John Stark of People who says that the actress who rose to fame with her role as the maid, Prissy, in "Gone With the Wind," Butterfly McQueen, "spent eight years in Hollywood, but returned to Harlem in the late 1940s after being discouraged by the roles she was offered." Half a century later, veteran actress Leslie Uggams (starred in the award-winning TV mini-series "Roots") who, according to Janice Gaston of The Tampa Tribune, "was nominated for an Emmy." has a problem finding work. "Nowadays, she sings with symphonies." Says Gaston, who quotes Uggams as saying, "acting roles are hard to come by." Gatson goes on to say that "the declining number of black people on television disappoints 56 year-old Uggams " who "has been performing since she was six."
One reason for the struggle to find work was given by actress Halle Berry, who played the leading role in the movie portraying the life story of singer, dancer, actress "Dorothy Dandridge." Devine played the mother of Dorothy Dandridge in the movie. "The industry has a hard time considering us for roles unless the script says 'black woman,' 'black man'." Ivry quotes Berry as saying. "If it just says 'woman' or 'man,' they don't even think of us." Berry goes on to say that her struggle is "to get them to think of us just as people, not always make us black people. We're people first."
Devine's Love for the Theater
The multi-talented Devine's ability to perform on stage as well as on TV and in films cannot guarantee that she will always find suitable work, however, it does allow her more choices than many other African American actresses. This, along with her obvious love for the theater, is probably the reason Devine, after being featured on TV and in movies, has not abandoned the stage. According to Diane Haithman of the Los Angeles Times, Loretta Devine helped "Black Artists Network Development (BAND) make the big leap to producing its first play ('Blues for an Alabama Sky' by Pearl Cleage)". Devine is very active in Los Angeles community theatre. In the article, Haithman noted that Devine "is dedicated ... to nurturing a black theater company in Los Angeles." Haithman quoted Devine as saying, "A black theater is important, because I think that's what gives longevity to the careers of actors who go on and on--Samuel Jackson, Denzel Washington, all of those people came from very strong theater backgrounds."
How She Does It
Sherri A. McGee of Essence writes that for Devine, "time away from daily demands is a ritual." McGee quotes Devine as saying, "I have this small place in my house that serves as a meditation room." McGee says Devine "retreats to her miniature haven for morning prayer, to write in her journal, and to pen poetry." McGee goes on to say that "Devine also frees her mind by engaging in hobbies that are both meditative and creative," and quotes Devine as saying, "I'm constantly painting the walls and fixing things up. I retiled my entire bathroom and hand-dyed my carpet."
"...People think this is an easy career. There is a lot of fun, and there are a lot of rewards, but there are a lot of ups and downs to it." Devine told Diane Haithman. Devine's point is confirmed by one of her 'Waiting to Exhale' co-stars, actress Lela Rochon, who told Ellen Futterman, she "went from a year and a half... of nothing to ... having all these wonderful scripts and choices. As an actress, all you want are choices. As a black actress, you never have choices." Another of Loretta Devine's "Waiting to Exhale" co-stars, actress Angela Bassett, gives Ann Oldenburg and Susan Wloszczyna of USA Today one of the reasons for this. "We know the history that black women are not considered beautiful--they are considered sexual but not beautiful." says Bassett, who makes the point that she "couldn't wear ... braids 10 years ago going up for the nurse on 'Loving.' Not that it was a big thing," continues Bassett, "but it would affect people. I would have to wear my hair straight. It's only hair, and everybody's different ... we should applaud differences."
The multi-talented Devine, who is also a writer, knows that more scripts written by black writers, will mean more work for black actresses. Devine is the author of "Managing the Hunks," an unsold television pilot. "For a young person interested in... acting as a career," Devine told Haithman, "I would advise them to try to become as well trained as possible, and to be as family oriented as possible, or have some emotional center ... And get as much training as you can, this will help you make the choices and do whatever it is you want to do." Devine continues to make wise choices which not only keep her career rising to new heights, but gives encouragement and sets examples for actresses who may fall victim to negative, stereotypical typecasting.
Awards
Citizen Advocates for Justice Award, 1984; Best Actress Award nomination, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, 1988; Certificate of Recognition, Hollywood Dramalogue, 1988; Hollywood Dramalogue Critics Award, best ensemble performance, 1989; San Diego Critics Circle Award nomination best actress, 1989-90; Best Supporting Actress Award, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, 1990; Dramalogue Award for acting, 1991; Image Award "Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture" (Waiting to Exhale), 1996; Nominated for Image Award "Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture" (The Preachers's Wife), 1997.
Further Reading
Periodicals
- Ebony February 1997, p 162.
- Essence, October 1999, p. 21.
- Los Angeles Times, February 1, 1998, p. 46; May 2, 1999, pp. 75.
- Newsday, The Marvin Kitman Show, January 11, 1999, pp. B23.
- People, December 1, 1986, pp. 69.
- The Record (Bergen County, NJ), September 20, 1998, pp. y01; February 21, 1999, pp. y01.
- St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 22, 1995, pp. 01D.
- Tampa Tribune, August 17, 1999, pp. 1.
- Time Australia, January 15, 1996, p. 62.
- USA Today, December 22, 1995; December 29, 1995.
— Sadie Mungro
