Virginia Capers

Virginia Capers
Born	Eliza Virginia Capers September 22, 1925(1925-09-22) Sumter, South Carolina, USA
Died	May 6, 2004 (aged 78) Los Angeles, California, USA
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1950s-2004

Eliza Virginia Capers (September 22, 1925 – May 6, 2004) was an American actress.

Early life

Born in Sumter, South Carolina, Capers attended Howard University and studied voice at the Juilliard School in New York City. She made her Broadway debut in Jamaica in 1957. She also appeared in Saratoga and Raisin, for which she won the Tony for Best Actress in a Musical.

Capers was a familiar face to television audiences. In addition to a recurring role on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, she appeared in many television programs, including Marcus Welby, M.D., My Three Sons, Mannix, The Waltons, Mork & Mindy, Highway to Heaven, St. Elsewhere, Murder, She Wrote, Evening Shade, The Golden Girls, Married with Children, The Practice and ER.

Capers appeared in such films as The Great White Hope, Lady Sings the Blues, The Toy, Teachers, Norwood, The North Avenue Irregulars, Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Beethoven's 2nd.

Capers founded the Lafayette Players, a Los Angeles repertory theatre company for African American performers. She was the recipient of the National Black Theatre Festival Living Legend Award, the Paul Robeson Pioneer Award, and the NAACP's Image Award for theatre excellence.

Death

Capers died May 6, 2004 of complications from pneumonia in Los Angeles, California, aged 78

External links

• Virginia Capers at the Internet Broadway Database
• Virginia Capers at the Internet Movie Database