Roxie Roker

For the character on Hannah Montana, see Roxy Roker.

Roxie Roker
Roker in 1976
Born	Roxie Albertha Roker (1929-08-28)August 28, 1929 Miami, Florida, U.S.
Died	December 2, 1995(1995-12-02) (aged 66) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Alma mater	Howard University
Occupations	Actress television personality news anchor
Years active	1974–1995
Spouse	Sy Kravitz ​ ​ (m. 1962; div. 1985)​
Children	Lenny Kravitz
Family	Zoë Kravitz (granddaughter) Al Roker (second cousin once removed)

Roxie Albertha Roker (August 28, 1929 – December 2, 1995) was an American actress. She was best known for her portrayal of Helen Willis on the CBS sitcom The Jeffersons. In 1973, she performed as Mattie Williams in the Broadway play The River Niger, and was nominated for Best Featured Actress in a Play at the 28th Tony Awards. Roker is the mother of rock musician Lenny Kravitz and grandmother of actress Zoë Kravitz.

Early life and education

Roker was born in Miami, Florida. Her mother, Bessie Roker (née Mitchell), was from Georgia and worked as a domestic. Her father, Albert Roker, was a porter and a native of Andros, the Bahamas. She grew up in Brooklyn, New York.

Roker studied drama at Howard University where she was a pupil of celebrated drama teachers Anne Cooke Reid and Owen Dodson. Some of her fellow drama students at Howard included novelist Toni Morrison, actress Zaida Coles, stage director and playwright Shauneille Perry, and actor Graham Brown; all of whom were members of the university's theatre troupe, the Howard Players. Roker toured with the Howard Players for performances in Norway in 1949; a trip sponsored by the United States Department of State, which was supported by Eleanor Roosevelt.

Career

She began her professional career with the Negro Ensemble Company and became a successful stage actress. She won an Obie Award in 1974 and was nominated for a Tony Award for her portrayal of Mattie Williams in The River Niger. She was a reporter on WNEW-TV in New York in the 1970s and hosted a public affairs show for the station known as Inside Bed-Stuy, dealing with events in the Brooklyn neighborhood. Roker portrayed Helen Willis on The Jeffersons, breaking social barriers by becoming one half of the first Caucasian–African-American married couple (along with actor Franklin Cover) as regular cast member on prime-time TV. She appeared in guest starring roles on many other United States television shows from the 1970s through the 1990s, including "Stone in the River" starring Hal Miller for NBC, Punky Brewster, Hangin' with Mr. Cooper, A Different World, Murder, She Wrote, The Love Boat, $weepstake$, 227, Beat the Clock, Fantasy Island and ABC Afterschool Specials. She had roles in the television miniseries Roots and in the movie Claudine. Roker was also a children's advocate who was cited by the city of Los Angeles for her community work.

Personal life

Roker was married to television producer Sy Kravitz in 1962. The couple had a son, singer-songwriter and actor Lenny Kravitz (b. May 26, 1964), and divorced in 1985. Roker and weather anchor Al Roker are second cousins once removed.

Death

Roker died in Los Angeles, California, on December 2, 1995, of breast cancer. She was 66.

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1974	Change at 125th Street	Eloise Morse	TV movie
1974	Claudine	Mrs. Winston
1975–1985	The Jeffersons	Helen Willis
1977	Roots	Malizy	Episode: "Part V"
1977	Billy: Portrait of a Street Kid	Mrs. Peoples	TV movie
1979	$weepstake$	Margaret	Episode: "Roscoe, Elizabeth, and the M.C."
1979	The Bermuda Triangle	Bohamiar Radio Operator	Documentary
1982	Fantasy Island	Emily Carlisle	Episode: "The Kleptomaniac/Thank God, I'm a Country Girl"
1983	Making of a Male Model	Madge Davis	TV movie
1983–1987	ABC Afterschool Specials	Phyllis Brooks / Aunt Helen	2 episodes
1987	Amazon Women on the Moon	Female Republican	(segment "Blacks Without Soul")
1988	Punky Brewster	Judge J.F. Taylor	1 episode
1990	Penny Ante: The Motion Picture
1991	A Different World	Dean Barksdale	Episode: "Home Is Where The Fire Is"

External links

• Roxie Roker at IMDb
• Roxie Roker at the Internet Broadway Database
• Roxie Roker at Find a Grave