Norma Donaldson

Norma Donaldson
Donaldson in Willie Dynamite, 1973.
Born	Norma C. Donaldson (1928-08-18)August 18, 1928 New York City, U.S.
Died	November 22, 1994(1994-11-22) (aged 66) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting place	Inglewood Park Cemetery (Los Angeles, California)
Nationality	American
Education	Boys and Girls High School
Occupations	Actress singer
Years active	1956–1994

Norma C. Donaldson (August 18, 1928 – November 22, 1994) was an American actress and singer. Perhaps she is best known for her roles as Miss Adelaide in the 1976 revival of Guys and Dolls; Lillie Belle Barber on the CBS television soap opera The Young and the Restless, in which she played from 1990 until she died in 1994.

Biography

Early life

Donaldson was born Norma C. Donaldson in the Harlem section of New York City. Her parents were Laura, a housekeeper, and Fredrick Donaldson (b. 1906; d. 1955). The first of two children, Donaldson attended Boys and Girls High School (known at the time as Girls' High School), studying there until her junior year.

Career

In 1949, Donaldson, then aged 21, launched her career as a nightclub singer, booking gigs throughout New York City. During her nightclub stint, Donaldson began touring with Harry Belafonte and later Lena Horne. Donaldson started her acting career in the late–1960s, first appearing in an episode of Callback! which aired on March 8, 1969, in which Barry Manilow was the music director of this show. In the 1970s, Donaldson began appearing in some Blaxploitation films. Most notably of the genre, Donaldson portrayed Gloria Roberts in 1972's Across 110th Street and Honey in 1973's Willie Dynamite.

In 1975, Donaldson began her acting career on Broadway and was most famous for portraying the loveless chorus line dancer Miss Adelaide, opposite Robert Guillaume, in an all-black revival of Frank Loesser's Guys and Dolls which premiered in 1976. Donaldson co-starred alongside Guillaume again in Purlie and No Place to be Somebody. Before her lengthy recurring role on "The Young and the Restless," she had played Dr. Paulina Ravelle on General Hospital regularly from 1987 to 1989, who strove to prevent her daughter, Simone, from marrying the white Dr. Tom Hardy.

Personal life and death

Donaldson never married or had children. Donaldson died of cancer at Cedars Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles, California, on November 22, 1994, at 66 years old. She was buried at Inglewood Park Cemetery in Los Angeles, California.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1956	The Baby and the Battleship	Dr. Bryce	Uncredited
1972	Across 110th Street	Gloria Roberts
1973	Willie Dynamite	Honey
1980	9 to 5	Betty
1983	Staying Alive	Fatima
1988	The Unholy	Abby
1990	House Party	Mildred
1991	The Five Heartbeats	Mrs. Sawyer
1993	Poetic Justice	Aunt May

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1975	Good Times	Mrs. Baker	Episode: "Michael's Big Fall"
1975	The Jeffersons	Dale Parker	Episode: "George and the Manager"
1977	All in the Family	Ms. Watson	Episode: "Archie Gets the Business"
1978	What's Happening!!	Mrs. Miller	Episode: "No Clothes Make the Man"
1978	Watch Your Mouth	Mrs. Littlejohn	Episode: "Handsomest Boy"
1979	Archie Bunker's Place	Ms. Watson	Episodes: "Archie's New Partner: Parts 1 & 2", "The Cook"
1980	Willow B: Women in Prison	Mrs. McCallister	TV film
1981	Inmates: A Love Story	Lila	TV film
1982	CHiPs	Mrs. Schoonover	Episode: "Overload"
1982	Farrell for the People	Mrs. Grey	TV film
1983	Intimate Agony	Dr. Bryce	TV film
1987	General Hospital	Dr. Pauline Ravelle	TV series
1989	Thirtysomething	Bernice	Episode: "No Promises"
1989	Matlock	Shirley Taylor	Episode: "The Good Boy"
1990–1994	The Young and the Restless	Lillie Belle Barber	Recurring role, (final appearance)

Theater

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1956	The Happiest Girl in the World	Martha	Broadway
1956	The Baby and the Battleship	Dr. Bryce	Broadway (uncredited)
1976	Guys and Dolls	Miss Adelaide	Broadway

External links

• Norma Donaldson at IMDb

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