Known for Acting
Birthday
December 3, 1936
Place of Birth
Indianola, Mississippi, USA
Biography
Mary Alice was born on December 3, 1936 in Indianola, Mississippi, USA to parents Ozelar Jurnakin (Smith) and Sam Smith. She was an actress, known for The Matrix Revolutions (2003), Awakenings (1990) and Malcolm X (1992). She taught in Elementary School before her acting career took off. When she was still a struggling actress doing stage plays, she made a living doing her castmate's laundry for a salary of $200 a week. She was a lifelong liberal Democrat, feminist, and civil rights activist. Was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 2000. She retired from acting in 2005. She died of natural causes on July 27, 2022 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA. Upon her death, she was buried with her siblings at Oak Wood Cemetery in Chicago, Illinois, in regard for her last wishes.

Law & Order

Great Performances

L.A. Law

Oz

Touched by an Angel

A Different World

Police Woman

Sanford and Son

Providence

Green Acres

Good Times

Performance

The Jury

Cosby

I'll Fly Away

I'll Fly Away

Soul Food

Kojak

Laurel Avenue

The Women of Brewster Place