Terresa Graves (January 10, 1948 – October 10, 2002), credited as Teresa Graves, was an American actress and singer, best known for her starring role as undercover police detective Christie Love in the ABC crime-drama television series Get Christie Love! (1974–1975). The role made Graves the second African-American female to star in a non-stereotypical role for a U.S. drama television series. The first was Diahann Carroll in Julia, which aired 3 years earlier from 1968 to 1971. The Get Christie Love! series was based on Dorothy Uhnak's crime-thriller novel The Ledger.[2][3]
Teresa Graves | |
|---|---|
 Graves in Get Christie Love!, 1974 | |
| Born | January 10, 1948 Houston, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | October 10, 2002 (aged 54) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Other names |
|
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1966–1983 |
| Known for | Det. Christie Love – Get Christie Love! |
| Spouse |
William D. Reddick
(m. 1977; div. 1983) |
Career
editSinging
editGraves was born on January 10, 1948, the middle of three children in Houston, Texas to Marshall (1921–1967) and Willie Graves (1920–2005). The family moved to Los Angeles, California, when she was five. In high school she was a 4.0 student, active in both glee club and drama society; her senior class voted her "Most Talented". Her vocal talent brought her to the attention of the Doodletown Pipers founder George Wilkins in 1966. After graduating from George Washington Preparatory High School in 1966, Graves elected to take his offer to join the singing group over a fully paid music scholarship to USC. She spent the next three years touring North America with the Pipers. It was with the group that she made her initial television appearances. She also recorded a self-titled album in 1970.[4][5]
Acting
editShe soon turned to acting and became a regular in the two variety shows: Our Place (1967) and the infamous single episode of Turn-On (1969). In 1969, Graves toured with Bob Hope's USO tour in Southeast Asia. Graves later landed more acting roles, becoming a regular on Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In during its third season.[6] Graves appeared in several films. In the 1973 film That Man Bolt, in which she played Samantha Nightingale, Graves' character is shot to death when she is in bed during a love scene with Fred Williamson, who plays the leading role of Jefferson Bolt.
Graves pivotal role in the 1974 ABC crime drama television movie and later series Get Christie Love! featured Charles Cioffi and Jack Kelly as Lieutenants Reardon and Ryan, respectively, Love's supervisors. At the time of the series creation, Graves' was noted as the second African-American woman to star in her own hour–long television series, after Diahann Carroll in Julia which aired six years prior. An article in the November 1974 issue of Jet magazine described Graves as "television's most delightful detective, the epitome of a tough lady cop with more feminine features than Venus".[7] In 1983, Graves retired from show business to devote her time to her faith.[citation needed]
Personal life and death
editGraves married William Reddick in 1977. They divorced in 1983. They had no children together.
[8] Graves was baptized as a Jehovah's Witness in 1974, and almost immediately began using her celebrity to bring international awareness to the brutal persecution of Witnesses in Malawi under then-leader Hastings Kamuzu Banda's "one-party rule".[9]
Due to moral conflicts with scripts and other aspects in the entertainment industry, Graves chose to retire from acting and performing in 1984. She then devoted all of her time to Jehovah's Witnesses activities. She resided at 3437 West 78th Place in the Hyde Park neighborhood in Los Angeles, California, where she cared for her mother.[5] On October 10, 2002, Graves' home caught fire due to a faulty space heater. Graves was found unconscious in a bedroom before being rushed to the hospital where she later died.[10] She was 54 years old. It has recently been rumored that she is the biological mother of the late singer Whitney Houston. That rumor has not been confirmed.
Acting roles
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | Turn-On | Regular Performer | 1 episode |
| 1969–1970 | Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In | Regular performer | 26 episodes |
| 1971 | The Funny Side | Minority Wife | Unknown episodes |
| 1972 | Keeping Up with the Joneses | Television movie | |
| 1972 | The New Dick Van Dyke Show | Nurse Allen | 1 episode |
| 1973 | The Rookies | Susan Davis | 1 episode |
| 1973 | That Man Bolt | Samantha Nightingale | |
| 1974 | Vampira | Countess Vampira | Alternative titles (USA): Old Dracula, Old Drac |
| 1974 | Black Eye | Cynthia | |
| 1974 | Get Christie Love! | Christie Love | Television movie |
| 1974–1975 | Get Christie Love! | Christie Love | 22 episodes |
| 1980 | Noche de Gigantes | Herself (guest) | Chilean talk show, 1 episode |
| 1982 | Bob Hope's Women I Love: Beautiful But Funny | Herself (guest) | TV special |
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Award | Result | Category | Film or series |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Golden Globe Award | Nominated | Best TV Actress - Drama | Get Christie Love! |
| 1977 | TP de Oro | Won | Best Foreign Actress (Mejor Actriz Extranjera) | Get Christie Love! |
References
edit- ^ Company, Deseret News Publishing (October 21, 1978). "The Deseret News". Deseret News Publishing Company. Retrieved December 27, 2023 – via Google Books.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ Levine, Elana (2007). Wallowing in Sex: The New Sexual Culture of 1970s American Television. Duke University Press. p. 134. ISBN 978-0-8223-3919-9.
- ^ Soul: Black Power, Politics, and Pleasure, edited by Monique Guillory, Richard Green, Richard Green, Dr. Retrieved December 19, 2019.
- ^ Kirshner Records KES-104
- ^ a b "'Get Christy Love' TV star Teresa Graves, 54, dies in fire". Jet. 2002-10-28. Retrieved 2008-01-04.
- ^ Erickson, Hal (1999). From Beautiful Downtown Burbank: A Critical History of Rowan and Martin's Laugh-in, 1968-1973. McFarland. p. 204. ISBN 0-7864-0766-2.
- ^ "TV's Tough Lady Cop", Jet magazine, November 14, 1974, cover and pages 58-60, Online
- ^ Certificate of Death (Report). State of California, Department of Public Health. 2002-10-10.
- ^ "Choosing Between Two Loves in My Life" as told by Teresa Graves, Awake!, April 22, 1977, p. 19.
- ^ "Teresa Graves, 53, Of 'Get Christie Love'". The New York Times. 2002-10-16. Retrieved 2008-11-02.
External links
edit
- Teresa Graves at IMDb
- Teresa Graves at the African American Registry