Tyra Ferrell (born March 29, 1955) is an American actress. She is known for her roles in films Boyz n the Hood (1991), Jungle Fever (1991), White Men Can't Jump (1992), and Poetic Justice (1993).
Tyra Ferrell | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 29, 1955 Houston, Texas, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1980–present |
| Spouse | |
On television, she had starring roles in short-lived series The Bronx Zoo (1987−88) and City (1990), and recurred on Thirtysomething (1989−90), ER (1994) and Empire (2015). Ferrell has been nominated for two NAACP Image Awards.
Life and career
editFerrell was born in Houston, Texas.[1] She moved from Houston to New York after high school and began her career on stage including roles on Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music (1981), as part of the Cotton Club chorus,[2] and Ain't Misbehavin on Broadway.[3]
She made her screen debut in a small role in the 1981 comedy film So Fine, and later appeared in Lady Beware,[4] School Daze,[5] The Mighty Quinn,[6] and The Exorcist III.[7] On television, she guest-starred in Hill Street Blues,[5] The Twilight Zone,[8] and Quantum Leap.[9] Ferrell's first major role on television was Roberta in drama The Bronx Zoo (1987−88).[10] She had recurring roles on Square One Television and Thirtysomething. In 1990, Ferrell was a regular cast member on the short-lived CBS sitcom City starring Valerie Harper, portraying secretary Wanda Jenkins.[11]
In 1991, Ferrell played supporting roles in two films.[1] She appeared as matriarch Brenda Baker[12] in Boyz n the Hood.[13] A critic believed Ferrell gave a "fine edge" to the character of Mrs. Baker.[14] Ferrell earned an NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture for her role in Boyz n the Hood.[15] She portrayed Orin Goode, the love interest of John Torturro's character, in Jungle Fever.[16] In the same year, she was listed as one of twelve "Promising New Actors of 1991" in John A. Willis' Screen World.[17] The following year, she starred alongside Wesley Snipes as his wife Rhonda in the comedy film White Men Can't Jump.[18] She later had supporting roles as Sonya, a janitor, in Equinox (1992)[19] and a beauty salon owner named Jessie[20] in Poetic Justice (1993).[21]
Ferrell also played the leading role of prosecutor Cutter Dubuque alongside Mare Winningham in the 1993 Lifetime Television movie Better Off Dead.[22] Ferrell received positive reviews for her performance in this film. One reviewer claimed she "breathed life" into her character.[23] Another critic found Ferrell's portrayal "smooth,"[24] and a third opined Ferrell was "impressive."[25] In 1994, she had the recurring role as Dr. Sarah Langworthy during the first season of the NBC medical drama ER,[26] and from 1996 to 1997 she co-starred alongside Corbin Bernsen on the syndicated science fiction series The Cape as Tamara St. James.[27]
In 2000, Ferrell co-starred alongside Khandi Alexander in the HBO miniseries The Corner.[28] She later guest-starred on Soul Food, The Shield and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. In 2005, she was nominated for her second NAACP Image Award, in the category of Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Miniseries or Dramatic Special for her role in the ABC television film NTSB: The Crash of Flight 323.[29] After 2004, Ferrell took a break from acting.
She returned to acting ten years later with the leading role in Tasha Smith's directorial debut, Boxed In.[30] In 2015, Ferrell was cast in a recurring role on the second season of Fox's prime-time soap opera Empire as Roxanne Ford, an attorney.[31][32]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | So Fine | Receptionist | |
| 1984 | Gimme an 'F' | Rocket Rafferty | |
| 1987 | Lady Beware | Nan | |
| Nuts | Cell Woman #2 | ||
| 1988 | Tapeheads | Flygirl | |
| School Daze | Tasha | ||
| Side by Side | Rita Gold | TV movie | |
| 1989 | The Mighty Quinn | Isola | |
| The Neon Empire | Samantha | TV movie | |
| 1990 | The Exorcist III | Nurse Blaine | |
| 1991 | Jungle Fever | Orin Goode | |
| Boyz n the Hood | Brenda Baker | ||
| 1992 | White Men Can't Jump | Rhonda Deane | |
| Equinox | Sonya Kirk | ||
| Ulterior Motives | Receptionist | ||
| You Must Remember This | Ricki Sewell | TV movie | |
| 1993 | Better Off Dead | Cutter Dubuque | TV movie |
| Poetic Justice | Jessie | ||
| 2004 | The Perfect Score | Mrs. Rhodes | |
| NTSB: The Crash of Flight 323 | Jessamyn | TV movie | |
| Coochie | Olivia Potter | Short | |
| 2015 | Boxed in | Gayle | Short |
| 2019 | The Bobby DeBarge Story | Etterlene DeBarge | TV movie |
| 2020 | A New York Christmas Wedding | Alison Wilks |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Hill Street Blues | Jonelle Robinson | Episode: "Somewhere Over the Rambo" |
| Moonlighting | Hooker | Episode: "Knowing Her" | |
| The Twilight Zone | Maid | Episode: "Dead Woman's Shoes" | |
| 1986 | ABC Afterschool Special | Tracy | Episode: "Are You My Mother?" |
| Hunter | Marguerite Montero | Episode: "Love, Hate, and Sporty James" | |
| 1987 | Mathnet | Ginnie Carlson | Episode: "The Problem of the Missing Baseball" |
| Square One Television | Ginnie Carlson | Recurring cast: season 1 | |
| 1987-88 | The Bronx Zoo | Roberta Hughes | Main cast: season 1, recurring cast: season 2 |
| 1988 | Mr. Belvedere | Cashier #1 | Episode: "Hooky" |
| 1989 | Quantum Leap | Delilah 'Lila' Berry | Episode: "So Help Me God - July 29, 1957" |
| 1989-90 | Thirtysomething | Ricky Bianca | Recurring cast: season 3 |
| 1990 | Full House | Miss Petrie | Episode: "Bye, Bye Birdie" |
| City | Wanda Jenkins | Main cast | |
| The Trials of Rosie O'Neill | Loni Sanders | Episode: "An Act of Love" | |
| 1994 | ER | Dr. Sarah Langworthy | Recurring cast: season 1 |
| 1996-97 | The Cape | Mission Specialist Tamara St. James | Main cast |
| 1997 | Early Edition | Dr. Marks | Episode: "Faith" |
| 2000 | The Corner | Ella Thompson | Main cast |
| Soul Food | Frances Lester | Episode: "Truth Be Told" | |
| 2002 | The Shield | Karen Mitchell | Episode: "Two Days of Blood" |
| 2003 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Bethany Taylor | Episode: "Futility" |
| 2015 | Empire | Roxanne Ford | Recurring cast: season 2 |
| 2017 | Tales | Courier | Episode: "99 Problems" |
| 2018 | Chicago PD | Mrs. Burton | Episode: "Breaking Point" |
Music video
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | New Edition | passer-by | My Secret (Didja Gitit Yet?) |
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Awards | Category | Recipient | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | NAACP Image Award | NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture | Boyz n the Hood | Nominated |
| 2005 | NAACP Image Award | NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special | NTSB: The Crash of Flight 323 | Nominated |
References
edit- ^ a b Tyra Ferrell
- ^ "Lena Horne hits her stride on Broadway". Boca Raton News. May 13, 1981. p. 10B.
- ^ "Tyra Ferrell". Hollywood.com. Retrieved 27 June 2015.
- ^ Nowlan, Robert A.; Wright Nowlan, Gwendolyn (1991). The Films of the Eighties. McFarland & Company. p. 313.
- ^ a b Arar, Yardena (July 21, 1991). "Tyra Ferrell reaches the big time". Lawrence Journal-World. p. 2D.
- ^ "Black Stars Shine In Murder Mystery 'The Mighty Quinn'". Jet. Johnson Publishing Company. February 20, 1989. p. 48.
- ^ Lentz, Harris M. (1994). Science Fiction, Horror & Fantasy Film and Television Credits. McFarland & Company. p. 431.
- ^ Phillips, Mark; Garcia, Frank (1996). Science Fiction Television Series. McFarland & Company. p. 498. ISBN 9780786400416.
- ^ "'Quantum Leap' visits Louisiana in summer, '57". The Boca Raton News. June 26, 1990. p. 7C.
- ^ Terrace, Vincent (2009). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 Through 2007: A-E. McFarland & Company. p. 207.
- ^ Leszczak, Bob (August 31, 2018). Single Season Sitcoms of the 1990s: A Complete Guide. McFarland & Company. p. 41. ISBN 9781476670775.
- ^ Becker, Carol (1994). The Subversive Imagination: Artists, Society, and Social Responsibility. Routledge Publishing. p. 158.
- ^ Paseman, Lloyd (July 19, 1991). "'Boyz' speaks out against violence". Eugene Register-Guard. pp. 1D, 6D.
- ^ Cherry, Nanciann (July 15, 1991). "'Boyz' fine, but it's not a fun film". Toledo Blade. p. P-1.
- ^ "NAACP Image Award Nominees Announced". The Associated Press. October 16, 1991. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
- ^ Sheffield, Skip (June 7, 1991). "Spike Lee gets brutally honest". The Boca Raton News. p. 6E.
- ^ "Biography for Tyra Ferrell". IMDB.com.
- ^ Fetters, Robert (April 5, 1992). "'White Men' offers slam-dunk laughs". The Spokesman-Review. p. B6.
- ^ Wilmington, Michael (October 6, 1993). "Actor hits his own 'Equinox' in film". Gainesville Sun. p. 3.
- ^ Gaul, Lou (July 28, 1993). "Jackson trips in 'Poetic Justice'". Beaver County Times. p. 3.
- ^ Szymanski, Michael (July 28, 1993). "Director John Singleton is stirring things up". Gainesville Sun. p. 2.
- ^ "Mal de Mare". Lawrence Journal-World. January 9, 1993.
- ^ "'Jack's Place' is back in business tonight at 10". The Item. January 12, 1993. p. 4B.
- ^ Winfrey, Lee (January 12, 1993). "Steneim reels off movie of Lifetime". The Vindicator. p. B10.
- ^ "On the move, Gloria Steinem makes movie". The Daily Reporter. January 15, 1993.
- ^ "Highlights". The Spokesman-Review. October 20, 1994. p. D2.
- ^ Brooks, Tim and Marsh, Earle, The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows
- ^ "Obscure Black C-Listers: Tyra Ferrell - What Would Thembi Do?". Retrieved 27 June 2015.
- ^ "Official Ballot: The 36th NAACP Image Awards". The Crisis. National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. 2005.
- ^ "Tasha Smith Makes Directorial Debut with 'Boxed In' at 2015 ABFF (WATCH)". EURweb. 23 June 2015. Retrieved June 27, 2015.
- ^ Denise Petski (26 June 2015). "Tyra Ferrell Cast In Fox's 'Empire' - Deadline". Deadline. Retrieved June 27, 2015.
- ^ Stanhope, Kate (October 14, 2015). "'Empire's' Andre Royo on Thirsty's Loyalty, 'Godfather' Influences and 'Wire' Comparisons". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
External links
edit- Tyra Ferrell at IMDb