Ethel Ayler

Ethyl Spraggins Ayler[1] (May 1, 1930 – November 18, 2018) was an African-American character actress with a career spanning over five decades.

Ethel Ayler
Ethel Ayler in 1957
Born
Ethyl Spraggins Ayler

May 1, 1930
Whistler, Alabama
DiedNovember 18, 2018 (age 88)
Loma Linda, California
Alma materFisk University
OccupationActress
Years active1957–2018

Biography

Ayler was born in Whistler, Alabama[2] and graduated from Fisk University.[3]

In 1957, she made her off-Broadway debut in the Langston Hughes musical, Simply Heavenly.[4] Later that year, she debuted on Broadway in the multiple Tony Award-nominated musical, Jamaica as an understudy for Lena Horne (also making her Broadway debut).[5]

Another notable early performance was in Jean Genet's play, The Blacks: A Clown Show,[1] which ran off-Broadway for 1,408 performances and received three Obie Awards, including Best New Play. The impressive cast of black actors included three future Academy Award nominees: James Earl Jones, Cicely Tyson and Louis Gossett, Jr..[6]

Throughout her career, Ayler appeared frequently with the Negro Ensemble Company. This included notable performances in The First Breeze of Summer,[7] Eden[8] and Nevis Mountain Dew.[9]

On television, Ayler had a recurring role as Carrie Hanks, Claire Huxtable's mother on The Cosby Show.[10] She also made memorable performances in the films To Sleep with Anger (1990) and Eve's Bayou (1997).

For her work in To Sleep with Anger, Ayler received a nomination for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female.[11]

Ayler's last Broadway appearance was in another Tony-nominated production, The Little Foxes, in 1997.[12] On November 18, 2018, she died in Loma Linda, California,[1] at the age of 88.[13]

Selected credits

Theatre
Year Production Role Theatre(s) Notes
1997 The Little Foxes[12][14] Addie Vivian Beaumont Theater
1987 Fences[15][16] Bono
Gabriel
Rose (understudy)		 46th Street Theatre
1983 Sons and Fathers of Sons[17] Sister 3 Theatre Four
1981 Weep Not for Me[18] Lillian Hendricks Theatre Four
1978 Nevis Mountain Dew[9] Zepora Philibert St. Mark's Playhouse
1976 Eden[8] Florie St. Mark's Playhouse
1975 The First Breeze of Summer[7][19] Hattie St. Mark's Playhouse Also appeared in the 1976 Movie of the Week.
Black Picture Show[20] Rita (understudy) Vivian Beaumont Theater
1974 Les Femmes Noires[21] Mrs. Thompson The Other Stage
1961 Kwamina[22] Naii 54th Street Theatre
The Blacks: A Clown Show[6] Augustus Snow St. Mark's Playhouse
1960 The Cool World[23] Woman at the Beach Eugene O'Neill Theatre
1957 Jamaica[5] Island Woman
Islander
Savannah (understudy)		 Imperial Theatre
Simply Heavenly[4] Zarita 85th Street Playhouse

Film
Year Film Role Notes
1997 Eve's Bayou Gran Mere
1992 The Bodyguard Emma
1990 To Sleep with Anger Hattie Independent Spirit Award nomination, Best Supporting Female[24]
1986 9½ Weeks Jewelry Saleswoman
1972 Come Back, Charleston Blue Matron at Ball
1962 Time of the Heathen Marie

References
  1. Barnes, Mike (December 21, 2018). "Ethel Ayler, Actress in 'Eve's Bayou' and 'The Cosby Show,' Dies at 88". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 6, 2019. Retrieved August 6, 2019.
  2. "Ethel Ayler, 88". Classic Images (525): 34. March 2019.
  3. Franklin, Paul (October 29, 1990). "Actress at home on stage". The Courier-News. New Jersey, Bridgewater. p. C-4. Retrieved August 6, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. "Simply Heavenly". New York, New York: Lortel Archives: The Internet off-Broadway Database. Archived from the original on October 7, 2012. Retrieved December 3, 2009.
  5. "Jamaica". New York, New York: Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved December 3, 2009.
  6. "The Blacks: A Clown Show". New York, New York: Lortel Archives: The Internet off-Broadway Database. Archived from the original on October 2, 2007. Retrieved December 3, 2009.
  7. "The First Breeze of Summer". New York, New York: Lortel Archives: The Internet off-Broadway Database. Archived from the original on October 2, 2007. Retrieved December 3, 2009.
  8. "Eden". New York, New York: Lortel Archives: The Internet off-Broadway Database. Archived from the original on April 15, 2010. Retrieved December 3, 2009.
  9. "Nevis Mountain Dew". New York, New York: Lortel Archives: The Internet off-Broadway Database. Archived from the original on September 13, 2007. Retrieved December 3, 2009.
  10. Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 211. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7.
  11. Haring, Bruce (December 21, 2018). "Ethel Ayler Dies: Actress For Stage, Film And TV's 'Cosby Show' Was 88". Deadline.com. Archived from the original on August 6, 2019. Retrieved August 6, 2019.
  12. "The Little Foxes". New York, New York: Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved December 3, 2009.
  13. Ethel Ayler obituary
  14. "The Little Foxes". New York, New York: Internet Theatre Database. Retrieved December 3, 2009.
  15. "Fences". New York, New York: Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved December 3, 2009.
  16. "Fences". New York, New York: Internet Theatre Database. Retrieved December 3, 2009.
  17. "Sons and Fathers of Sons". New York, New York: Lortel Archives: The Internet off-Broadway Database. Archived from the original on October 7, 2012. Retrieved December 3, 2009.
  18. "Weep Not for Me". New York, New York: Lortel Archives: The Internet off-Broadway Database. Archived from the original on September 13, 2007. Retrieved December 3, 2009.
  19. "The First Breeze of Summer". New York, New York: Internet Theatre Database. Retrieved December 3, 2009.
  20. "Black Picture Show". New York, New York: Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved December 3, 2009.
  21. "Les Femmes Noires". New York, New York: Lortel Archives: The Internet off-Broadway Database. Archived from the original on September 12, 2007. Retrieved December 3, 2009.
  22. "Kwamina". New York, New York: Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved December 3, 2009.
  23. "The Cood World". New York, New York: Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved December 3, 2009.
  24. "Film Independent's Spirit Awards: 2009 – Twenty-Four Years of Nominees and Winners" (PDF). Los Angeles: Film Independent. p. 31. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 23, 2012. Retrieved December 4, 2009.


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