Rosetta LeNoire (born Rosetta Olive Burton; August , â€" March , )
was an American stage, movie, and television actress as well as a
Broadway producer and casting agent. LeNoire is known to contemporary
audiences for her work in television. She had regular roles on the
series Gimme a Break! and Amen, and is best known for her role as
Estelle "Mother Winslow" (Carl's mother) on Family Matters, which ran
from to . In , she was awarded the National Medal of Arts.Lenoire was
born in Harlem, New York, as the eldest of children to Harold Burton,
who was from Dominica and Nymarie Edith Jacques Helwig, of Jamaica in
the West Indies. As a young girl, LeNoire suffered from rickets, which
her godfather Bill "Bojangles" Robinson helped her overcome by
teaching her to dance. Stage theater was her first love, and LeNoire
performed in the Federal Theater Project's Bassa Moona and was cast as
a witch in Orson Welles' production of Macbeth. She also appeared in
a production of The Hot Mikado, starring Robinson, in which she
played "Little Maid From School" Peep-Bo. She also appeared onstage,
mostly as a singer and dancer, in I Had a Ball, Bassa Moona, Marching
with Jimmy, Janie, Decision, Three's a Family, Destry Rides Again, and
the Off Broadway Double Entry (two one-act musicals showcasing
Lenoire: "The Bible Salesman," with a pre-SNL Garrett Morris, and "The
Oldest Trick in the World" with Jane Connell).Rosetta LeNoire
championed the cause of racial equity for more than years. Her
efforts profoundly influenced the New York theater community. In ,
using her own savings, LeNoire founded the AMAS Repertory Theatre
Company, an interracial theatre dedicated to multi-ethnic productions
in New York City. With this company, LeNoire created an artistic
community where members' individual skills were recognized without
regard to race, creed, color, religion, or national origin. She became
a successful and groundbreaking Broadway producer. The Actors' Equity
Association awarded her the first award for helping contribute to the
diversification of theatre casting; in , the award was named the
Rosetta LeNoire Award. Amas Repertory Theatre provided a nurturing
atmosphere for actors, and a community performing arts center.
Throughout its history, many of the company's productions garnered
reviews in The New York Times. The long-running theater's cramped
headquarters were originally located at East th Street, in the uptown
neighborhood known as East Harlem. The theater continues today as Amas
Musical Theatre, now located midtown on West nd Street above Jersey
Boys, and carries on LeNoire's dream of diversity in the creative and
theatrical arts. Since its inception, Amas has produced over original
musicals. Many of them have gone on to Broadway, including Bubbling
Brown Sugar, which received a Tony Award nomination in for Best
Musical.
was an American stage, movie, and television actress as well as a
Broadway producer and casting agent. LeNoire is known to contemporary
audiences for her work in television. She had regular roles on the
series Gimme a Break! and Amen, and is best known for her role as
Estelle "Mother Winslow" (Carl's mother) on Family Matters, which ran
from to . In , she was awarded the National Medal of Arts.Lenoire was
born in Harlem, New York, as the eldest of children to Harold Burton,
who was from Dominica and Nymarie Edith Jacques Helwig, of Jamaica in
the West Indies. As a young girl, LeNoire suffered from rickets, which
her godfather Bill "Bojangles" Robinson helped her overcome by
teaching her to dance. Stage theater was her first love, and LeNoire
performed in the Federal Theater Project's Bassa Moona and was cast as
a witch in Orson Welles' production of Macbeth. She also appeared in
a production of The Hot Mikado, starring Robinson, in which she
played "Little Maid From School" Peep-Bo. She also appeared onstage,
mostly as a singer and dancer, in I Had a Ball, Bassa Moona, Marching
with Jimmy, Janie, Decision, Three's a Family, Destry Rides Again, and
the Off Broadway Double Entry (two one-act musicals showcasing
Lenoire: "The Bible Salesman," with a pre-SNL Garrett Morris, and "The
Oldest Trick in the World" with Jane Connell).Rosetta LeNoire
championed the cause of racial equity for more than years. Her
efforts profoundly influenced the New York theater community. In ,
using her own savings, LeNoire founded the AMAS Repertory Theatre
Company, an interracial theatre dedicated to multi-ethnic productions
in New York City. With this company, LeNoire created an artistic
community where members' individual skills were recognized without
regard to race, creed, color, religion, or national origin. She became
a successful and groundbreaking Broadway producer. The Actors' Equity
Association awarded her the first award for helping contribute to the
diversification of theatre casting; in , the award was named the
Rosetta LeNoire Award. Amas Repertory Theatre provided a nurturing
atmosphere for actors, and a community performing arts center.
Throughout its history, many of the company's productions garnered
reviews in The New York Times. The long-running theater's cramped
headquarters were originally located at East th Street, in the uptown
neighborhood known as East Harlem. The theater continues today as Amas
Musical Theatre, now located midtown on West nd Street above Jersey
Boys, and carries on LeNoire's dream of diversity in the creative and
theatrical arts. Since its inception, Amas has produced over original
musicals. Many of them have gone on to Broadway, including Bubbling
Brown Sugar, which received a Tony Award nomination in for Best
Musical.
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