Name
Helen Martin
Known For
Acting
Birthday
1909-07-23
Deathday
2000-03-25 (91 years old)
Place of Birth
St. Louis, Missouri, USA
Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Helen Dorothy Martin (July 23, 1909 – March 25, 2000) was an American actress of stage and television who is perhaps most well known for her role in the sitcom 227 as Marla Gibbs' neighbor Pearl.
Martin was born in St. Louis, Missouri, the daughter of Amanda Frankie (née Fox) and William Martin, a minister.
Martin was a Broadway character actress for many decades, debuting in Orson Welles' production of Native Son in 1941. She appeared in at least a dozen Broadway shows including Jean Genet's The Blacks, Raisin from 1973 to 1975, Ossie Davis' Purlie Victorious (and later the musical version, which was called Purlie), The Amen Corner and Tennessee Williams' Period of Adjustment. She was an original member of the American Negro Theater.
She first became famous later in life for her guest role as Wanda on the television series Good Times, and later as the wisecracking neighbor Pearl Shay on the television sitcom 227. She also played on the short-run sitcoms Baby, I'm Back (as mother in-law, Luzelle) and That's My Mama; as Loc Dog's grandma, Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood (1996), the matronly grandmother Mama Doll in the 1998 film Bulworth, and the no-nonsense grandmother in the film Hollywood Shuffle. Helen Martin died of a heart attack on March 25, 2000.
Description above from the Wikipedia article Helen Martin, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Known For
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- 1991 Doc Hollywood as Maddie, Welcoming Committee
- 1997 Kiss the Girls as Nana Cross
- 1985 Amos as Mrs. McKenzie
- 1987 Hollywood Shuffle as Bobby's Grandmother
- 1955 The Phenix City Story as Helen Ward
- 1990 Night Angel as Sadie
- 1977 A Hero Ain't Nothin' But a Sandwich as Mrs. Bell
- 1982 Wacko as Harbinger's Mother
- 1974 Death Wish as Alma Lee Brown
- 1988 Robert Townsend: Partners in Crime: Vol. 2
- 1983 Deal of the Century as Baptist #3
- 1996 Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood as Loc Dog's Grandma
- 1998 Bulworth as Momma Doll
- 1971 J.T. as Mrs. Hill
- 2000 Something to Sing About as Elderly Woman
- 1979 Lawman Without a Gun as Mrs. Cartwright
- 1978 Cindy as Flower Lady
- 1984 Repo Man as Mrs. Parks
- 1989 A Raisin in the Sun as Mrs. Johnson
- 1979 Dummy as Mrs. Harrod
- 1998 I Got the Hook-Up as Grandmother
- 1991 House Party 2 as Mrs. Deevers
- 1984 The Jerk, Too as Grandma Johnson
- 1979 Better Late Than Never
- 1994 Beverly Hills Cop III as Grandma
- 1985 The NBC All Star Hour: Let's All Be There
- 1982 St. Elsewhere ( 1 episode ) as Elderly Lady
- 1974 Good Times ( 8 episodes )
- 1983 Hardcastle and McCormick ( 1 episode )
- 1982 T. J. Hooker ( 1 episode ) as Mrs. Sears
- 1975 Starsky & Hutch ( 3 episodes ) as Vivian Fellers
- 1979 Benson ( 1 episode )
- 1984 The Bill ( 1 episode )
- 1995 The Wayans Bros. ( 1 episode ) as Mother Evans
- 1996 The Jamie Foxx Show ( 1 episode ) as Mother Superior
- 1985 227 ( 116 episodes ) as Pearl Shay
- 1975 The Jeffersons ( 1 episode )
- 1972 Maude ( 2 episodes )
- 1972 Sanford and Son ( 4 episodes )
- 1981 Hill Street Blues ( 1 episode )
- 1995 The Parent 'Hood ( 1 episode )
- 1987 Full House ( 1 episode ) as Shirley
- 1978 Baby, I'm Back ( 13 episodes )
- 1974 That's My Mama ( 6 episodes )
- 1978 The White Shadow ( 1 episode ) as Old Woman
- 1980 The Stockard Channing Show ( 1 episode )
- 1990 The Flash ( 1 episode ) as Sadie Grosso
- 1977 Roots ( 1 episode ) as Aunt Sukey
- 1993 Late Night with Conan O'Brien ( 1 episode ) as Self (archive footage)
- 1976 What's Happening!! ( 2 episodes ) as Millie
- 1976 What's Happening!! ( 1 episode ) as Mrs. Lloyd
- 1982 American Playhouse ( 1 episode ) as Mrs. Johnson
