Jackee Harry Biography

Jacqueline Yvonne "Jackée" Harry (born August 14, 1956), better known mononymously as Jackée, is an American actress and television personality, best known for her roles as Sandra Clark, the sexy neighbor on the TV series 227, and as Lisa Landry, on the sitcom, Sister, Sister. She is noted for being the first African American to win an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.

Early life

Born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and raised in Harlem, New York, to a Trinidadian mother and African American father, Harry began studying acting at the Henry Street Settlement on the Lower East Side in New York City. She was an American History teacher at Brooklyn Technical High School before beginning a career on the New York stage.

Career

Theatre

Harry made her Broadway debut in A Broadway Musical, playing a chorine. Throughout the 1980s she starred in numerous productions both on and off Broadway, and in national touring productions. In 1994, Harry made her return to the theater by starring as Billie Holiday in the play Lady Day at Emersons Bar and Grill. Following that stage production, she fulfilled the role of "madam who runs a bordello" in the Broadway musical The Boys from Syracuse, a play based on William Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors.

In the mid-2000s, she appeared in stage productions of The Sunshine Boys, Damn Yankees, and A Christmas Carol. She also toured nationally in JD Lawrence's The Clean Up Woman.

Television

In 1983, she made her acting debut in Another World as Lily Mason, a role she continued until 1986. In 2003, she was a surprise guest on the Another World Reunion that SOAPnet coordinated and aired.

In 1985, Harry began a co-starring role opposite Marla Gibbs as the apartment building vamp, "Sandra Clark", on the NBC sitcom 227. Her mother, Flossie, celebrated her getting the part but died before the show aired. During the series run, Jackée and Gibbs began feuding privately over who was the series lead. They have since reconciled and collaborated on a number of projects together.

Harry became the first African American to win an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. Her performance on 227 inspired NBC producers to create a television pilot for her entitled Jackée. Although the pilot episode was a success with audiences, the series did not last and the episode is now shown as an episode of 227.

After leaving 227 in 1989, Harry starred opposite Oprah Winfrey in the adaptation of Gloria Naylor's novel, The Women of Brewster Place. In 1991, she joined the cast of The Royal Family after the star, Redd Foxx, unexpectedly died. She starred opposite 2-time 227 guest-star Della Reese.

In 1992, she starred as the assistant coach in Ladybugs. Harry served as a guest panelist on the 2000 revival of To Tell the Truth and appeared on the second season of VH1's Celebrity Fit Club 2 in 2005.

From 1994 until 1999, Harry played Tia Mowry's character's adoptive mother, Lisa Landry, on the sitcom, Sister, Sister. She won an NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for two consecutive years in 1999 and 2000. First on ABC, the series moved to the WB network until it ended. She had a recurring role as Vanessa on The CW series Everybody Hates Chris and currently has a recurring role on the BET Series Let's Stay Together. She is starring in Byron Allen's Syndicated Sitcom The First Family which also features Marla Gibbs in a recurring role. On April 12, 2013 it was announced that she was cast in the pilot for Girl Meets World.

Personal life

Harry was married to Elgin Charles Williams from 1996 to 2003.

Filmography

• 2012: Celebrity Ghost Stories Herself
• 2012: The First Family Pauletta
• 2012: Brother White (TV Movie) Veena
• 2012: Some Star...
• 2011: Nurse Jackée (short)
• 2011: Let's Stay Together (TV series) Delores
• 2011: The Ideal Husband (TV movie) Vivian Peterson
• 2010: Christmas Cupid (TV movie) Vivian
• 2010: Friends & Lovers (TV series) Omar's Mother
• 2010: The Clean Up Woman Jasmine
• 2010: Knight to D7 (short) Nurse Hamilton
• 2006: Everybody Hates Chris (TV series) Vanessa, 25 episodes (2006"2009)
• 2009: G.E.D. Mama
• 2009: Man of Her Dreams Louise Smith
• 2008: The Mighty B! (TV series) ? Nurse (voice)
• 2007: The Last Day of Summer (TV movie) Lola The Lobster (as Jackee Harry)
• 2006: All You've Got Butt Short Salesman
• 2005: One on One (TV series) Sherri St. Croix
• 2005: That's So Raven (TV series) Dava
• 2004: You Got Served Mama
• 2003: The Nick at Nite Holiday Special (TV movie) Jackée, The Baker
• 2003: 7th Heaven (TV series) Ms. Beane
• 2000: Twice in a Lifetime (TV series) Darcy Green / Louise Lutrelle
• 1994: Sister, Sister (TV series) Lisa Landry, 120 episodes (1994"1999)
• 1996: Unhappily Ever After (TV series) Ms. Blake, guidance counselor
• 1995: Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child (TV series) ? Giant's Wife (voice)
• 1994: Dave's World (TV series) Estelle
• 1993: Living and Working in Space: The Countdown Has Begun (video) Charmayne (as Jackee)
• 1991: The Royal Family (TV series) Ruth 'CoCo' Royal See all 8 episodes (1991"1992)
• 1992: Designing Women (TV series) Vanessa Chamberlain
• 1992: Ladybugs Julie Benson (as Jackée)
• 1990: We'll Take Manhattan (TV movie) Yvonne
• 1990: ABC TGIF (TV series) Lisa
• 1988: Amen (TV series) Roxanne Farley / Florence Hawkins (1988"1989)
• 1989: The Reluctant Agent (Movie) Diner Waitress / FBI Agent
• 1989: Double Your Pleasure (TV movie) LindaCavanaugh/Sharlene Cavanaugh
• 1989: Jackée (TV movie) Sandra Clark (as Jackée)
• 1989: The Women of Brewster Place (TV movie) Etta Mae
• 1988: Crash Course (TV movie) Edna Savage (as Jackée)
• 1988: The Cheech Show (TV movie) Sheila
• 1987: Alf Loves a Mystery (TV movie) Countess (as Jackee Harry)
• 1987: The Incredible Ida Early (TV movie) Ida Early
• 1985: 227 (TV series) Sandra Clark, 99 episodes (1985"1989)
• 1984: The Cotton Club Dancer
• 1984: Moscow on the Hudson Woman (uncredited)
• 1983: Another World (TV series) Lily Mason (1983"1986)