Anne-Marie Johnson (born July 18, 1960) is an American actress and

impressionist Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage ...

. She is perhaps best known for her roles as Nadine Hudson–Thomas in ''

What's Happening Now!! ''What's Happening Now!!'' is an American sitcom sequel to the original ABC 1976–79 sitcom '' What's Happening!!'' focusing on its main characters as adults. It aired in first-run broadcast syndication from September 7, 1985 until March 26, 19 ...

'' (1985–1988), and Althea Tibbs in '' In the Heat of the Night'' (1988–1993). Johnson is known as a cast member of the

FOX Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

sketch comedy television series ''

In Living Color ''In Living Color'' is an American sketch comedy television series that originally ran on Fox from April 15, 1990 to May 19, 1994. Keenen Ivory Wayans created, wrote and starred in the program. The show was produced by Ivory Way Productions in a ...

'' (1993–1994) during its final season, and has had recurring or regular roles in ''

Melrose Place ''Melrose Place'' is an American prime time television soap opera that aired on Fox from July 8, 1992, to May 24, 1999, for seven seasons. The show follows the lives of a group of young adults living in an apartment complex on Melrose Place, in ...

'', '' JAG'', '' Girlfriends'' and ''

The InBetween ''The InBetween'' is an American supernatural drama television series created by Moira Kirland that premiered on NBC on May 29 and aired through August 14, 2019. In November 2019, the series was canceled after one season. Premise Cassie Bedfo ...

''.

Biography

Early life and education

Anne-Marie Johnson was born in Los Angeles, California. For high school, she attended John Marshall High School, graduating in 1978. Johnson graduated from University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in Acting and Theater.

Career

Johnson's first US television appearance was as a contestant on the game show ''

Card Sharks ''Card Sharks'' is an American television game show. It was created by Chester Feldman for Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Productions. The game features two contestants who attempt to predict the outcome of survey questions to gain control of a row o ...

'' that originally aired on June 5, 1979, where her name was listed as Anne Johnson. She appeared on the game show '' Child's Play'' under her full name as well as a pilot episode for the game show ''

Body Language Body language is a type of communication in which physical behaviors, as opposed to words, are used to express or convey information. Such behavior includes facial expressions, body posture, gestures, eye movement, touch and the use of space. Th ...

'' as Anne Marie Johnson, where she described herself as a "struggling actress". Johnson began her career appearing in episodes of the Australian dramas ''

Homicide Homicide occurs when a person kills another person. A homicide requires only a volitional act or omission that causes the death of another, and thus a homicide may result from accidental, reckless, or negligent acts even if there is no inten ...

'' and ''

Matlock Police ''Matlock Police'' is an Australian television police drama series made by Crawford Productions for the 0-10 Network (now known as the 10 Network) between 1971 and 1976. The series focused on the police station and crime in the Victorian town o ...

'' in the 1970s. In 1984, she played the role of Aileen Lewis on the short-lived

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

comedy series '' Double Trouble'', and at the same time had a recurring role on the NBC police drama ''

Hill Street Blues ''Hill Street Blues'' is an American serial police procedural television series that aired on NBC in prime-time from January 15, 1981, to May 12, 1987, for 146 episodes. The show chronicles the lives of the staff of a single police station loca ...

''. She played Raj's wife Nadine Hudson Thomas in the syndicated sitcom ''

'' from 1985 to 1988. In 1988, Johnson began starring as Althea Tibbs in the NBC/

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

police drama series '' In the Heat of the Night'', playing the role through 1993. While appearing on ''In the Heat of the Night,'' Johnson recorded the song "

Little Drummer Boy "The Little Drummer Boy" (originally known as "Carol of the Drum") is a popular Christmas song written by American composer Katherine Kennicott Davis in 1941. First recorded in 1951 by the Trapp Family, the song was further popularized by a 19 ...

" for the 1991 cast Christmas CD ''Christmas Time's A Comin''. Providing vocals behind her were country gospel group

The Marksmen Quartet The Marksmen Quartet of Murrayville, Georgia originated in 1967 as a Southern gospel quartet under the direction of Dr. Earle Wheeler. Through the years, the group's styles moved to bluegrass gospel and country gospel. Dove award nominees in 2008 fo ...

. The song was produced by co-stars

Randall Franks Randall Franks is an American film and television actor, author, and bluegrass singer and musician who plays fiddle, mandolin, guitar, and mountain dulcimer. He was inducted into the Tri-State Gospel Music Hall of Fame (Georgia, Tennessee and Al ...

and

Alan Autry Carlos Alan Autry Jr. (also known for a time as Carlos Brown; born July 31, 1952), is an American actor, politician, and former National Football League player. During his brief football career, he was known as Carlos Brown. He played the role ...

. She also appeared in a number of movies including ''

Robot Jox ''Robot Jox'' is a 1990 American post-apocalyptic Mecha science-fiction film directed by Stuart Gordon and starring Gary Graham, Anne-Marie Johnson and Paul Koslo. Co-written by science-fiction author Joe Haldeman, the film's plot follows Achilles ...

'' (1989), which featured her only career nude scene, ''

The Five Heartbeats ''The Five Heartbeats'' is a 1991 musical drama film directed by Robert Townsend, who co-wrote the script with Keenen Ivory Wayans. Produced and distributed by 20th Century Fox, the film's main cast includes Townsend, Michael Wright, Leon Robins ...

'' (1991), ''

True Identity ''True Identity'' is a 1991 American comedy film directed by Charles Lane and starring Lenny Henry, Frank Langella and Anne-Marie Johnson. The plot revolves around a black man (Henry), who disguises himself as a white man to escape the mob. Plo ...

'' (1991), and '' Strictly Business'' (1991). On television, she played a leading role in the 1989 film ''Dream Date'' and starred as Carrie Jones/Carolyn Dimes in the 1990 miniseries ''

Lucky Chances ''Lucky Chances'' is a 1990 television mini-series written by Jackie Collins and based on her bestseller, bestselling novels ''Chances (novel), Chances'' and ''Lucky (Collins novel), Lucky''. It starred Vincent Irizarry, Sandra Bullock, Eric Brae ...

''. After leaving ''In the Heat of the Night'', Johnson joined the cast of the

Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

sketch comedy Sketch comedy comprises a series of short, amusing scenes or vignettes, called "sketches", commonly between one and ten minutes long, performed by a group of comic actors or comedians. The form developed and became popular in vaudeville, and is ...

series ''

'' in its last season (1993–1994). She portrayed Alycia Barnett in the Fox prime-time soap opera ''

'' from 1995 to 1996. From 1997 to 2002, she had a recurring role on the CBS series '' JAG'' as Representative Bobbi Latham. She also has made guest appearances on other TV series, including That's So Raven ''

Living Single ''Living Single'' is an American television sitcom created by Yvette Lee Bowser that aired for five seasons on the Fox network from August 22, 1993, to January 1, 1998. The show centered on the lives of six friends who shared personal and professi ...

''; ''

Murder, She Wrote ''Murder, She Wrote'' is an American crime drama television series, created by Peter S. Fischer, Richard Levinson and William Link, starring Angela Lansbury, and produced and distributed by Universal Television for the CBS network. The series f ...

''; ''

Leverage Leverage or leveraged may refer to: *Leverage (mechanics), mechanical advantage achieved by using a lever * ''Leverage'' (album), a 2012 album by Lyriel *Leverage (dance), a type of dance connection *Leverage (finance), using given resources to ...

''; '' Ally McBeal''; '' Girlfriends''; ''

The Parkers ''The Parkers'' is an American television sitcom aired on UPN from August 30, 1999, to May 10, 2004. A Spin-off (media), spin-off of UPN's ''Moesha'', ''The Parkers'' features the mother-daughter team of Nikki (played by Mo'Nique) and Kim Parker ...

''; ''

Dharma & Greg ''Dharma & Greg'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired on ABC from September 24, 1997, until April 30, 2002, for 119 episodes over five seasons. The show starred Jenna Elfman and Thomas Gibson as Dharma and Greg Montgomery, a ...

''; ''

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'', also referred to as ''CSI'' and ''CSI: Las Vegas'', is an American procedural forensics crime drama television series that ran on CBS from October 6, 2000, to September 27, 2015, spanning 15 seasons. This wa ...

''; '' NCIS''; ''

Tyler Perry's House of Payne ''House of Payne'' is an American sitcom television series created and produced by Tyler Perry that premiered in syndication on June 21, 2006. The series revolves around a multi-generational family living under one roof in Atlanta led by patriarc ...

'' and ''

Grey's Anatomy ''Grey's Anatomy'' is an American medical drama television series that premiered on March 27, 2005, on ABC as a mid-season replacement. The series focuses on the lives of surgical interns, residents, and attendings as they develop into se ...

''. In 2019, she had a regular role in the short-lived NBC drama ''

'' and in 2020 had a recurring roles in the

Oprah Winfrey Network Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) is an American multinational basic cable channel jointly owned by Warner Bros. Discovery and Harpo Studios that launched on January 1, 2011, replacing the Discovery Health Channel. The network is led by talk show h ...

drama ''

Cherish the Day "Cherish the Day" is a song by English band Sade from their fourth studio album, '' Love Deluxe'' (1992). It was released as the album's fourth and final single in the United Kingdom on 19 July 1993. Critical reception Justin Chadwick from A ...

'' and ABC legal thriller ''

How to Get Away with Murder ''How to Get Away with Murder'' is an American legal thriller television series that premiered on ABC on September 25, 2014, and concluded on May 14, 2020. The series was created by Peter Nowalk, and produced by Shonda Rhimes and ABC Studios. Th ...

''.

Other activities

Johnson was elected first national vice president of the

Screen Actors Guild The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) was an American labor union which represented over 100,000 film and television principal and background performers worldwide. On March 30, 2012, the union leadership announced that the SAG membership voted to m ...

in 2008. She ran for president of the actors' union in 2009 on the Membership First ticket, but she lost to eventual winner

Ken Howard Kenneth Joseph Howard Jr. (March 28, 1944 – March 23, 2016) was an American actor. He was known for his roles as Thomas Jefferson in ''1776'' and as basketball coach and former Chicago Bulls player Ken Reeves in the television show '' The Whit ...

Personal life

Johnson has been married once and has no children. Since January 1, 1996, she has been married to Martin Grey.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Anne-Marie 1960 births 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Actresses from Los Angeles African-American actresses American film actresses American television actresses American voice actresses Contestants on American game shows Living people UCLA Film School alumni 20th-century African-American women 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American women 21st-century African-American people