Donna Biscoe (born September 30, 1955) is an American actress.

Early years

Biscoe was born in Fort Benning,

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to t ...

, the daughter of Mildred Skillern, a retired Carver High School English teacher. Biscoe attended Carver, then graduated from Kendrick High School in Columbus in 1973 and later graduated from

Clark Atlanta University Clark Atlanta University (CAU or Clark Atlanta) is a private, Methodist, historically black research university in Atlanta, Georgia. Clark Atlanta is the first Historically Black College or University (HBCU) in the Southern United States. Fou ...

with a bachelor's degree in elementary education. Biscoe later went to

Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute (originally the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute) is an acting school founded in 1969 by actor, director, and acting teacher Lee Strasberg. The Institute is located in Union Square on East 15th Street, ...

in New York for six months. In the 1980s, a casting agent discovered Biscoe while she worked as a flight attendant for Eastern Airlines.

Career

After returning to Atlanta, Biscoe began acting in plays, including playing Martin Luther King Jr.’s mother in ''A Boy King'' at the Atlanta Children’s Theater. In late 1980s, Biscoe also began appearing in an supporting roles in film and television, including four appearances in '' In the Heat of the Night'', CBS miniseries ''

Mama Flora's Family ''Mama Flora's Family'' is a 1997 historical fiction novel by Alex Haley and David Stevens. The story spans from the 1920s to the 1970s as it follows Flora, a daughter of poor black Mississippi sharecroppers, and her descendants. Haley died bef ...

'' (1998), and well as films '' Love Crimes'' (1992) and '' Blue Sky'' (1994). Biscoe worked mostly in theatre in 1980s and 1990s. Her stage credits including ''

Doubt Doubt is a mental state in which the mind remains suspended between two or more contradictory propositions, unable to be certain of any of them. Doubt on an emotional level is indecision between belief and disbelief. It may involve uncertaint ...

'', ''

To Kill A Mockingbird ''To Kill a Mockingbird'' is a novel by the American author Harper Lee. It was published in 1960 and was instantly successful. In the United States, it is widely read in high schools and middle schools. ''To Kill a Mockingbird'' has become ...

'', ''Waiting To Be Invited'', '' Holiday Heart'', ''Homebody Kabul'', ''Our Town'' and '' Fences''. In 2000s, she began appearing in films playing mostly roles of mothers of grandmothers. Her film credits including ''

Motives 2 ''Motives 2: Retribution'' is a 2007 direct-to-video sequel to the 2004 thriller film Motives starring Brian J. White, Vivica A. Fox and Sean Blakemore. Plot summary The sequel to ''Motives'' picks up three years after the original. Emery S ...

'' and '' Three Can Play That Game'' (2007) starring Vivica A. Fox, '' Mississippi Damned'' (2009), '' The Sacrament'' (2013), '' The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1'' (2014), and ''

Girls Trip ''Girls Trip'' is a 2017 American comedy film starring Regina Hall, Queen Latifah, Tiffany Haddish, and Jada Pinkett Smith. The film is directed by Malcolm D. Lee and written by Kenya Barris and Tracy Oliver, from a story by the pair and Eric ...

'' (2017). She played Taraji P. Henson's character mother in the 2016 biographical drama film ''

Hidden Figures ''Hidden Figures'' is a 2016 American biographical drama film directed by Theodore Melfi and written by Melfi and Allison Schroeder. It is loosely based on the 2016 non-fiction book of the same name by Margot Lee Shetterly about African Americ ...

'', and

Kevin Hart Kevin Darnell Hart (born July 6, 1979) is an American comedian and actor. Originally known as a stand-up comedian, he has since starred in Hollywood films and on TV. He has also released several well-received comedy albums. After winning s ...

's mother in the 2018 comedy ''

Night School A night school is an adult learning school that holds classes in the evening or at night to accommodate people who work during the day. A community college or university may hold night school classes that admit undergraduates. Italy The Scuola ...

''. On television, Biscoe guest-starred in ''

Drop Dead Diva ''Drop Dead Diva'' is an American legal comedy-drama/fantasy television series that aired on Lifetime from July 12, 2009, to June 22, 2014. The series was created by Josh Berman and produced by Sony Pictures Television. It stars Brooke Elliot ...

'', ''

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and t ...

'' and '' Being Mary Jane''. She had a recurring roles in the two Oprah Winfrey Network series: drama '' Greenleaf'' as Clara Jackson, and prime time soap opera '' Ambitions'' as Robin Givens' character mother. In 2017, she began starring in the Bounce TV prime time soap opera '' Saints & Sinners'' playing villainous Lady Leona Byrd. The series ended in 2022 after six seasons.

Other activities

In 2008, Biscoe ran a Pilates studio in downtown Atlanta.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Biscoe, Donna 1955 births African-American actresses Clark Atlanta University alumni American television actresses American film actresses American stage actresses 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Living people 20th-century African-American women 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American women 21st-century African-American people