Kellita Smith (born January 15, 1969) is an American actress, model and comedian. She is best known for her role as Wanda McCullough, Bernie Mac's wife on 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 ...

sitcom ''

The Bernie Mac Show ''The Bernie Mac Show'' (often shortened to ''Bernie Mac'' in syndication) is an American sitcom television series created by Larry Wilmore, that aired on Fox for five seasons from November 14, 2001 to April 14, 2006. The series featured Bernie ...

''.

Life and career

Born in

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, She was raised in

Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...

. Smith studied at

Santa Rosa Junior College Santa Rosa Junior College (SRJC) is a public community college in Santa Rosa, California with an additional campus in Petaluma and centers in surrounding Sonoma County. Santa Rosa Junior College was modeled as a feeder school for the Universi ...

, receiving her associate degree in political science. In early years, Smith worked as a model. She began her acting career on stage in a regional production of ''Tell It Like It Tiz''. Other theatrical credits include the Los Angeles productions of '' No Place to be Somebody'' at the K.C. Theatre Company, ''Feelings'' (The Hudson Theatre) for which she won an NAACP Theatre Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1996, ''The Thirteenth Thorn'' (Complex Theatre) for which she was nominated for an NAACP Theatre Award for Best Actress, and ''One Woman Two Lives'', which premiered at The Imagined Life Theater in July 2009. On television, Smith made her debut in an episode of ''

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 ...

'' and later guest-starred on ''

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 profes ...

'', '' Moesha'', '' 3rd Rock from the Sun'', ''

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

'' and ''

NYPD Blue ''NYPD Blue'' is an American police procedural television series set in New York City, exploring the struggles of the fictional 15th Precinct detective squad in Manhattan. Each episode typically intertwines several plots involving an ensemble c ...

''. She had recurring roles in ''

Martin Martin may refer to: Places * Martin City (disambiguation) * Martin County (disambiguation) * Martin Township (disambiguation) Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Austr ...

'', '' Sister, Sister'', and ''

Malcolm & Eddie ''Malcolm & Eddie'' is an American sitcom that premiered August 26, 1996, on UPN, and ran for four seasons, airing its final episode on May 22, 2000. This series starred Malcolm-Jamal Warner and Eddie Griffin in the lead roles. The program was ...

'' before co-starring on ''

The Jamie Foxx Show ''The Jamie Foxx Show'' is an American sitcom that aired on The WB from August 28, 1996, to January 14, 2001. The series stars Jamie Foxx, Garcelle Beauvais, Christopher B. Duncan, Ellia English, and Garrett Morris. Although the show was not a m ...

'' from 1997 to 1999. In 2001 she was cast opposite

Bernie Mac Bernard Jeffrey McCullough (October 5, 1957 – August 9, 2008), better known by his stage name Bernie Mac, was an American comedian and actor. Born and raised on Chicago's South Side, Mac gained popularity as a stand-up comedian. He joined fell ...

in the Fox sitcom ''

''. The series aired on Fox for five seasons from 2001 to 2006. She was nominated four times for a NAACP Image Award for her role as Wanda McCullough on ''The Bernie Mac Show''. In film, Smith co-starred alongside

Mo'Nique Monique Angela Hicks (née Imes; born December 11, 1967), known professionally as Mo'Nique, is an American stand-up comedian and actress. She has received an Academy Award, BAFTA Award, Golden Globe Award, and Screen Actors Guild Award. She ...

in ''

Hair Show ''Hair Show'' is a 2004 comedy film directed by Leslie Small starring Mo'Nique and Kellita Smith. It is the theatrical directorial debut of Leslie Small. Plot Peaches (Mo'Nique), a hair stylist from Baltimore, and her estranged sister, Angela (Kel ...

'' (2004), and later appeared in '' Fair Game'', '' King's Ransom'', ''

Roll Bounce ''Roll Bounce'' is a 2005 American comedy-drama film written by Norman Vance Jr. and directed by Malcolm D. Lee. The film stars hip hop artist Bow Wow as the leader of a roller skating crew in 1970s Chicago. The film also stars Nick Cannon, Me ...

'' and ''

Three Can Play That Game ''Three Can Play That Game'' is a 2007 romantic comedy film directed by Samad Davis and starring Jason George, Jazsmin Lewis, and Vivica A. Fox. It is a sequel to the 2001 film '' Two Can Play That Game''. Plot When Byron ( George) hits the big ...

''. In 2012, Smith returned to television with the role of First Lady Katherine Johnson in the syndicated sitcom, '' The First Family''. In 2014, Smith was cast as Roberta Warren in the

Syfy Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi Channel, later shortened to Sci Fi; stylized as SYFY) is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. Lau ...

post-apocalyptic series, ''

Z Nation ''Z Nation'' is an American horror television series that aired on Syfy, created by Karl Schaefer and Craig Engler, and was produced by The Asylum. The first season of 13 episodes premiered on September 12, 2014. ''Z Nation'' was filmed in t ...

''. In this role, she also appeared on '' Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No!'' in 2015. In the Cut is an American sitcom created by Bentley Kyle Evans that debuted on Bounce TV on August 25, 2015. Seth Kelley. "Bounce TV Orders Original Comedy Series 'In The Cut'". Variety. Retrieved January 28, 2016. Kellita Smith as Cheryl (season 2–present), the new owner of the beauty salon Cheryl's, and Jay's wife. On March 19, 2020, it was announced that the sixth season would premiere on April 1, 2020. ""In the Cut" Returns for New Season Starting April 1st on Bounce". The Futon Critic. March 19, 2020. She is also described as B. Rosenberger Rosenberg's African American girlfriend in

Charlie Kaufman Charles Stuart Kaufman (; born November 19, 1958) is an American filmmaker and novelist. He wrote the films '' Being John Malkovich'' (1999), '' Adaptation'' (2002), and '' Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind'' (2004). He made his directorial ...

's novel

Antkind ''Antkind'' is the 2020 debut novel of American screenwriter and film director Charlie Kaufman. Kaufman said in 2016 that the novel was being written so as to be unfilmable, and is itself about "an impossible movie." Synopsis Neurotic failed ...

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Kellita 1969 births Living people African-American actresses American female models American women comedians American film actresses American television actresses Actresses from Chicago 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Comedians from Illinois 20th-century American comedians 21st-century American comedians