Elizabeth Juliene Mikel (née Lacy; born November 7, 1963) is an American actress and jazz vocalist from

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

, Texas. She is best known for her role as Corrina "Mama" Williams, mother of star running back

Brian "Smash" Williams Brian "Smash" Williams is a fictional character in the NBC/DirecTV( The 101 Network) drama television series '' Friday Night Lights'' portrayed by actor Gaius Charles. He is the starting running back of the Dillon High School Panthers. Consider ...

, on the NBC television series '' Friday Night Lights''.

Career

Liz Mikel has been performing on stage for more than twenty years, including extended runs with the

Dallas Theater Center The Dallas Theater Center is a major regional theater in Dallas, Texas, United States. It produces classic, contemporary and new plays and was the 2017 Tony Award recipient for Best Regional Theater. Dallas Theater Center produces its original w ...

and Theater Three. In 2007, the ''

Dallas Morning News ''The Dallas Morning News'' is a daily newspaper serving the Dallas–Fort Worth area of Texas, with an average print circulation of 65,369. It was founded on October 1, 1885 by Alfred Horatio Belo as a satellite publication of the ''Galvesto ...

'' described Mikel as "a fixture on the Dallas theater scene". She stepped in for

Oprah Winfrey Oprah Gail Winfrey (; born Orpah Gail Winfrey; January 29, 1954), or simply Oprah, is an American talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and philanthropist. She is best known for her talk show, ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', br ...

in a special 2008 performance of ''

The Vagina Monologues ''The Vagina Monologues'' is an episodic play written in 1996 by Eve Ensler which developed and premiered at HERE Arts Center, Off-Off-Broadway in New York and was followed by an Off-Broadway run in at Westside Theatre. The play explores cons ...

''. Her film credits include roles in '' The Quest for Freedom'', '' It's in the Water'', ''Detention'' (aka ''Learning Curve''), ''Seventy-8'', '' Carried Away'', and as Ruthie Jenkins in ''

Welcome Home, Roscoe Jenkins ''Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins'' is a 2008 American comedy film written and directed by Malcolm D. Lee. The film also features an ensemble cast featuring: Martin Lawrence, Nicole Ari Parker, Margaret Avery, Michael Clarke Duncan, Mike Epps, Mo'Niq ...

''. Besides ''Friday Night Lights'', television roles have included guest appearances on ''

LAX Los Angeles International Airport , commonly referred to as LAX (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary international airport serving Los Angeles, California and its surrounding metropolitan area. LAX is located in the W ...

'', ''

Prison Break ''Prison Break'' is an American serial (radio and television), serial drama television show, television series created by Paul Scheuring for Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox. The series revolves around two brothers, Lincoln Burrows (Dominic Purce ...

'', and '' Past Life'' plus a recurring role as Maggie on '' Sordid Lives: The Series''. ''Dallas Morning News'' theater critic Jerome Weeks once described Mikel's voice as "an immense, joyful force" and stated, "If a mountain range could belt a bawdy song, it would sound like Mikel." Liz starred on Broadway in ''

Lysistrata Jones ''Lysistrata Jones'' is a musical comedy adaptation of Aristophanes' comedy ''Lysistrata''. The book is by Douglas Carter Beane and the score is by Lewis Flinn. After a critically acclaimed off-Broadway run with Transport Group Theatre Company ...

'', for which the ''New York Times'' praised her performance as "commanding."

Awards and honors

In 1998, Mikel received the Leon Rabin Award for "Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Musical" from the Dallas Theatre League. She has also been the recipient of the Sankofa Award for her "dedication to the Arts in the Community" and the Dallas Theater Critics Forum Award 2004 for her role in ''Ain't Misbehavin''. ''

D Magazine ''D Magazine'' is a monthly magazine covering Dallas–Fort Worth. It is headquartered in Downtown Dallas. ''D Magazine'' covers a range of topics including politics, business, food, fashion and lifestyle in the city of Dallas. The first iss ...

'' named Mikel "Best Actress" in their 2004 "Best of Big D" issue. ''The Dallas Weekly'' featured her as "Queen of the Arts: The Face of Black Theater in Dallas" in March 2006. Mikel was awarded The 2008 Column Theater Award for "Best Actress in a Musical-Equity" for ''

Caroline, or Change ''Caroline, or Change'' is a musical with music by Jeanine Tesori and lyrics and book by Tony Kushner. The score combines spirituals, blues, Motown, classical music, and Jewish klezmer and folk music. The show ran both Off-Broadway and on Broad ...

''.

Fire

On January 7, 2010, the Holly Hills apartment complex in Dallas where Mikel lived burned to the ground, destroying all of Mikel's clothing, possessions, and memorabilia. The local arts community responded with a series of benefit concerts, and the Dallas Theater Center announced they would donate "100 percent of all ticket sales" from the world-premiere performance of the musical, ''Give It Up!'', in which Mikel appears.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre

Sources:

References

External links

Liz Mikel official websiteLiz Mikel official MySpace page
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mikel, Liz Actresses from Dallas African-American actresses Living people 1963 births American television actresses American film actresses American stage actresses American musical theatre actresses 21st-century American actresses 20th-century American actresses 20th-century African-American women singers 21st-century African-American women 21st-century African-American people