Royce K. Wallace (May 9, 1925 – November 24, 1992) was an American actress, singer and dancer who had a long, distinguished career beginning in the 1940s through the late–1980s.

Biography

Born in

Buffalo, Nebraska Buffalo is an unincorporated community in Dawson County, Nebraska, United States. History A post office was established at Buffalo in 1896, and remained in operation until it was discontinued in 1957. Buffalo was named for the American bison ...

Pleasanton, Nebraska Pleasanton is a village in Buffalo County in the state of Nebraska in the Midwestern United States. At the 2010 census, its population was 341. Pleasanton was platted in 1890 when the Union Pacific railroad was extended to that point. It got it ...

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(sources differ), Wallace began her acting career on Broadway. Wallace received her first role as a dancer in ''

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'' in 1943 which ran on Broadway for two years. Wallace appeared in productions throughout the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s such as '' Funny Girl'' in 1964. In the 1960s, Wallace was a founding co-member of the Cambridge Players theatrical group, a group which included some of the distinguished black actresses such as

Esther Rolle Esther Elizabeth Rolle (November 8, 1920 – November 17, 1998) was an American actress. She is best known for her role as Florida Evans, on the CBS television sitcom '' Maude,'' for two seasons (1972–1974), and its spin-off series '' G ...

(of ''

Good Times ''Good Times'' is an American television sitcom that aired for six seasons on CBS, from February 8, 1974, to August 1, 1979. Created by Eric Monte and Mike Evans and developed by executive producer Norman Lear, it was television's first African ...

'' TV show fame), Lynn Hamilton (who starred as "Donna" on the hit NBC-TV sitcom ''

Sanford and Son ''Sanford and Son'' is an American sitcom television series that ran on the NBC television network from January 14, 1972, to March 25, 1977. It was based on the British sitcom ''Steptoe and Son'', which initially aired on BBC One in the United ...

''), and

Helen Martin Helen Dorothy Martin (July 23, 1909 – March 25, 2000) was an American actress of stage and television. Martin's career spanned over 60 years, appearing first on stage and later in film and television. Martin is best known for her roles as Wand ...

of NBC-TV's ''

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''. Wallace later appeared mostly in guest roles on ''

'', ''

Barnaby Jones ''Barnaby Jones'' is an American detective television series starring Buddy Ebsen as a formerly retired investigator and Lee Meriwether as his widowed daughter-in-law, who run a private detective firm in Los Angeles, California. The show was or ...

'', '' The Paper Chase'', ''

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Quincy, M.E. ''Quincy, M.E.'' (also called ''Quincy'') is an American mystery medical drama television series from Universal Studios that aired on NBC from October 3, 1976, to May 11, 1983. Jack Klugman starred in the title role as a Los Angeles County med ...

'', and '' Roots: The Next Generations''. Wallace also appeared as Agnes, in an episode of Barnaby Jones entitled “Theater Of Fear”, alongside actress Anne Francis.

Personal life and Death

Wallace was married twice and had no children. On December 24, 1956, Wallace married

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socialite Alexander Stuart Outerbridge. Wallace later filed for divorce from Outerbridge in December 1958. In 1960, Wallace married New York City fireman Bill Riley.''JET'', Sept 28, 1961
/ref> Wallace died on November 24, 1992, in Ventura, California, at the age of 67.

Filmography

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wallace, Royce American stage actresses American female dancers American television actresses Place of birth missing 1925 births 1992 deaths African-American female dancers African-American dancers 20th-century American musicians 20th-century American actresses Modern dancers African-American actresses African-American women musicians 20th-century African-American women 20th-century African-American musicians