Yvette Reneé Wilson (March 6, 1964 – June 14, 2012) was an American comedian and actress. She was known for her role as Andell Wilkerson, the shopkeeper of the local hangout on the UPN sitcoms ''

Moesha ''Moesha'' () is an American television sitcom that aired on UPN from January 23, 1996, to May 14, 2001. The series stars R&B singer Brandy Norwood as Moesha Denise Mitchell, an African-American teenager living with her upper middle class fa ...

'' (1996–2001); and restaurant owner and Nikki's (played by

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 ...

) best friend on its spinoff ''

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 ...

'' (1999–2004). She had appeared in many comedy films such as ''

House Party 3 ''House Party 3'' is a 1994 American comedy film, starring Kid 'n Play, Bernie Mac, and TLC. It is the third installment of the '' House Party'' film series. This was intended to be the last film in the franchise, ending it as a trilogy, but a s ...

'', '' ''Friday'''', and on

Russell Simmons Russell Wendell Simmons (born October 4, 1957) is an American entrepreneur, writer and record executive. He co-founded the hip-hop label Def Jam Recordings, and created the clothing fashion lines Phat Farm, Argyleculture, and Tantris. Simmons' ...

' ''

Def Comedy Jam ''Def Comedy Jam'' is an HBO television series produced by Russell Simmons. The series had its original run from March 7, 1992 to May 2, 1997. Simmons was inspired to make Def Comedy Jam by The Uptown Comedy Club in Harlem, New York and Jerry Le ...

''. She was also known for her role as Rita in the 1995

F. Gary Gray Felix Gary Gray (born July 17, 1969) is an Americans, American film director, film producer, and music video director. Gray began his career as a director on numerous critically acclaimed and award-winning music videos, including "It Was a Good ...

film ''

Friday Friday is the day of the week between Thursday and Saturday. In countries that adopt the traditional "Sunday-first" convention, it is the sixth day of the week. In countries adopting the ISO-defined "Monday-first" convention, it is the fifth day ...

''. Wilson died from cervical cancer at the age of 48.

Early life

Before she started her career in the entertainment business, Wilson attended

San Jose State University San José State University (San Jose State or SJSU) is a public university in San Jose, California. Established in 1857, SJSU is the oldest public university on the West Coast and the founding campus of the California State University (CSU) sys ...

and majored in

communication Communication (from la, communicare, meaning "to share" or "to be in relation with") is usually defined as the transmission of information. The term may also refer to the message communicated through such transmissions or the field of inquir ...

s. In 1991 she was a contestant on the game show

Supermarket Sweep ''Supermarket Sweep'' is an American television game show. The format combines an ordinary team-based quiz show with the novel concept of a live, timed race through a supermarket. In the timed race, cameras follow the teams with shopping carts t ...

. Wilson first entered comedy when she lost a bet and had to perform as a stand-up comedian at a friend's club. She decided to make a living off comedy and never turned back.

Career

Her big break came with '' Thea'', a short-lived sitcom from 1993 to 1994. ''Thea'' was cancelled after 19 episodes but the show helped her get a role in ''

''. In addition, Wilson also had a minor role in the 1995 comedy movie ''

'' as Smokey's blind date and appeared in films such as ''

Poetic Justice Poetic justice, also called poetic irony, is a literary device with which ultimately virtue is rewarded and misdeeds are punished. In modern literature, it is often accompanied by an ironic twist of fate related to the character's own action, henc ...

'', starring

Janet Jackson Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreog ...

, and the film parody ''

Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood ''Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood'' (or simply ''Don't Be a Menace'') is a 1996 American black comedy film directed by Paris Barclay in his feature film directorial debut, and produced by Keenen Ivory Way ...

''. In 1995, she got the most important role of her career: Andell Wilkerson, a supporting character on the sitcom ''

'', which starred one of her castmates from ''Thea'', R&B singer

Brandy Norwood Brandy Rayana Norwood (born February 11, 1979), better known by her mononym Brandy, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, actress and model. She is known for her distinctive sound, characterized by her peculiar timbre, voice-layer ...

. Wilson's Andell character was the owner of The Den, a local teen hot spot on the show. In 2000, she left ''Moesha'' for its spin-off ''

'', where she also played Andell Wilkerson, who was the best friend of

's character Nikki Parker. After ''The Parkers'' ended, she went on to appear in shows like

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...

's ''

'' and

Fox Network The Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly known simply as Fox and stylized in all caps as FOX, is an American commercial broadcast television network owned by Fox Corporation and headquartered in New York City, with master control operations an ...

shows. Wilson final acting role was in 2005's ''Ganked''. She started her own company by the name Tigobitties Inc.

Personal life and death

Wilson was married to record producer Jerome Harry from 2001 until her death in 2012. Wilson suffered from kidney disease, having survived a kidney transplant and regular dialysis, but eventually lost a battle with cervical cancer, which metastasized throughout her entire body. A friend, Jeffrey Pittle, created a website for people to donate money to help with her medical bills and help with transportation costs. Wilson died on June 14, 2012, aged 48.Notice of death at Newsone
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Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Yvette 1964 births 2012 deaths 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Actresses from Los Angeles African-American actresses African-American female comedians American film actresses American television actresses Deaths from cancer in California Deaths from cervical cancer San Jose State University alumni American women comedians Place of death missing Comedians from California 20th-century American comedians 21st-century American comedians 20th-century African-American women 21st-century African-American women 21st-century African-American people