Jo Marie Payton (born August 3, 1950) is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her roles as Harriette Baines Winslow on the ABC/ CBS sitcom ''

Family Matters ''Family Matters'' is an American television sitcom that debuted on ABC on September 22, 1989, and ended on May 9, 1997. However it moved to CBS, where it was shown from September 19, 1997, to July 17, 1998. A spin-off of '' Perfect Strangers, ...

'' (1989–1998), a role she originated on its forerunner series '' Perfect Strangers''. From 2001 to 2005, Payton provided the voice for Suga Mama Proud (Penny Proud's grandmother) on

Disney Channel Disney Channel, sometimes known as simply Disney, is an American pay television channel that serves as the flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney General Entertainment Content division of The Walt Disney Comp ...

's animated series '' The Proud Family'' and reprised the role in the 2005 TV Movie ''

The Proud Family Movie ''The Proud Family Movie'' is a 2005 American animated comedy television film based on the Disney Channel animated series, '' The Proud Family''. It premiered on August 19, 2005 and serves as the finale to the show’s original run. Plot Penny Pr ...

'' and also on

Disney+ Disney+ is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned and operated by the Media and Entertainment Distribution division of The Walt Disney Company. The service primarily distributes films and television se ...

’s revival '' The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder''. The role earned her an

NAACP Image Award The NAACP Image Awards is an annual awards ceremony presented by the U.S.-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People ( NAACP) to honor outstanding performances in film, television, theatre, music, and literature. Similar to ...

nomination in 2005. Payton also had recurring roles as the personal assistant to Gregory Hines' character, Ben Doucette ( Will Truman's boss), during season two of ''

Will & Grace ''Will & Grace'' is an American television sitcom created by Max Mutchnick and David Kohan. Set in New York City, the show focuses on the friendship between best friends Will Truman ( Eric McCormack), a gay lawyer, and Grace Adler ( Debra Messi ...

'' (1999–2000).

Early life and education

Jo Marie Payton was born on August 3, 1950, in

Miami, Florida Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...

. Sometime during her early teens, her family relocated to

Opa-locka, Florida Opa-locka is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 16,463, up from 15,219 in 2010. The city was developed by Glenn Curtiss. Developed based on a ''One Thousand and One Nights'' theme, Op ...

. Payton attended high school at North Dade Jr./ Sr. High School and later graduated from

Miami Carol City Senior High School Miami Carol City Senior High School (MCCSH) is a public high school located at 3301 Miami Gardens Drive in Miami Gardens, Florida, United States. It was established in 1963. The school is part of the Miami-Dade County Public Schools system. The sc ...

in 1968. Payton graduated from

Albany State University Albany State University is a public historically black university in Albany, Georgia. In 2017, Darton State College and Albany State University consolidated to become one university under the University System of Georgia (USG). Albany State U ...

Career

Payton's big break came when she was cast as Harriette Winslow, the elevator operator on the ABC sitcom '' Perfect Strangers'', in 1987. Her performance was so well received by audiences that she was given her own sitcom, ''

'', in 1989. Continuing her character Harriette Winslow from ''Perfect Strangers'', she played a mother in a middle-class black family living in Chicago, Illinois. Payton left ''Family Matters'' partway through its final season, appearing for the last time on December 19, 1997, during increasing tension between her and star

Jaleel White Jaleel Ahmad White (born November 27, 1976) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Steve Urkel on the sitcom '' Family Matters''. The character was originally intended to be a one-time guest appearance on the show; however, he ...

(the two nearly came to blows and had to be physically separated during Payton's penultimate episode). Harriette Winslow was played by Judyann Elder in the show's remaining eight episodes. In 2002, Payton appeared on the "TV Moms" episode of the

Anne Robinson Anne Josephine Robinson (born 26 September 1944) is an English television presenter and journalist. She was the host of BBC game show '' The Weakest Link'' (2000–2017). She presented the Channel 4 game show ''Countdown'' from June 2021 to Jul ...

version of ''

The Weakest Link ''Weakest Link'' (also known as ''The Weakest Link'') is a television game show which first appeared in the United Kingdom on BBC Two on 14 August 2000 and originally ended on 31 March 2012 when its host Anne Robinson completed her contract. ...

'', and was the third one voted off. In 2003, Payton and her daughter appeared on a Mother's Day episode of ''

Lingo Lingo, a contraction of language, often refers to jargon, but in a less formal or technical sense. Lingo may also refer to: Technology * Lingo (programming language), one of several unrelated programming languages * Lingo (VoIP Service operator ...

'', playing against fellow TV mom Meredith Baxter and her daughter. Baxter and her daughter won. In 2005, Jo Marie Payton provided the voice of Suga Mama in ''

''. Her other television credits include ''

Desperate Housewives ''Desperate Housewives'' is an American comedy-drama soap opera television series created by Marc Cherry and produced by ABC Studios and Cherry Productions. It aired for eight seasons on ABC from October 3, 2004, until May 13, 2012, for a t ...

'', '' Reba'', '' Girlfriends'', ''

Wanda at Large ''Wanda at Large'' is an American sitcom starring Wanda Sykes; Sykes also created the series alongside Bruce Helford, Les Firestein, and Lance Crouther. The series aired for two seasons on Fox from March 26 to November 7, 2003. Synopsis Sykes st ...

'', ''

Judging Amy ''Judging Amy'' is an American legal drama television series that was telecast from September 19, 1999, through May 3, 2005, on CBS. This TV series starred Amy Brenneman and Tyne Daly. Its main character (Brenneman) is a judge who serves in a ...

'', ''

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 ...

'', ''

The Hughleys ''The Hughleys'' is an American sitcom that aired on ABC from September 22, 1998 to April 28, 2000 and on UPN from September 11, 2000 to May 20, 2002. It starred comedian D. L. Hughley as the main character, Darryl Hughley, and Elise Neal as ...

'', '' 7th Heaven'', ''

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 ...

'', ''

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 ...

'', ''

227 Year 227 ( CCXXVII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Senecio and Fulvius (or, less frequently, year 980 ''Ab urbe condi ...

'', ''

Silver Spoons ''Silver Spoons'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on NBC from September 25, 1982, to May 11, 1986, and in first-run syndication from September 27, 1986, to May 30, 1987. The series was produced by Embassy Television for the f ...

'', '' Small Wonder'' and '' The New Odd Couple''. She also appeared in the Canadian TV miniseries ''The Rev'' as Mama. In 2005, Payton co-hosted the 15th Annual NAACP Theatre Awards with

Glynn Turman Glynn Russell Turman (born January 31, 1947) is an American actor, writer, director, and producer. Turman is known for his roles as Lew Miles on the prime-time soap opera '' Peyton Place'' (1968–1969), high school student Leroy "Preach" Jackson ...

. In August 2009, Payton appeared on '' Meet the Browns'' as Shirley Van Owen. Payton hosted her own show on the Hometeam Network, ''Second Chance with Jomarie Payton''. In 2012, Payton was in the

GMC TV GMC may refer to: Government India * Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation, in Gujarat * Gobichettipalayam Municipal Corporation, in Tamil Nadu * Guntur Municipal Corporation, in Andhra Pradesh * Guwahati Municipal Corporation, in Assam * Gwalior ...

movie special ''From This Day Forward''.

Other career

In 2004, in an effort to help raise funds for

Virginia Union University Virginia Union University is a private historically black Baptist university in Richmond, Virginia. It is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA. History The American Baptist Home Mission Society (ABHMS) founded the school as Rich ...

, Payton wrote letters to alumni urging them to donate money in amounts from $18.65 to $186,500, in honor of the University's founding date of 1865. Payton also continued to donate, host charitable events, and support her alma mater of Albany State University while also continuing her education and making a successful career.

Personal life

Payton is a member of the

Alpha Kappa Alpha Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. () is the first intercollegiate historically African American sorority. The sorority was founded on January 15, 1908, at the historically black Howard University in Washington, D.C., by a group of sixteen s ...

sorority. In 1999, she released a jazz album, ''Southern Shadows''. Payton has been married four times and divorced three times. Her first marriage was to Marc France from 1980 to 1987 with whom she has a daughter, Chantale France, born 1984.NNDB - Jo Marie Payton
/ref> From April 17, 1993 until 1998, Payton was married to Rodney Noble. Shortly after divorcing Noble, Payton married Landrus Clark in 1998; later divorcing in 2004. Payton has been married to Leonard Downs since 2007.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Payton, Jo Marie 1950 births African-American actresses Living people American television actresses American voice actresses 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses People from Albany, Georgia Actresses from Georgia (U.S. state) Albany State University alumni 20th-century African-American women 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American women 21st-century African-American people