Jacqueline Yvonne "Jackée" Harry (born August 14, 1956) is an American actress, comedian, and television personality. She starred as Sandra Clark, the nemesis of Mary Jenkins (played by

Marla Gibbs Marla Gibbs (born Margaret Theresa Bradley; June 14, 1931) is an American actress, singer, comedian, writer, and television producer whose career spans seven decades. She is known for her role as George Jefferson's maid, Florence Johnston, on th ...

), on the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

sitcom '' 227'' (1985–1990), and as Lisa Landry on the ABC/

The WB The WB Television Network (shortened to The WB, stylized as "THE WB", and nicknamed the "Frog Network" and/or "The Frog" for its former mascot Michigan J. Frog) was an American television network that ran from 1995 to 2006. It launched on ter ...

sitcom '' Sister, Sister'' (1994–1999). Harry was the first African-American to win a

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Prime time, or peak time, is the block of broadcast programming taking place during the middle of the evening for television shows. It is mostly targeted towards adults (and sometimes families). It is used by the major television networks to ...

. She also starred in the 1992 film '' Ladybugs'' opposite

Rodney Dangerfield Jack Roy (born Jacob Cohen; November 22, 1921 – October 5, 2004), better known by the stage name Rodney Dangerfield, was an American stand-up comedian, actor, screenwriter, and producer. He was known for his self-deprecating one-liner humor, ...

. Since March 2021, she has played Paulina Price on the

Peacock Peafowl is a common name for two bird species of the genus '' Pavo'' and one species of the closely related genus '' Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae (the pheasants and their allies). Male peafowl are referred t ...

soap opera ''

Days of Our Lives ''Days of Our Lives'' (also stylized as ''Days of our Lives''; simply referred to as ''Days'' or ''DOOL'') is an American television soap opera that aired on the network NBC from November 8, 1965, to September 9, 2022; the soap has streamed n ...

''.

Biography

Early life and education

Harry was born in

Winston-Salem, North Carolina Winston-Salem is a city in Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the List of municipalities in North Carolina, fifth-most populous ...

in 1956 to an Afro-Trinidadian mother and African American father and raised in

Harlem, New York Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street (Manhattan), 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and 110th Street (Manhattan ...

. She began studying acting at the High School of the Performing Arts in midtown Manhattan in New York City. Harry graduated from

Long Island University Long Island University (LIU) is a private university in Brooklyn and Brookville, New York, United States. The university enrolls over 16,000 students and offers over 500 academic programs at its main campuses, LIU Brooklyn and LIU Post on Long I ...

with a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree in education and worked as a teacher of American history at

Brooklyn Technical High School Brooklyn Technical High School, commonly called Brooklyn Tech and administratively designated High School 430, is a public specialized high school in New York City that specializes in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. It is on ...

for two years before beginning a career on the New York stage.

Career

Theater

In 1978, Harry made her Broadway debut in '' A Broadway Musical''. Throughout the 1980s she starred in numerous productions both on and off Broadway and in national touring productions. In 1994, Harry made her return to the theater by starring as

Billie Holiday Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday made significant contributions to jazz music and pop ...

in the play ''

Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill ''Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill'' is a play with music featuring several of Billie Holiday's most famous songs. The play was written by Lanie Robertson and recounts some events in the life of Holiday. It premiered in 1986 at the Alliance T ...

''. Following that stage production, she fulfilled the role of "madam who runs a bordello" in the Broadway musical ''

The Boys from Syracuse ''The Boys from Syracuse'' is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers and lyrics by Lorenz Hart, based on William Shakespeare's play '' The Comedy of Errors'', as adapted by librettist George Abbott. The score includes swing and other contemp ...

''. In the mid 2000s, she appeared in stage productions of '' The Sunshine Boys'', ''

Damn Yankees ''Damn Yankees'' is a 1955 musical comedy with a book by George Abbott and Douglass Wallop, music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. The story is a modern retelling of the Faust legend set during the 1950s in Washington, D.C., d ...

'', and ''

A Christmas Carol ''A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas'', commonly known as ''A Christmas Carol'', is a novella by Charles Dickens, first published in London by Chapman & Hall in 1843 and illustrated by John Leech. It recounts the ...

''. She also toured nationally in JD Lawrence's '' The Clean Up Woman''.

Television

Harry made her television acting debut in 1983 on '' Another World'' as Lily Mason, a role she continued until 1986. In 1984, she made her motion pictures debuts with bit parts in '' Moscow on the Hudson'' and '' The Cotton Club''. In 1985, Harry began a co-starring role as Sandra Clark on the

sitcom '' 227''. Her mother, Flossie, celebrated her getting the role but died before the show started airing. During the series' run, Harry and Marla Gibbs began feuding privately over who was the series' lead. They have since reconciled and collaborated on a number of projects. Her performance on ''227'' inspired NBC producers to create a television pilot for her entitled '' Jackée''. Although the pilot episode was a success with audiences, the series did not last and the episode is now shown as an episode of ''227''. After leaving ''227'' in 1989, Harry starred opposite

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

in '' The Women of Brewster Place'', an adaptation of Gloria Naylor's novel of the same name. In 1990, she headlined an NBC comedy pilot from Witt/Thomas titled ''We'll Take Manhattan''; it aired as a summer special that year, but did not make it to series. In late 1991, she joined the cast of '' The Royal Family'' after the star,

Redd Foxx John Elroy Sanford (December 9, 1922 – October 11, 1991), better known by his stage name Redd Foxx, was an American stand-up comedian and actor. Foxx gained success with his raunchy nightclub act before and during the civil rights movemen ...

, unexpectedly died. She starred opposite two-time ''227'' guest-star

Della Reese Della Reese (born Delloreese Patricia Early; July 6, 1931 – November 19, 2017) was an American singer, actress, television personality, author and ordained minister. As a singer, she recorded blues, gospel, jazz and pop. Several of her singl ...

, but the series faltered in the ratings and was not renewed for a second season. In 1992, she starred as the assistant coach in '' Ladybugs''. Harry served as a guest panelist on the 2000 revival of ''

To Tell the Truth ''To Tell the Truth'' is an American television panel show. Four celebrity panelists are presented with three contestants (the "team of challengers", each an individual or pair) and must identify which is the "central character" whose unusual ...

'' and appeared on the second season of

VH1 VH1 (originally an initialism for Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network that launched on January 1, 1985, and is currently owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global's networks division based in New Y ...

's '' Celebrity Fit Club 2'' in 2005. From 1994 until 1999, Harry played Lisa Landry, the adoptive mother of Tia Mowry's character, on the sitcom '' Sister, Sister''. She had a recurring role as Vanessa on the UPN/

The CW The CW Network, LLC (commonly referred to as The CW or simply CW) is an American commercial broadcast television network which is controlled by Nexstar Media Group through a 75% ownership interest. The network's name is derived from the firs ...

series ''

Everybody Hates Chris ''Everybody Hates Chris'' (stylized in all lowercase) is an American semi-autobiographical sitcom created by Chris Rock and Ali LeRoi that originally aired on UPN from 2005 to 2006, and then on The CW until 2009. The series is based loosely ...

'' and had a recurring role on the BET Series '' Let's Stay Together''. From 2012 to 2015, she starred in

Byron Allen Byron Allen (born Byron Allen Folks on April 22, 1961) is an American businessman, film and television producer, and comedian. He is the founder of the American media company Allen Media Group (formerly Entertainment Studios), which has intere ...

's sitcom '' The First Family''. In 2013, she appeared in the pilot episode of the Disney sitcom '' Girl Meets World'', as well as the episodes "Girl Meets Crazy Hat" and "Girl Meets Demolition". That same year, she also joined Gibbs in the movie ''Forbidden Woman''. In 2014, she made a guest appearance on '' Instant Mom'' as her character Lisa Landry. She appeared in the ''

2 Broke Girls ''2 Broke Girls'' (stylized as ''2 Broke Girl$'') is an American television sitcom that aired on CBS from September 19, 2011, to April 17, 2017. The series was produced for Warner Bros. Television and created by Michael Patrick King and Whitn ...

'' episode "And the Sax Problem" in 2016, as Earl's (

Garrett Morris Garrett Isaac Morris (born February 1, 1937) is an American actor, comedian and singer. He was part of the original cast and was the first black cast member of the sketch comedy program ''Saturday Night Live'', appearing from 1975 to 1980. He ...

) ex-girlfriend. On December 8, 2020, during an appearance on '' Today'', Harry announced that she was set to join the cast of the soap opera ''

''. Harry was cast as Paulina Price. When the series was renewed for two additional seasons in 2021, Harry was placed on contract with the series. On July 25, 2021, she appeared on '' Celebrity Family Feud''. Jackée Harry guest starred in "The Neighborhood" season 7, playing Tina's stepmother, Loretta, in the episode "Welcome to the Wicked Stepmother," where Tina's father visits and she discovers he has age-related impairments.

Personal life

Harry has one child and was once married to arranger and conductor Jerry Jemmott. In 1996, Harry married Elgin Charles Williams; they later divorced in 2003. During their marriage, Harry and Williams adopted a son, Frank, in 1997.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Harry, Jackee 1956 births 20th-century African-American actresses 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Actresses from North Carolina American people of Trinidad and Tobago descent African-American television directors American musical theatre actresses American soap opera actresses American television actresses American television directors American women comedians American women television directors LIU Post alumni Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Primetime Emmy Award winners Living people Participants in American reality television series Actors from Winston-Salem, North Carolina Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School alumni Actresses from Manhattan People from Harlem 20th-century African-American women singers 20th-century American women singers 20th-century American singers 21st-century African-American actresses Comedians from North Carolina Comedians from Manhattan