Roxie Roker

Roxie Albertha Roker (August 28, 1929 – December 2, 1995) was an American actress who portrayed Helen Willis on the CBS sitcom The Jeffersons (1975–1985), half of the first interracial couple to be shown on regular prime time television.[1] Roker is the mother of rock musician Lenny Kravitz and the grandmother of actress Zoë Kravitz.

Roxie Roker
Roker in 1976.
Born
Roxie Albertha Roker

(1929-08-28)August 28, 1929
Miami, Florida, U.S.
DiedDecember 2, 1995(1995-12-02) (aged 66)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Alma materHoward University
Occupation
Years active1974–1995
Spouse(s)
Sy Kravitz
​
​
(m. 1962; div. 1985)​
ChildrenLenny Kravitz
Family

Early life

Roker was born in Miami, Florida.[2] Her mother, Bessie Roker (née Mitchell), was from Georgia and worked as a domestic. Her father, Albert Roker, was a native from Andros, The Bahamas and a porter.[3] She grew up in Brooklyn, New York.[1]

Career

She began her professional career with the Negro Ensemble Company and became a successful stage actress. She won an Obie Award in 1974 and was nominated for a Tony Award for her portrayal of Mattie Williams in The River Niger.[1] She was a reporter on WNEW-TV in New York in the 1970s and hosted a public affairs show for the station known as Inside Bed-Stuy, dealing with events in the Brooklyn neighborhood.[1] Roker portrayed Helen Willis on The Jeffersons, breaking social barriers by becoming the first Caucasian-African-American married couple (along with actor Franklin Cover ) as regular cast member on prime-time TV. She appeared in guest starring roles on many other United States television shows from the 1970s through the 1990s, including "Stone in the River" starring Hal Miller for NBC, Punky Brewster, Hangin' with Mr. Cooper, A Different World, Murder, She Wrote, The Love Boat, 227, Beat the Clock, Fantasy Island, and ABC Afterschool Specials. She had roles in the television miniseries Roots and in the movie Claudine. Roker was also a children’s advocate who was cited by the city of Los Angeles for her community work.[1]

Personal life

Roker graduated from Howard University, where she was a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. She was married to television producer Sy Kravitz in 1962. Like her character Jeffersons Helen Willis, Roker had an interracial marriage to a white man.[4] The couple had a son, singer-songwriter and actor Lenny Kravitz (born May 26, 1964), and divorced in 1985.[1] Weather anchor Al Roker and Roxie Roker are first cousins once removed.[5]

Death

Roker died in Los Angeles, California, on December 2, 1995, of breast cancer at the age of 66.[6]

Filmography
Year Title Role Notes
1974Change at 125th StreetEloise MorseTV movie
1974ClaudineMrs. Winston
1975-1985The JeffersonsHelen Willis
1977RootsMalizyEpisode: "Part V"
1977Billy: Portrait of a Street KidMrs. PeoplesTV movie
1979The Bermuda TriangleBohamiar Radio OperatorDocumentary
1982Fantasy IslandEmily CarlisleEpisode: "The Kleptomaniac/Thank God, I'm a Country Girl"
1983Making of a Male ModelMadge DavisTV movie
1983-1987ABC Afterschool SpecialsPhyllis Brooks / Aunt Helen2 episodes
1987Amazon Women on the MoonFemale Republican(segment "Blacks Without Soul")
1990Penny Ante: The Motion Picture

References
  1. "Roxie Roker, 66, Who Broke Barrier In Her Marriage on TV's 'Jeffersons'". The New York Times. Associated Press. December 6, 1995. Retrieved July 3, 2010.
  2. "Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936–2007". Ancestry.com (database; online). Provo, Utah. Retrieved December 15, 2020 (searching "Roxie Albertha Roker". "Birth Place: Miami, Miami-Dade, Florida" )
  3. Robbins, Fred, "Roxie Roker: Her Life is Not Just the Hollywood Life", The Modesto Bee, Wednesday, December 26, 1984
  4. Rivas, Aby (May 31, 2019). "'The Jeffersons' Roxie Roker's Real-Life Interracial Marriage Was Nothing like Her TV One". AmoMama. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  5. "Al, Lenny Kravitz discuss being distant cousins". Today. September 2, 2011. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved October 21, 2014. Is Al really related to Lenny Kravitz? Yes! Their grandfathers were cousins, Al said on 'Today' this morning.
  6. Santoski, Teresa (December 2, 2009). "Death anniversary of groundbreaking Bahamian American actress Roxie Roker". Nashua Telegraph. Retrieved July 3, 2010.
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