Valarie Pettiford | |
|---|---|
 Pettiford in 2009 | |
| Born | July 8, 1960 New York City, U.S. |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1978–present |
| Spouse | Tony Rader |
Valarie Pettiford (born July 8, 1960) [1] is an American stage and television actress, dancer, and jazz singer. She received a Tony Award nomination for her role in the broadway production Fosse . [2] She is also known for her role as Deirdre "Big Dee Dee" LaFontaine Thorne on the UPN television sitcom Half & Half .
Pettiford began her career as a dancer and choreographer in Bob Fosse productions on Broadway. [3] Alvin Klein of the New York Times wrote of her role in the 1983 musical revue Ladies and Gentlemen, Jerome Kern! that "You will not for a moment take your eyes off Valarie Pettiford, the show's standout: a sinewy dancer who can be sultry or sweet, measure for measure, as prescribed.... Miss Pettiford appears to be a superbly trained dancer, schooled in balletic finesse and Broadway-style razzmatazz - and a stunning presence." [4] Leah Frank, also in the NYT, wrote of Pettiford's appearance in West Side Story in 1987: "The mainstay of the supporting cast is Valarie Pettiford, whose Anita is spicy, sensual and full of fire. She is an exciting actress who has a special quality needed to ignite a number such as America." [5]
In 1994, she played lesbian Cassandra Keefer in The Naked Truth, [6] and from 1995 to 1996 starred as Julie in a touring production of Show Boat . [7]
Pettiford received a Tony nomination as Best Featured Actress in a Musical and a Dora Mavor Moore Award nomination for her role in the Broadway production Fosse from 1998 to 1999. [2] [8] Variety said Pettiford gave "a coolly elegant vocal rendition, [and she] is also a sultry, powerful dancer." [9] She left Fosse to appear as Velma Kelly in Chicago in the West End in London from August 1999 to February 2000, alongside Chita Rivera as Roxie Hart. [2] [8]
In 2007 Pettiford won the Backstage Bistro Award for her cabaret debut at the Metropolitan Room in New York City, [10] and won an NAACP Theatre Award for her lead role in The Wild Party . [11] In 2008, she starred in a solo show, Valarie Pettiford - Thankful that played in New York City and Los Angeles. [2] In 2009, she starred in the solo show Valarie Pettiford - The Concert in New York City. [12]
In 1978, at the age of 17 and enrolled at the High School of Performing Arts, Pettiford did her first-ever movie work as part of the large ensemble in the film The Wiz . [13] She starred as Mariah Carey's mother in the 2001 film Glitter , [14] had a role in Stomp the Yard in 2007, [15] and played Aunt Geneva in the 2011 film, Jumping the Broom .
In the 1990s, Pettiford appeared on daytime soap operas, [3] including Another World and One Life to Live (where she originated the role of Sheila Price). Her Half & Half role from 2002 to 2006 as Dee Dee Thorne gained her three NAACP Image Award nominations. [2] From 2008 to 2009, she played Sandra Lucas in the comedy-drama series Tyler Perry's House of Payne . [2] She also appeared in the HBO pilot Anatomy of Hope , directed by J. J. Abrams. [2] Pettiford plays a recurring role as the wife to Harold Cooper (Harry Lennix), Assistant Director of the FBI Counter-Terrorism Division, on the NBC drama The Blacklist.
She has also starred in the TV series A Discovery of Witches as the witch Emily Mather
While on Half & Half, Pettiford released a jazz album, Hear My Soul, in 2005. [3]
Pettiford was born in Queens, New York to Ralph and Blanch Pettiford, [16] and graduated from the High School of Performing Arts in 1978. [1] [17] She is married to her manager, actor and former Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Tony Rader. [1] [18] They got engaged in 1991. [19]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | The Wiz | Chorus Member | [13] |
| 1984 | The Cotton Club | Dancer | [16] |
| 1988 | Robots | Newscaster | Video |
| 1990 | Street Hunter | Denise | [16] |
| 2001 | Confidences | Sean | Short [16] |
| Glitter | Lillian Frank | [14] | |
| 2002 | Like Mike | Mrs Boyd | [16] |
| 2003 | Paris | Terry | [16] |
| 2007 | Stomp the Yard | Aunt Jackie | [15] |
| The Stolen Months of September | Counselor | ||
| 2009 | Why Am I Doing This? | Natalie | |
| Guys and Dolls at the Hollywood Bowl | Hot Box Girl | Video | |
| Anatomy of Hope | Deanna Rivers | TV movie | |
| 2010 | Why Did I Get Married Too? | Harriet | |
| Not Your Time | Angel of Death | Short | |
| 2011 | Jumping the Broom | Aunt Geneva | |
| Nurse Jackée | - | Short | |
| 2012 | Battlefield America | Ms. Williams | |
| Note to Self | Mildred 'Momma' King | ||
| Birth Mother | Olivia | Short | |
| 2013 | Love Will Keep Us Together | Paula | TV movie |
| The Dempsey Sisters | Elizabeth Dempsey | ||
| 2015 | My Favorite Five | Pamela Colburn | |
| Will to Love | Avyon Hawkins | TV movie | |
| Welcome to the Family | Angela | TV movie | |
| 2016 | The Secrets of Emily Blair | Detective Henson | |
| Boy Bye | Linda | ||
| A Moment | Dana | Short | |
| 2017 | The Preacher's Son | First Lady Charlene Wilson | |
| 2018 | The Choir Director | First Lady Charlene Wilson | |
| No More Mr Nice Guy | Lorna Monroe | ||
| We Belong Together | Diane | ||
| Jingle Belle | Faith Williams | TV movie | |
| 2019 | Blind Sight | Cheryl | Short |
| If Not Now, When? | Lorna | ||
| 2020 | Surviving in L.A. | Suzanne | |
| Love Is Love Is Love | Wendy | ||
| 2021 | Senior Moment | Judge Alice Miller | |
| Hip Hop Family Christmas | Nancy | TV movie | |
| Merry Switchmas | Colleen |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | The Equalizer | Jackie | Episode: "No Place Like Home" |
| 1988–90 | Another World | Detective Courtney Walker | Regular Cast |
| 1990–94 | One Life to Live | Dr. Sheila Price | Regular Cast |
| 1996 | The Sentinel | Angie Ferris | Episode: "Out of the Past" |
| 1997 | Silk Stalkings | Marnie | Episode: "Silent Witness" |
| Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show | Bianca Fleischer/Persephone | Episode: "Honey, You Got Nine Lives" & "Honey, I Got Duped" | |
| 1997–98 | Fame L.A. | Sylvia Williams | Recurring cast |
| 1998 | Walker, Texas Ranger | Angel Blake | Episode: "Angel" |
| Sliders | Dr. Grace Venable | Episode: "Asylum" | |
| 1999 | The X-Files | FBI Agent Ann Jones | Episode: "Two Fathers" |
| 2001 | Any Day Now | Valerie | Episode: "10 Days? Are You Crazy?" |
| Jack & Jill | Gabi | Episode: "Caution: Parents Crossing" | |
| Sabrina, The Teenage Witch | Calliope | Episode: "Sabrina, The Muse" | |
| Frasier | P.R. Woman | Episode: "Hooping Cranes" | |
| Men, Women & Dogs | Teri Forrester | Episode: "Top Dog" | |
| 2002 | State of Grace | - | Episode: "Fortunate Son" |
| The West Wing | White House Security Guard Janice Allen | Episode: "Enemies Foreign and Domestic" | |
| 2002–04 | The District | Gayle Noland | Guest: Season 2, Recurring cast: Season 3-4 |
| 2002–06 | Half & Half | Deirdre "Big Dee Dee" LaFontaine Thorne | Main Cast |
| 2006 | CSI: Miami | Dr. Lana Whitford | Episode: "Open Water" |
| 2007 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Susan Latham | Episode: "Fallen Idols" |
| Bones | Ellen Laskow | Episode: "The Bodies in the Book" | |
| 2008–11 | Tyler Perry's House of Payne | Sandra Lucas | Recurring cast: Season 4-7 |
| 2009 | Criminal Minds | Sharon Harris | Episode: "Soul Mates" |
| 2011 | The Cape | Judge Valerie Preston | Episode: "Scales on a train" |
| 2012 | The Finder | Chatney DuBois | Episode: "Bullets" |
| Hart of Dixie | Carolyn Hayes | Episode: "Snowflakes & Soulmates" | |
| Bunheads | Vi | Episode: "For Fanny" | |
| Treme | Victorine Fornerat-Williams | Episodes: "Knock with Me-Rock With Me" & "Saints" | |
| 2013 | Golden Boy | Maxine Owen | Recurring cast |
| True Blood | Mary Wright | Episodes: "In the Evening" & "Dead Meat" | |
| 2015–16 | Born Again Virgin | Beverly | Guest: Season 1, Recurring cast: Season 2 |
| 2015–21 | The Blacklist | Charlene Cooper | Recurring cast: Season 2-3 & 9, guest: Season 8 |
| 2016 | Black-ish | Donna Duckworth | Episode: "Johnson & Johnson" |
| 2017 | Being Mary Jane | Rhonda Sales | Recurring cast: Season 4 |
| 2017–18 | Valor | Simone Porter | Recurring cast |
| 2018–present | The Family Business | Charlotte Duncan | Main Cast |
| 2018–22 | A Discovery of Witches | Emily Mather | Main Cast |
| 2019 | The Baxters | Diane | Recurring cast: Season 3 |
| 2020 | BlackAF | Grandma | Episode: "yo, between you and me... this is because of slavery" |
| 2021 | Home Economics | Rachel | Episode: "Triple Scoop of Ice Cream, $6.39" |
| A Luv Tale: The Series | Diana | Recurring cast | |
| NCIS | Sonia Eberhart | Episode: "Road to Nowhere" & "Great Wide Open" | |
| 2022 | First Wives Club | Nancy | 2 episodes |
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