Margaret Avery

Slender, attractive actress 'Margaret Avery' (qv), spellbinding in her role of Shug in 'Steven Spielberg' (qv)'s _The Color Purple (1985)_ (qv), is certainly no "one-hit wonder". Although filmgoers may be able to trace her back only to that once-in-a-lifetime part, Margaret has been a talented player on the large and small screens for well over three decades.Born on January 20, 1944, in Mangum, Oklahoma, the daughter of a Navy man, she was raised in San Diego, California, where she completed high school. Margaret demonstrated a certain passion for acting while in her teens but decided to pursue a more stable career in teaching. Graduating from San Francisco State University, she joined the Los Angeles public school system as a substitute teacher, but the "acting bug" continued to nibble away at her. She auditioned for commercials on the sly and managed to also segued into stage work and singing jobs. Her early 1970s L.A. plays included "Revolution", "Sistuhs", and 1973's "Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie?", the last for which she nabbed the Los Angeles Drama Critics Award. Her skills as an actress helped her to move into TV roles, appearing in such established 1970s and 1980s series as _The New Dick Van Dyke Show (1971)_ (qv), _Kojak (1973)_ (qv), _Sanford and Son (1972)_ (qv), _Kolchak: The Night Stalker (1974)_ (qv), _The Rookies (1972)_ (qv), _Baby... I'm Back! (1977)_ (qv), _Murder, She Wrote (1984)_ (qv), _Miami Vice (1984)_ (qv), _Spenser: For Hire (1985)_ (qv), a recurring part in _Harry O (1973)_ (qv), and a regular role in the short-lived series _A.E.S. Hudson Street (1977)_ (qv).Her film career ignited during the popular "blaxploitation" era. She somehow managed to avoid the pitfalls of many a black actress of that time, however, despite her sexy and revealing roles in her first two films, _Cool Breeze (1972)_ (qv) starring 'Thalmus Rasulala' (qv) and 'Lincoln Kilpatrick' (qv), and _Hell Up in Harlem (1973)_ (qv), in which she found herself in the clutches of brawny former footballer 'Fred Williamson' (qv). Margaret carried on with _Magnum Force (1973)_ (qv) (as a hooker) and the comedies _Which Way Is Up? (1977)_ (qv) and _The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh (1979)_ (qv), establishing herself as a solid, reliable actress.Music was never far away from Margaret as attested by her roles in _Louis Armstrong - Chicago Style (1976)_ (qv), starring 'Ben Vereen' (qv) as "Satchmo", and _Scott Joplin (1977)_ (qv), which showcased 'Billy Dee Williams' (qv). However, it was her riveting supporting turn as the drug-riddled, fly-by-night singer Shug Avery in _The Color Purple (1985)_ (qv) that put her on the map. Stories have long circulated that Spielberg wanted a star singer in the role and that Margaret received the role only after both 'Patti LaBelle' (qv) and 'Tina Turner' (qv) were approached and turned it down. She had previously worked with Spielberg in her first TV movie _Something Evil (1972)_ (qv). He remembered her from this and cast her. Earning an Academy Award nomination for "Best Supporting Actress", it was expected that her career would hit major cinematic heights. Unfortunately, Margaret didn't make another film for three years, when she played a jazz singer in the little-seen _Blueberry Hill (1988)_ (qv) with 'Carrie Snodgress' (qv).On TV she continued to grace episodes of _Amen (1986)_ (qv), _The Cosby Show (1984)_ (qv), _Roc (1991)_ (qv), _JAG (1995)_ (qv), _MacGyver (1985)_ (qv), _Bones (2005)_ (qv), enhanced such commendable made-for-TV movies as _Heat Wave (1990)_ (qv) with 'Cicely Tyson' (qv) and 'James Earl Jones' (qv), and has been seen sporadically in films. She co-starred in _The Return of Superfly (1990)_ (qv) -- a nod to her old blaxploitation days--_Lightning in a Bottle (1993)_ (qv), _White Man's Burden (1995)_ (qv) with 'John Travolta' (qv), the 'Mario Van Peebles' (qv) feature _Love Kills (1998)_ (qv)Into the millennium, Margaret has been seen in _Waitin' to Live (2006)_ (qv), directed by Travolta's brother, 'Joey Travolta' (qv); _Welcome Home, Roscoe Jenkins (2008)_ (qv) as well as _Meet the Browns (2008)_ (qv) with 'Martin Lawrence' (qv) and 'Angela Bassett' (qv), respectively; the crime drama _Proud Mary (2018)_ (qv) and the family comedy _Grand-Daddy Day Care (2019)_ (qv). She also appearing regularly alongside 'Gabrielle Union' (qv) and 'Richard Roundtree' (qv) on BET's _Being Mary Jane (2013)_ (qv).Divorced (74-80) from director Robert Gordon Hunt, Margaret has one daughter, Aisha.::Gary Brumburgh / [email protected]