Donna Biscoe facts for kids

Donna Biscoe (born September 30, 1955) is a talented American actress. She has appeared in many movies and TV shows, bringing different characters to life on screen.

Donna Biscoe's Early Life

Donna Biscoe was born in Fort Benning, Georgia. Her mom, Mildred Skillern, was a retired English teacher. Donna went to Carver High School and then graduated from Kendrick High School in Columbus in 1973. She later studied at Clark Atlanta University, earning a degree in elementary education. Donna also spent six months learning acting at the famous Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in New York.

In the 1980s, Donna worked as a flight attendant for Eastern Airlines. One day, a casting agent noticed her and saw her potential for acting!

Her Acting Journey

After returning to Atlanta, Donna Biscoe started her acting career in plays. She even played Martin Luther King Jr.'s mother in a play called A Boy King at the Atlanta Children's Theater. In the late 1980s, she began getting roles in movies and TV shows. She appeared in the TV series In the Heat of the Night four times. She also acted in the CBS miniseries Mama Flora's Family (1998) and films like Love Crimes (1992) and Blue Sky (1994).

Donna spent most of the 1980s and 1990s working in theater. She performed in many well-known plays, including Doubt, To Kill A Mockingbird, and Fences.

Big Roles in Movies

In the 2000s, Donna started appearing in more films, often playing roles as mothers or grandmothers. You might have seen her in movies like The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 (2014), where she played an old woman from District 8. She was also in Girls Trip (2017).

She played the mother of Taraji P. Henson's character in the inspiring 2016 movie Hidden Figures. Later, she played Kevin Hart's mother in the 2018 comedy Night School. In 2024, she appeared in The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat and played Emma Derriecott in the war drama The Six Triple Eight.

TV Show Appearances

On television, Donna Biscoe has guest-starred in popular shows like Drop Dead Diva and Nashville. She had important recurring roles in two shows on the Oprah Winfrey Network. She played Clara Jackson in the drama Greenleaf and was the mother of Robin Givens' character in the soap opera Ambitions.

From 2017 to 2022, she starred in the Bounce TV show Saints & Sinners, playing the villainous Lady Leona Byrd. The show ran for six seasons. She also had recurring roles in All the Queen's Men, All Rise, and Reasonable Doubt. In 2024, she was in the Lifetime TV movie Terry McMillan Presents: Tempted By Love alongside Garcelle Beauvais and Loretta Devine.

Beyond Acting

In 2008, Donna Biscoe also ran a Pilates studio in downtown Atlanta. This shows she has interests outside of acting too!