Ethel Ayler facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ethel Ayler
|
|
|---|---|
Ethel Ayler in 1957
|
|
| Born |
Ethyl Spraggins Ayler
May 1, 1930 |
| Died | November 18, 2018 (age 88) |
| Alma mater | Fisk University |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1957–2018 |
Ethel Ayler (born Ethyl Spraggins Ayler; May 1, 1930 – November 18, 2018) was an American actress. She was known for her many different roles over more than 50 years.
Her Life and Career
Ethel Ayler was born in Whistler, Alabama. She later went to Fisk University.
In 1957, Ethel Ayler started her acting career. She first appeared in an off-Broadway musical called Simply Heavenly. Off-Broadway shows are smaller productions, often in New York City, that are not in the main Broadway theater district. Later that same year, she made her Broadway debut. Broadway is known for its large, famous theaters in New York City. She was an understudy for the famous singer and actress Lena Horne in the musical Jamaica. An understudy learns a role and performs if the main actor cannot.
Ethel Ayler also had a very important early role in the play The Blacks: A Clown Show. This play ran for a very long time, with over 1,400 performances! It also won several awards, including the Obie Award for Best New Play. The cast of this play included many talented Black actors who later became very famous. Three of them, James Earl Jones, Cicely Tyson, and Louis Gossett Jr., even won Academy Awards (also known as the Oscars) for their movie roles.
Throughout her career, Ayler often performed with the Negro Ensemble Company. This theater group was very important for Black actors and playwrights. Some of her notable plays with them included The First Breeze of Summer, Eden, and Nevis Mountain Dew.
Ethel Ayler also became well-known for her television roles. Many people remember her as Carrie Hanks, who was the mother of Clair Huxtable on the popular TV show The Cosby Show. She also gave great performances in movies like To Sleep with Anger (1990) and Eve's Bayou (1997).
For her role in To Sleep with Anger, Ethel Ayler was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award. This award celebrates independent films, which are movies made outside of the big Hollywood studios.
Ethel Ayler's last Broadway show was The Little Foxes in 1997. She passed away on November 18, 2018, in Loma Linda, California, at the age of 88. She left behind a long and impressive career in theater, television, and film.
