Zara Cully facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Zara Cully
Cully (right) as Mother Jefferson on the CBS sitcom The Jeffersons, 1975
Born	(1892-01-26)January 26, 1892 Worcester, Massachusetts, U.S.
Died	February 28, 1978(1978-02-28) (aged 86) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting place	Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale, California)
Nationality	American
Other names	Zara Cully–Brown
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1919—1978
Known for	Mother Jefferson – The Jeffersons
Height	5 ft 2 in (1.57 m)
Spouse(s)	James M. Brown, Jr. ​ ​ (m. 1914; died 1968)​
Children	4

Zara Frances Cully (born January 26, 1892 – died February 28, 1978) was an American actress. She was best known for playing 'Mother Jefferson' on the TV show The Jeffersons. She played this role from 1975 until she passed away in 1978.

Early Life and Learning

Zara Frances Cully was born in Worcester, Massachusetts, on January 26, 1892. She was the oldest of ten children. Her parents were Ambrose E. and Nora Ann Cully. The Cully family loved music. Zara's father, Ambrose, was the music director at their church. Her younger brother, Wendell Cully, became a jazz trumpeter. He played with famous musicians like Cab Calloway and Duke Ellington. Zara went to the Worcester School of Speech and Music.

Her Acting Journey

In 1940, Zara Cully became known as a great speaker. People called her "one of the world's greatest elocutionists." She then moved to Jacksonville, Florida. There, she started creating, writing, directing, and acting in many plays. For 15 years, she taught drama at her own studio. She also taught at Edward Waters College. This college was started in 1866 to educate freed slaves. She became known as Florida's "Dean of Drama."

Zara Cully did not like the racism she faced in the Jim Crow-era South. So, she decided to move to Hollywood. In Hollywood, she often performed at the Ebony Showcase Theatre.

By the time she got the role of 'Mother' Jefferson, Cully had been acting for 50 years. She appeared in movies like The Liberation of L.B. Jones (1970) and Brother John (1971). She was also in the films Sugar Hill (1974) and Darktown Strutters (1975). Her TV career started during the 'Golden Age of Television'. She appeared on the show Playhouse 90. Besides The Jeffersons, she was in The People Next Door and Run for Your Life. She also appeared in Cowboy in Africa, The Name of the Game, Mod Squad, and Night Gallery.

How She Became Mother Jefferson

In 1974, Zara Cully first played 'Mother Jefferson' on All in the Family. This was in an episode called "Lionel's Engagement." She was 82 years old at the time. When The Jeffersons started as a spin-off show in 1975, Zara Cully kept her role. Other actors for the Willis family were changed, but she stayed.

During the third season of The Jeffersons, she was away for a while. She had a serious illness called pneumonia. After she got better, she came back to the show. Her last appearance on the show was in an episode called "The Last Leaf." This episode aired in November 1977, three months before she passed away. The show did not make a special episode about her death. However, it was mentioned in the fifth season's second episode, "Homecoming (pt 1)," which aired in September 1978.

Her Family and Passing

Zara Cully was married to James M. Brown, Jr. from 1914 until he died in 1968. They had four children together. Their children were Mary Gale "Polly" Buggs, Emerson T. Brown, James M. Brown III, and a baby daughter who passed away in 1919.

Zara Cully died in Los Angeles on February 28, 1978. She was 86 years old. She passed away from lung cancer. Her funeral was held on March 2, 1978, in Los Angeles. She was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale). The cast and crew of The Jeffersons, including producer Norman Lear, attended her service. After her death, Zara Cully received a special Image Award from the NAACP. This award was given on June 9, 1978.

Film and TV Roles

Zara Cully appeared in many films and TV shows. Here are some of them: