Mariann Aalda Explained

Mariann Aalda
Birth Date:May 7, 1948
Birth Place:Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Occupation:Actress, comedian
Years Active:1978–present

Mariann Aalda (born May 7, 1948) is an American television, stage, film actress, performance artist, and stand-up comic.

Career

Aalda is best known for her work in television as one of the first African-American daytime soap opera heroines, playing DiDi Bannister-Stoner on ABC's The Edge of Night[1] from 1981 until the show's cancellation in 1984. For many years before that she was a writer-performer with the sketch comedy troupe Off Center Theatre in New York, and toured with the Boston-based improv group, The Proposition, along with notable animation voice actor and director, Charlie Adler.[2] Later, she appeared on the CBS show Guiding Light. She also had regular roles on the CBS sitcom The Royal Family, as the daughter of Redd Foxx and Della Reese,[3] and the HBO series 1st & Ten, as the wife of O. J. Simpson's character.

Aalda also achieved notoriety recurring on the CBS sitcom Designing Women, as Anthony's yuppie-from-hell girlfriend, Lita Ford, and on the NBC soap opera Sunset Beach as the tragically disfigured Lena Hart. She co-hosted the lifestyle show Designs for Living on the USA Network and was a reporter for the magazine show NOW! on WNBC in New York. Her numerous guest-star roles are mostly sitcoms.

Aalda has also appeared in movies, co-starring in the urban cult film Class Act as rapper Kid's clueless mom, and as Coach Harrison in Nobody's Perfect. She was a featured player in Beaches and Pretty Woman, directed by Garry Marshall and The Wiz, directed by Sidney Lumet.

She is a leader in the positive aging movement, with a TEDx Talk[4] and AARP recognition as an "Age Disruptor".[5] She is a prolific podcast guest on the topic of shameless aging. She is resident Age Anarchist for Women of Color Unite (WOCU), a 5000-plus member advocacy group for women of color working both above and below the line in the entertainment industry. She also delivers her message on positive aging as a standup comedian and with her solo "existential comedy" show, Getting Old Is a Bitch...But I'm Gonna Wrestle That Bitch to the Ground!,[6] which broke a 30-year box office record at the 2019 National Black Theatre Festival in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Film and television credits

Film
YearTitleRoleNotes
1978Guest at Aunt Emma's Party
1988BeachesTicket SellerAlternative title: Forever Friends
1989Nobody's Perfect Coach Harrison
1990Pretty WomanSaleswoman
1992Class ActDuncan's Mom
Television
YearTitleRoleNotes
1981–1984The Edge of NightDidi Bannister StonerUnknown episodes
1985What's Happening Now!!Theresa1 episode
1986The Last PrecinctAngela Beauchamp1 episode
1986–19871st & TenEllenUnknown episodes
1988Hooperman1 episode
1989Designing WomenLita FordEpisode: "The Girlfriend"
1990–1991Guiding LightGrace BattlesUnknown episodes
1991–1992Elizabeth Royal Winston15 episodes
1994Models Inc.Janet Johnson1 episode
1995Family MattersLoisEpisode: "Midterm Crisis"
The O. J. Simpson StoryEunice SimpsonTelevision movie
1996Grace Under FireStudent1 episode
1998The Wayans Bros.Casting directorEpisode: "Help a Brother Out"
Chicago HopeWomanEpisode: "The Other Cheek"
1999Sunset BeachLena Hart13 episodes
2000Veronica's ClosetBrian's MotherEpisode: "Veronica Checks Out"
2003Hanna FosterEpisode: "Join the Club"
2006All of UsMurielEpisode: "He's Gotta Have It"

Notes and References

  1. News: 71-Year Old Black Actress Who Made Soap Opera History in the 1980's Refuses to Retire . December 30, 2020 . Blacknews.com . January 23, 2020 . https://archive.today/20201230161423/https://www.blacknews.com/news/mariann-aalda-black-soap-opera-actress-refuses-retire/ . December 30, 2020 . live .
  2. Web site: Getting old is tough. Actress uses humor to talk about the ups and downs of aging. Clodfelter. Tim. Winston-Salem Journal. en. 2019-09-03.
  3. News: O'Connor . John J. . Mom Adds a Daughter, and a Show Goes On . December 30, 2020 . The New York Times . April 8, 1992 . C 24. . ProQuest.
  4. https://www.ted.com/talks/mariann_aalda_ageism_is_a_bully_stand_up_to_it TEDx Talk
  5. https://www.aarp.org/disrupt-aging/stories/disruptors/info-2017/mariann-aalda-career-reinvention-video.html Age Disruptor
  6. https://vimeo.com/517915740 Getting Old Is a Bitch...But I'm Gonna Wrestle That Bitch to the Ground!