| 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.
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.
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Guest at Aunt Emma's Party | ||
| 1988 | Beaches | Ticket Seller | Alternative title: Forever Friends |
| 1989 | Nobody's Perfect | Coach Harrison | |
| 1990 | Pretty Woman | Saleswoman | |
| 1992 | Class Act | Duncan's Mom | |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981–1984 | The Edge of Night | Didi Bannister Stoner | Unknown episodes | |
| 1985 | What's Happening Now!! | Theresa | 1 episode | |
| 1986 | The Last Precinct | Angela Beauchamp | 1 episode | |
| 1986–1987 | 1st & Ten | Ellen | Unknown episodes | |
| 1988 | Hooperman | 1 episode | ||
| 1989 | Designing Women | Lita Ford | Episode: "The Girlfriend" | |
| 1990–1991 | Guiding Light | Grace Battles | Unknown episodes | |
| 1991–1992 | Elizabeth Royal Winston | 15 episodes | ||
| 1994 | Models Inc. | Janet Johnson | 1 episode | |
| 1995 | Family Matters | Lois | Episode: "Midterm Crisis" | |
| The O. J. Simpson Story | Eunice Simpson | Television movie | ||
| 1996 | Grace Under Fire | Student | 1 episode | |
| 1998 | The Wayans Bros. | Casting director | Episode: "Help a Brother Out" | |
| Chicago Hope | Woman | Episode: "The Other Cheek" | ||
| 1999 | Sunset Beach | Lena Hart | 13 episodes | |
| 2000 | Veronica's Closet | Brian's Mother | Episode: "Veronica Checks Out" | |
| 2003 | Hanna Foster | Episode: "Join the Club" | ||
| 2006 | All of Us | Muriel | Episode: "He's Gotta Have It" |