Susie Garrett Explained

Susie Garrett
Birth Date:29 December 1929
Birth Place:Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Death Place:Southfield, Michigan, U.S.
Occupation:Actress
musician
Years Active:1984–1989

Susie Garrett (December 29, 1929 – May 24, 2002) was an American actress of theatre and television, jazz vocalist and acting teacher. She is best known for playing Cherie's grandmother Betty Johnson on the NBC series Punky Brewster.[1] [2]

Personal life

Garrett had an associate degree in psychology from Shaw College at Detroit. She was the mother of four sons, and the older sister of Marla Gibbs. Together, Garrett and Gibbs co-founded the Crossroads Art Academy acting school in Los Angeles.

Career

Born in Detroit in 1929, she sang jazz at clubs in the city. She starred in such plays as Dark of the Moon and Shakin' the Mess Out of Misery, and had a small part in the 1989 film Wicked Stepmother.

Aside from Punky Brewster, she had guest starred on her sister's TV series The Jeffersons and 227.

Death

In 2002, Garrett died of cancer at Providence Hospital in Southfield, Michigan, at the age of 72. She is interred at Woodlawn Cemetery, which incorrectly lists her birth year as 1931.

Filmography

Year TitleRoleNote(s)
1984-85 The Jeffersons Amanda 2 episodes
1984-88 Punky Brewster Betty Johnson 88 episodes
1989 227 Woman Episode: "The Real Decoys"
Wicked Stepmother Mandy

Notes and References

  1. Marla Gibbs Susie Garrett: Two Sisters Star On TV. Jet. 60–62. February 2, 2017. December 10, 1984. Johnson Publishing Company.
  2. Book: Kathleen Fearn-Banks. Historical Dictionary of African-American Television. November 15, 2005. Scarecrow Press. 9780810865228. 155. February 2, 2017.