Ethel Ayler

Ethyl Spraggins Ayler^[1] (May 1, 1930 – November 18, 2018) was an American character actress with a career spanning over five decades.

Ethel Ayler
Ethel Ayler in 1957
Born	Ethyl Spraggins Ayler May 1, 1930 Whistler, Alabama
Died	November 18, 2018 (age 88) Loma Linda, California
Alma mater	Fisk University
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1957–2018

Biography

Ayler was born in Whistler, Alabama^[2] and graduated from Fisk University.^[3]

In 1957, she made her off-Broadway debut in the Langston Hughes musical, Simply Heavenly.^[4] Later that year, she debuted on Broadway in the multiple Tony Award-nominated musical, Jamaica as an understudy for Lena Horne (also making her Broadway debut).^[5]

Another notable early performance was in Jean Genet's play, The Blacks: A Clown Show,^[1] which ran off-Broadway for 1,408 performances and received three Obie Awards, including Best New Play. The impressive cast of black actors included three future Academy Award nominees: James Earl Jones, Cicely Tyson and Louis Gossett Jr.^[6]

Throughout her career, Ayler appeared frequently with the Negro Ensemble Company. This included notable performances in The First Breeze of Summer,^[7] Eden^[8] and Nevis Mountain Dew.^[9]

On television, Ayler had a recurring role as Carrie Hanks, Clair Huxtable's mother on The Cosby Show.^[10] She also made memorable performances in the films To Sleep with Anger (1990) and Eve's Bayou (1997).

For her work in To Sleep with Anger, Ayler received a nomination for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female.^[11]

Ayler's last Broadway appearance was in another Tony-nominated production, The Little Foxes, in 1997.^[12] On November 18, 2018, she died in Loma Linda, California,^[1] at the age of 88.^[13]

Selected credits

Theatre

Year	Production	Role	Theatre(s)	Notes
1997	The Little Foxes[12][14]	Addie	Vivian Beaumont Theater
1987	Fences[15][16]	Bono Gabriel Rose (understudy)	46th Street Theatre
1983	Sons and Fathers of Sons[17]	Sister 3	Theatre Four
1981	Weep Not for Me[18]	Lillian Hendricks	Theatre Four
1978	Nevis Mountain Dew[9]	Zepora Philibert	St. Mark's Playhouse
1976	Eden[8]	Florie	St. Mark's Playhouse
1975	The First Breeze of Summer[7][19]	Hattie	St. Mark's Playhouse	Also appeared in the 1976 Movie of the Week.
	Black Picture Show[20]	Rita (understudy)	Vivian Beaumont Theater
1974	Les Femmes Noires[21]	Mrs. Thompson	The Other Stage
1961	Kwamina[22]	Naii	54th Street Theatre
	The Blacks: A Clown Show[6]	Augustus Snow	St. Mark's Playhouse
1960	The Cool World[23]	Woman at the Beach	Eugene O'Neill Theatre
1957	Jamaica[5]	Island Woman Islander Savannah (understudy)	Imperial Theatre
	Simply Heavenly[4]	Zarita	85th Street Playhouse

Film

Year	Film	Role	Notes
1997	Eve's Bayou	Gran Mere
1992	The Bodyguard	Emma
1990	To Sleep with Anger	Hattie	Independent Spirit Award nomination, Best Supporting Female[24]
1986	9½ Weeks	Jewelry Saleswoman
1972	Come Back, Charleston Blue	Matron at Ball
1962	Time of the Heathen	Marie

References

1. Barnes, Mike (December 21, 2018). "Ethel Ayler, Actress in 'Eve's Bayou' and 'The Cosby Show,' Dies at 88". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 6, 2019. Retrieved August 6, 2019.
2. "Ethel Ayler, 88". Classic Images (525): 34. March 2019.
3. Franklin, Paul (October 29, 1990). "Actress at home on stage". The Courier-News. New Jersey, Bridgewater. p. C-4. Retrieved August 6, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Simply Heavenly". New York, New York: Lortel Archives: The Internet off-Broadway Database. Archived from the original on October 7, 2012. Retrieved December 3, 2009.
5. "Jamaica". New York, New York: Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved December 3, 2009.
6. "The Blacks: A Clown Show". New York, New York: Lortel Archives: The Internet off-Broadway Database. Archived from the original on October 2, 2007. Retrieved December 3, 2009.
7. "The First Breeze of Summer". New York, New York: Lortel Archives: The Internet off-Broadway Database. Archived from the original on October 2, 2007. Retrieved December 3, 2009.
8. "Eden". New York, New York: Lortel Archives: The Internet off-Broadway Database. Archived from the original on April 15, 2010. Retrieved December 3, 2009.
9. "Nevis Mountain Dew". New York, New York: Lortel Archives: The Internet off-Broadway Database. Archived from the original on September 13, 2007. Retrieved December 3, 2009.
10. Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 211. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7.
11. Haring, Bruce (December 21, 2018). "Ethel Ayler Dies: Actress For Stage, Film And TV's 'Cosby Show' Was 88". Deadline.com. Archived from the original on August 6, 2019. Retrieved August 6, 2019.
12. "The Little Foxes". New York, New York: Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved December 3, 2009.
13. Ethel Ayler obituary
14. "The Little Foxes". New York, New York: Internet Theatre Database. Retrieved December 3, 2009.
15. "Fences". New York, New York: Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved December 3, 2009.
16. "Fences". New York, New York: Internet Theatre Database. Retrieved December 3, 2009.
17. "Sons and Fathers of Sons". New York, New York: Lortel Archives: The Internet off-Broadway Database. Archived from the original on October 7, 2012. Retrieved December 3, 2009.
18. "Weep Not for Me". New York, New York: Lortel Archives: The Internet off-Broadway Database. Archived from the original on September 13, 2007. Retrieved December 3, 2009.
19. "The First Breeze of Summer". New York, New York: Internet Theatre Database. Retrieved December 3, 2009.
20. "Black Picture Show". New York, New York: Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved December 3, 2009.
21. "Les Femmes Noires". New York, New York: Lortel Archives: The Internet off-Broadway Database. Archived from the original on September 12, 2007. Retrieved December 3, 2009.
22. "Kwamina". New York, New York: Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved December 3, 2009.
23. "The Cood World". New York, New York: Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved December 3, 2009.
24. "Film Independent's Spirit Awards: 2009 – Twenty-Four Years of Nominees and Winners" (PDF). Los Angeles: Film Independent. p. 31. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 23, 2012. Retrieved December 4, 2009.

External links

• Ethel Ayler at the Internet Broadway Database
• Ethel Ayler at IMDb
• Ethel Ayler at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
• Ethel Ayler at the Internet Theatre Database