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Esther Rolle

Esther Rolle

Actor · 1920 – 1998 · Pompano Beach, Florida USA

Esther Elizabeth Rolle (November 8, 1920 – November 17, 1998) was a Bahamian American actress. Rolle is best known for her role as Florida Evans, on the CBS television sitcom Maude, for two seasons (1972–1974), and its spin-off series Good Times, for five seasons (1974–77, 1978–79), for which Rolle was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Television Series Musical or Comedy in 1976. Rolle is best known for her television role as Florida Evans, the character she played on two 1970s sitcoms. The character was introduced as Maude Findlay's housekeeper on Maude, and was spun off in the show's second season into Good Times, a show about Florida's family. Rolle was nominated in 1975 for the Best Actress in a Musical/Comedy Golden Globe Award for her role in Good Times. Rolle was 19 years older than the actor (John Amos) who played her husband James Evans. The James Evans character was only added after Esther Rolle fought hard for a father figure and husband to be added to the show. Rolle had fought for the father character on the show, more relevant themes and scripts and was unhappy when the success of Jimmie Walker's character, J.J. Evans, took the show in a frivolous direction. John Amos agreed with Rolle about Walker's character and was fired from the show after the third season ended. Later on, in a stand-off with Good Times producer Norman Lear, Rolle also quit when her contract ended. Although the show continued without her for the fifth season, she returned for the show's final season. In 1979 she won an Emmy for her role in Summer of My German Soldier, a made-for-television movie. Among her guest star roles was one on The Incredible Hulk in an episode entitled "Behind the Wheel" where she played a taxicab business owner. In the 1990s, Rolle was a surprise guest on RuPaul's VH-1 talk show. Her Maude co-star Bea Arthur was the guest, and Rolle was brought out to surprise Arthur. The two had not seen each other in years, Arthur said, and embraced warmly. Rolle also appeared in a series of psychic hotline TV commercials in the 1990s. "Tell them Esther sent you," was her trademark line.

Movies24

  • Movie7.3

    Cape Fear

    1991 · 4K votes

  • Movie8.0

    To Kill a Mockingbird

    1962 · 3K votes

  • Movie7.2

    Driving Miss Daisy

    1989 · 1.9K votes

  • Movie6.4
  • Movie6.1

    My Fellow Americans

    1996 · 186 votes

  • Movie6.0

    The Mighty Quinn

    1989 · 144 votes

  • Movie5.7

    Cleopatra Jones

    1973 · 76 votes

  • Movie6.2

    House of Cards

    1993 · 82 votes

  • Movie7.1

    Up the Down Staircase

    1967 · 27 votes

  • Movie6.5

    Rosewood

    1997 · 123 votes

  • Movie7.1

    Ethnic Notions

    1986 · 16 votes

  • Movie7.4

    Nothing But a Man

    1964 · 38 votes

  • Movie5.5
  • Movie8.0

    See China and Die

    1981 · 2 votes

  • Movie6.3

    Down in the Delta

    1998 · 30 votes

  • Movie7.2
  • Movie6.9

    Color Adjustment

    1992 · 13 votes

  • Movie8.0
  • Movie6.0

    P.K. and the Kid

    1987 · 3 votes

  • Movie6.6
  • Movie6.8

    The Learning Tree

    1969 · 26 votes

  • Movie4.3
  • Movie7.0

    A Raisin in the Sun

    1989 · 5 votes

  • Movie9.0

Series16

  • TV7.5

    Murder, She Wrote

    1984 · 471 votes

  • TV6.3

    The Love Boat

    1977 · 199 votes

  • TV7.2

    Touched by an Angel

    1994 · 188 votes

  • TV6.6

    American Playhouse

    1982 · 8 votes

  • TV7.2

    The Incredible Hulk

    1977 · 514 votes

  • TV6.9

    Maude

    1972 · 38 votes

  • TV8.0

    Good Times

    1974 · 86 votes

  • TV6.8

    Finder of Lost Loves

    1984 · 4 votes

  • TV6.5

    Promised Land

    1996 · 7 votes

  • TV6.8

    Donny & Marie

    1976 · 9 votes

  • TV7.2

    Darkroom

    1981 · 11 votes

  • TV6.6

    Scarlett

    1994 · 39 votes

  • TV6.3

    Flamingo Road

    1981 · 12 votes

  • TV8.8

    Hallmark Hall of Fame

    1951 · 8 votes

  • TV5.8

    The New Odd Couple

    1982 · 4 votes

  • TV7.3

    Singer and Sons

    1990 · 3 votes