| Frances Foster | |
|---|---|
| Born | Frances Brown June 11, 1924 Yonkers, New York |
| Died | June 17, 1997 (aged 73) Fairfax, Virginia |
| Occupation | Film, television, stage actress and theatre director |
| Spouse | Robert Stansfield Foster (1941-1977) Morton Goldsen |
Frances Foster (June 11, 1924 – June 17, 1997)[1] was an American film, television and stage actress. She was also an award-winning stage director.
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Foster was born Frances Brown in Yonkers, New York, the daughter of George H., a postal worker and Helen E. Brown.[2][3]
She studied acting at American Theater Wing in Manhattan from 1949 to 1952.[3]
In 1955, Ms. Foster made her stage debut as Dolly May in The Wisteria Trees at the City Center Theater in New York City. She was a founding member of the Negro Ensemble Company and between 1967 and 1986 appeared in over 25 of its productions.[3]
Foster won an Obie Award in 1985 for sustained excellence of performance. She was also a recipient of two AUDELCO Awards, one as an actress and the other as a director for work at the New Federal Theatre in Manhattan. In 1978, she received the best actress award for Do Lord Remember Me, and the best director award in 1983 for Hospice.[3]
She also appeared in several films such as Malcolm X, Crooklyn, and Clockers, as well the soap opera Guiding Light.
| Year | Production | Role | Theatre(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Having Our Say[4] | Miss Sadie Delany (standby) | Booth Theatre | |
| The Young Man from Atlanta[5] | Clara | Signature Theatre | 1992
Malcolm X the lady outside the theatre |
|
| 1990 | Ground People[6] | Viola | America Place Theatre | |
| 1986 | House of Shadows[7] | Cassie | America Place Theatre | |
| 1982 | Do Lord Remember Me[8] | American Place Theatre | ||
| 1980 | Zooman and the Sign[9] | Ash Boswell | Theatre Four | |
| 1978 | Nevis Mountain Dew[10] | Everelda Philibert Griffin | St. Mark's Playhouse | 1979 Drama Desk Award nomination, Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play[11] |
| 1975 | The First Breeze of Summer[12] | Gremmer | Palace Theatre | |
| 1972 | The River Niger[13][14][15] | Grandma Wilhelmina Brown | St. Mark's Playhouse[13] Brooks Atkinson Theatre[14][15] |
Originally an Off-Broadway production that was transferred to Broadway.[13][14][15] |
| 1971 | Rosalee Pritchett[16] | Rosalee (Rose) Pritchett | St. Mark's Playhouse | |
| 1970 | The Good Woman of Setzuan[17] | Mrs. Mi Tzu | Vivian Beaumont Theatre | |
| 1968 | Kongi's Harvest[18] | Ogbo Aweri Segi |
St. Mark's Playhouse | |
| 1965 | Day of Absence[19] | Supervisor Aide |
St. Mark's Playhouse | Program of two one-act plays by Douglas Turner Ward. |
| Happy Ending[19] | Vi | St. Mark's Playhouse | Program of two one-act plays by Douglas Turner Ward. | |
| 1963 | The Last Minstrel[20] | Mrs. Ash | Pocket Theatre | |
| 1959 | A Raisin in the Sun[21] | Ruth Younger (understudy) Beneatha Younger (understudy) |
Ethel Barrymore Theatre Belasco Theatre |
|
| 1956 | Take a Giant Step[22] | Violet | Jan Hus Playhouse | |
| 1955 | The Wisteria Trees[3] | Dolly May | City Center Theater |