| Zara Cully | |
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Zara Cully as Mother Jefferson |
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| Born | January 26, 1892 Worcester, Massachusetts, United States |
| Died | February 28, 1978 (aged 86) Los Angeles, California United States |
| Resting place | Forest Lawn Memorial Park |
| Other names | Zara Cully Brown |
| Occupation | Stage, Film, and Television actress |
| Years active | 1919-1978 |
Zara Cully Brown (January 26, 1892 – February 28, 1978) who adopted the stage name Zara Cully was an American character actress, known for her portrayal of the irascible Olivia 'Mother' Jefferson on the popular long-running CBS Television sitcom The Jeffersons.
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Born in Worcester, Massachusetts, on January 26, 1892 Brown was one of ten children. She graduated from the Worcester School of Speech and Music, and was one of the oldest performers active in television at the time of her death. In 1940 after a stint in New York City she became known as "one of the world's greatest elocutionists". After moving to Jacksonville, Florida, she began producing, writing, directing, and acting in numerous plays. For 15 years she was a drama teacher at her own studio as well as at Edward Waters College, and had become known as Florida's "Dean of Drama" before numerous experiences with racism in the South directed her decision to leave for Hollywood, where she became a regular performer at the Ebony Showcase Theater.[1][2][3]
By the time she acquired the role of 'Mother' Jefferson, she had accumulated a long list of acting credentials that spanned over 50 years appearing in such movies as The Learning Tree, the Blacksploitation cult film Sugar Hill, The Liberation of L.B. Jones, The Great White Hope, Ghetto Woman, and a starring role in Brother John played opposite Sidney Poitier. Her TV career went back to what critics call 'the golden age of television' including appearances on the highly acclaimed Playhouse 90 series.[4] Besides The Jeffersons her television credits included A Dream for Christmas, the CBS Playhouse production of The People Next Door, the NBC Matinee Theater's Run for Your Life, Cowboy in Africa, Name of the Game, Mod Squad, Night Gallery, and All in the Family.[5] Though highly respected by many influential people in the film industry as a dedicated craftsman, she had gained no fame until the role of 'Mother' Jefferson quickly endeared her to television audiences throughout the United States and Canada where she became an instant celebrity.
Brown's first appearance as 'Mother' Jefferson was in a guest appearance on an episode of All in the Family entitled "Lionel's Engagement" which aired February 9, 1974. She was 82 years old at the time. All three actors who portrayed Tom, Helen, and Jenny Willis on that episode were replaced with different actors by the time The Jeffersons became a spin-off on January 18, 1975, but Cully was kept on as 'Mother' Jefferson.
During the first 17 episodes of the third season of The Jeffersons Brown was absent due to a severe case of pneumonia caused by a collapsed lung.[6] Upon her recovery she returned to the show.[7] Her last credited performance was an appearance in the ninth episode of the fourth season entitled "The Last Leaf" which aired November 12, 1977, three months before her death. No special episode was created to center on her death, but it was addressed in the second episode of the fifth season entitled "Homecoming (pt 1)" which aired September 27, 1978, some seven months after her actual death.
Brown died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles on Tuesday February 28, 1978, at 1:25AM Pacific Time, from lung cancer, and was buried from the Church of Christian Fellowship in Los Angeles on Thursday March 2. In attendance were all of both the cast and crew of The Jeffersons, including show producer Norman Lear. Cast member actor Paul Benedict who had developed a close friendship with Brown was invited to be one of the memorial speakers. Despite inclement weather conditions, many of the Hollywood 'old guard' were also in attendance, and the funeral was covered by both local and national media. A widow, she was survived by her brother, Wendell Cully; her two children, a daughter Polly Buggs wife of John A. Buggs who was deputy director of the U.S. Civil Rights Commission in Washington, D.C., at that time, and a son Emerson Brown, as well as four grandchildren, and two great grandchildren.[8][9][10]
She was posthumously awarded an NAACP special Image Award on June 9, 1978, at the 11th Annual NAACP Award ceremony.[11]