Vonetta McGee
Vonetta McGee | |
---|---|
McGee in 1977. | |
Born |
Vonetta Lawrence McGee January 14, 1945 San Francisco, California, U.S. |
Died |
July 9, 2010 65) Berkeley, California, U.S. | (aged
Cause of death | Cardiac Arrest |
Nationality | American |
Education |
San Francisco Polytechnic High School San Francisco State University |
Occupation | Actress |
Years active | 1968–2007 |
Spouse(s) | Carl Lumbly (m. May 29, 1987–2010; her death) |
Partner(s) | Max Julien (1974-1977) |
Children | Brandon Lumbly (b. 1988) |
Vonetta Lawrence McGee (January 14, 1945 – July 9, 2010) was an American actress.[1] She is best known for her roles during the 1970s, which included blaxploitation films such as Hammer, Melinda, Blacula, Shaft in Africa and 1974's Thomasine & Bushrod alongside her then-boyfriend Max Julien. She was a regular on the 1987 Universal Television situation comedy Bustin' Loose, starring as Mimi Shaw for its first and only season (1987-1988).
Early life
Born in San Francisco, California, to Lawrence McGee and Alma McGee (née Scott),[2] McGee graduated from San Francisco Polytechnic High School in 1962. She enrolled at San Francisco State University and became involved in acting groups on campus.
Career
McGee made her debut in 1968 as the eponymous character in the Italian comedy Faustina. In the same year she performed alongside Jean-Louis Trintignant and Klaus Kinski in the Western The Great Silence, but became well known for her parts in the 1972 Blaxploitation films Melinda and Hammer. In the action thriller Shaft in Africa (1973), McGee took the role of Aleme, the daughter of an emir, who teaches John Shaft (Richard Roundtree) Ethiopian geography. In 1974, McGee appeared as Thomasine, alongside Max Julien as Bushrod, in the western action film Thomasine & Bushrod, which was intended as a counterpart to the 1967 film Bonnie and Clyde. The next year, she starred alongside Clint Eastwood in the action thriller The Eiger Sanction (1975). She appeared in an episode of the TV series Starsky & Hutch named "Black and Blue" in 1979.
Personal life and death
McGee was in a live-in relationship with Max Julien during the early-to-mid 1970s. In 1987, McGee married actor Carl Lumbly. They had one child, Brandon, born in 1988. McGee died of cardiac arrest on July 9, 2010, at the age of 65.[1]
Selected filmography
Year | Title | Role |
---|---|---|
1968 | Faustina | Faustina Ceccarelli |
The Great Silence | Pauline | |
1969 | The Lost Man | Diane Lawrence |
1970 | The Kremlin Letter | The Negress |
1972 | Melinda | Melinda |
Blacula | Tina | |
Hammer | Lois | |
1973 | The Norliss Tapes | Mme. Jeckiel |
Detroit 9000 | Roby Harris | |
Shaft in Africa | Aleme | |
1974 | Thomasine & Bushrod | Thomasine |
1975 | The Eiger Sanction | Jemima Brown |
1977 | Brothers | Paula Jones |
1977 | Foxbat | Toni Hill |
1978 | Superdome | Sonny |
1984 | Repo Man | Marlene |
1985 | Hell Town | Sister Indigo |
1990 | To Sleep with Anger | Pat |
1991 | Brother Future | Mortilla |
1998 | Johnny B Good | Lidia |
2007 | Black August | Georgia Jackson |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1984-86 | Cagney & Lacey | Claudia Petrie | 4 episodes |
1987-88 | Bustin' Loose | Mimi Shaw | 26 episodes |
1989-90 | L.A. Law | Jackie Williams | 7 episodes |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 McLellan, Dennis (July 15, 2010). "Vonetta McGee dies at 65; film actress during 1970s blaxploitation era". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2011-01-29.
- ↑ Margalit Fox (July 16, 2010). "Vonetta McGee, Film and TV Actress, Dies at 65". The New York Times. Retrieved 2014-02-15.
External links
- Vonetta McGee at the Internet Movie Database
- Obituary – LA Times
- Obituary – New York Times
- Vonetta McGee at Find a Grave
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