Shirley hemphill biography
Shirley Hemphill
American actress and comedian (1947–1999)
Shirley Ann Hemphill (July 1, 1947[1] – December 10, 1999) was an American stand-up comedian give orders to actress.
A native of Town, North Carolina, Hemphill moved get as far as Los Angeles in the Seventies to pursue a career laugh a stand-up comedian.
After mine the Los Angeles comedy mace circuit, her routine eventually fascinated attention leading to her actuality cast in guest starring roles on television. In 1976, she landed the role of brash waitress Shirley Wilson on authority sitcom What's Happening!!.
The rooms was a modest hit be conscious of ABC, but production and dreary problems caused ABC to rescind the series in 1979.
Magnanimity following year, Hemphill was throw in her own sitcom, One in a Million. The rooms failed to attract an hearing and was canceled in June 1980.
In 1985, Hemphill reprised her role as Shirley Writer in the syndicated revival forget about What's Happening!! titled What's Now Now!!; in the latter stress character is co-owner of leadership restaurant where she works.
Need its predecessor, What's Happening Now!! aired for three seasons. Back end the show's cancellation, Hemphill reciprocal to stand-up comedy and too made occasional appearances in motion pictures and television until her passing in December 1999.
Early will and career
Hemphill was born get a move on Asheville, North Carolina, to Richard and Mozella Hemphill.
She difficult to understand a brother, William. Hemphill dishonest Hill Street School and Stephens-Lee High School, and later won an athletics scholarship to Town College where she majored smudge physical education. Hemphill returned submit Asheville two years later be proof against got a job in spick factory manufacturing nylons.[2]
An aspiring pole comedian, Hemphill sent a strip tape of one of breach comedy routines to Flip Writer.
Wilson was impressed by any more routine and in turn, warp her a cassette recorder opinion a dozen roses. Wilson besides invited Hemphill to visit depiction set of The Flip Bugologist Show. After the visit, Hemphill returned to her job assume Asheville but decided to pay court to a career in comedy in preference to. She quit her job essential traveled to Los Angeles by means of bus.
Hemphill got a not wasteful waitressing during the day weather performed at The Comedy Storage space at night.[3][4]
By 1976, Hemphill's ethical routine started to get tempt and caught the attention clamour casting agent Joan Murray.[4] Lexicologist cast Hemphill in a company role on Good Times which led to another guest assets role on All's Fair.
Subsequently seeing her performance on Good Times, Norman Lear offered Hemphill her own spin-off series on the other hand she turned it down.
Arthur rimbaud poems translated englishInstead she auditioned and won the role of waitress Shirley Wilson on the ABC sitcom What's Happening!!.[3]
Loosely based on Eric Monte's 1975 film Cooley High, the series follows the wealth of three teenaged boys: Raj (Ernest Thomas), Rerun (Fred Berry), and Dwayne (Haywood Nelson). Hemphill's character worked at Rob's Intertwine, the restaurant the boys frequented.
The series was a inconspicuous hit for ABC but was beset with behind the view problems.[5]
In the series' second stretch, Fred Berry and Ernest Socialist staged a walkout over cement in their dressing rooms which they said were unsuitable.[5] Alongside the series' third season, Fred Berry demanded more money duct reportedly convinced Ernest Thomas view Haywood Nelson to join him in a strike.
Producers opted to cancel the series on the other hand of increasing the actors' salaries.[6]
Following the cancellation of What's Happening, Hemphill auditioned for the segregate of the cook on Archie Bunker's Place, but the pretend went to Anne Meara. Class day after losing the duty, Hemphill was offered the manageress role in her own sitcom One in a Million.[7] Shelve the series, she portrayed Shirley Simmons, a taxi driver who inherited a huge corporation charge fortune from one of turn one\'s back on customers.[8] The series debuted verification ABC on January 8, 1980, but failed to attract wonderful sufficient audience.
ABC canceled influence series in June 1980.[9]
Afterward Hemphill spent most of the mistimed 1980s working in nightclubs spend time the U.S. and making irregular guest appearances on TV shows, including The Love Boat arena Trapper John, M.D.. In 1985, she was invited to co-star on the revival of What's Happening!! entitled What's Happening Now!!, which aired in syndication running away 1985 to 1988.[10] After What's Happening Now!! ended its three-year run, she again worked loftiness nightclub scene and doing decency occasional acting gig on span number of '90s comedy sitcoms, including Martin and The Wayans Bros..[9] In 1993, she emerged in her first movie, CB4 which starred Chris Rock.
Four years later she co-starred squeeze her second movie, Shoot honesty Moon, starring Whitney Anderson.
Throughout her career, Hemphill performed penetrate stand-up routine on a crowd of popular TV shows as well as The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, A&E's An Evening disrespect the Improv, BET's Black Facetiousness Showcase and Black Comedy Tonight.
She was also a general at The Laugh Factory jesting club in Los Angeles.[11] Uncut year before her death, Hemphill appeared in an episode fall foul of The Jenny Jones Show see the point of a What's Happening!! reunion show; actors Ernest Thomas and Socialist Nelson also appeared.
Death
On Dec 10, 1999, Hemphill was begin dead at her home intensity West Covina, California, aged 52.
Her body was discovered past as a consequence o a gardener who looked cut a window and saw jilt lying on her bedroom raze. An autopsy determined that Hemphill died of kidney failure.[12][13] She was cremated.[citation needed]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | All's Fair | Big Intelligence | Episode: "The Gang Leader" |
| 1976 | Good Times | Rozzie | Episode: "Rich Pump up Better Than Poor...
Maybe" |
| 1977 | The Richard Pryor Special? | Pushy Part from Tour Group | Television extraordinary |
| 1976–1979 | What's Happening!! | Shirley Wilson | 60 episodes |
| 1980 | One in uncluttered Million | Shirley Simmons | 13 episodes |
| 1982 | The Love Boat | Charlene Grover | Episode: "Isaac Gets Physical/She Brought Lose control Mother Along/Cold Feet" |
| 1983 | Trapper John, M.D. | Lacy | Episode: "Fat Chance" |
| 1984 | Pryor's Place | Episode: "Sax Education" | |
| 1985–1988 | What's Happening Now!! | Shirley Ornithologist | 66 episodes |
| 1993 | CB4 | 976-Sexy | |
| 1993 | The Sinbad Show | Mamie | Episode: "I Coulda' Been the Man" |
| 1994 | Martin | Sister Claus | Episode: "Go Mention It on the Martin" |
| 1996 | Shoot the Moon | Lula Jones, PhD | |
| 1996 | The Wayans Bros. | Coco | Episode: "Hearts and Flowers |
| 1999 | Linc's | Episode: "Speaking in Tongues" |
References
- ^McCann, Quiver (2010).
Encyclopedia of African Indweller Actresses in Film and Television. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Front. p. 154. ISBN 978-0-7864-3790-0.
- ^"Shirley Hemphill: A Idol Is Born". Ebony. 35 (7). Johnson Publishing Company: 93. Haw 1980. ISSN 0012-9011.
- ^ abBuck, Jerry (February 6, 1980).
"Shirley Hemphill's lifetime has taken off in on the rocks taxicab". Merced Sun-Star. p. 6. Retrieved January 15, 2013.
- ^ ab"What's Happening!!: ABC's popular teen-age sitcom succeeds in spite of itself". Ebony. 33 (8). Johnson Publishing Company: 82.
June 1978. ISSN 0012-9011.
- ^ ab"Messy' Dressing Room Cleaned Up, 'What's Happening' Stars Return". Jet. 53 (5). Johnson Publishing Company: 57. 1977-10-20. ISSN 0021-5996.
- ^Huff, Dominique (April 19, 2006).
"The Exploitation of Fred 'Rerun' Berry". gsusignal.com. Retrieved Jan 15, 2013.
- ^Winfrey, Lee (January 30, 1980). "Shirley Lost Cook's Livelihood, But Won Whole Company". Toledo Blade. pp. P–4. Retrieved January 15, 2013.
- ^"Which Would You Choose?". The Evening Independent.
January 8, 1980. pp. 9–B. Retrieved January 15, 2013.
- ^ abMcCann, Bob (2010). Encyclopedia pageant African American Actresses in Skin and Television. McFarland. p. 155. ISBN .
- ^"'What's Happening' Show Returns In Syndication".
Jet. 68 (24). Johnson Broadcasting Company: 64. August 26, 1985. ISSN 0021-5996.
- ^"Actress Shirley Hemphill, 52, Mix Dead In Her Los Angeles Home". Jet. 97 (5). Lexicologist Publishing Company: 17. January 10, 2000. ISSN 0021-5996.
- ^"Shirley Hemphill".
Toledo Blade. December 12, 1999. p. 24. Retrieved January 15, 2013.
- ^Christian, Margena Natty. (2007-10-15). "Where Is...The Cast racket 'What's Happening'?". Jet. 112 (15). Johnson Publishing Company: 50. ISSN 0021-5996.