{{Short description|American actress (1957–2021)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=July 2021}} {{Similar names|Susan Douglas (disambiguation){{!}}Susan Douglas}} {{Infobox person | name = Suzzanne Douglas | image =Suzzanne Douglas nofree.jpg | birth_date = {{birth date|1957|4|12}} | birth_place = Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | death_date = {{death date and age|2021|7|6|1957|4|12}} | death_place = Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, U.S. | occupation = Actress | years_active = 1978–2021 | known_for = Jerri Peterson – ''The Parent 'Hood''<br />Amy Simms – ''Tap'' | spouse = {{marriage|Roy J. Cobb|1989}}<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=xr0DAAAAMBAJ&dq=suzzanne+douglas&pg=PA61 JET Magazine - People Are Talking About... - February 27, 1989]</ref> | children = 1 | education = Illinois State University (BA)<br>Manhattan School of Music (MM) | awards = NAACP Image Award – (1989) Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture (''Tap'') | website = }} '''Suzzanne Douglas''' (April 12, 1957 – July 6, 2021) was an American actress.<ref name=NYT>{{cite web|title=Suzzanne Douglas|url=https://www.nytimes.com/movies/person/195777/Suzzanne-Douglas|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306151712/http://www.nytimes.com/movies/person/195777/Suzzanne-Douglas|url-status=dead|department=Movies & TV Dept.|work=The New York Times|date=2016|archive-date=March 6, 2016}}</ref> She was best known for her role as matriarch Geraldine "Jerri" Peterson on The WB sitcom ''The Parent 'Hood'',<ref name=NYT/> starring Robert Townsend, which originally ran from 1995 to 1999. Douglas also portrayed Amy Simms in the 1989 dance/drama film ''Tap'' alongside Gregory Hines and Sammy Davis Jr., for which she won an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture.

In addition to ''Tap'', Douglas starred in several other motion pictures, among them ''How Stella Got Her Groove Back'' (1998), ''Jason's Lyric'' (1994), ''The Inkwell'' (1994) as well as the 2003 Disney/ABC version of ''Sounder'' with Carl Lumbly. Douglas was also well known for her portrayal as Cissy Houston in the Lifetime TV movie ''Whitney'' which aired in 2015. In May 2019, she appeared as the mother of one of the main characters in the Netflix miniseries ''When They See Us'' directed by the acclaimed Ava DuVernay and produced by Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Films.

==Early life and education== Douglas was born on April 12, 1957, in Chicago, Illinois,<ref name="NYT obit">{{cite news|title=Suzzanne Douglas, Star of 'The Parent 'Hood,' Dies at 64|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/07/arts/television/suzzanne-douglas-dead.html|first=Derrick Bryson|last=Taylor|date=July 7, 2021|access-date=July 7, 2021|newspaper=The New York Times}}</ref> to Lois Mae Thompson and Donald Douglas, Sr. One of four children, Douglas was reared by a single mother, and grew up in the Altgeld Gardens Homes public housing complex on the city's far south side.<ref>[https://www.kiro7.com/news/trending/parent-hood-star-suzzanne-douglas-dead-64/MI3KAI63FVATVPAJ2S7DAK3WQQ/ Kiro7, ‘The Parent ’Hood’ star Suzzanne Douglas dead at 64, July 7, 2021]</ref> She became interested in the arts as a child, citing 1965's ''The Sound of Music'' as her inspiration for acting.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-05-10-ca-56001-story.html |title=No More 'Dodging Bullets' for Actress Suzzanne Douglas – FAST TRACK: Up and Comers in Arts and Entertainment; One in a Series |last= Mendoza |first= M. F. |date= May 10, 1994 |work= Los Angeles Times |access-date=September 17, 2017 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> Douglas attended Thornton Township High School, graduating in 1974.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.classmates.com/siteui/yearbooks/4182726860?page=213 |title= 1974 Thornton Township High School Yearbook (Harvey, Illinois) |author=<!--Not stated--> |date= 1974 |website= Classmates.com |publisher= |access-date=September 17, 2017 |quote=}}</ref> After high school, she studied at Illinois State University, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree. She later earned a Master's degree in music specializing in Jazz Vocals at the prestigious Manhattan School of Music.<ref>[http://baltimoretimes-online.com/news/2017/jan/13/interview-suzzanne-douglas/ Baltimore Times (Online) – An Interview with Suzzanne Douglas - January 13, 2017]</ref>

==Career== Douglas made numerous television guest star appearances on shows such as ''Bull'', ''Bones'' and ''The Good Wife''.<ref name="Rotten Tomatoes"/> She also appeared on ''The Parkers'',<ref name="Rotten Tomatoes"/> ''The Cosby Show'', ''Law & Order: Criminal Intent'', ''NYPD Blue'',<ref name="TVG Filmography"/> and ''Touched by an Angel''.<ref name="Rotten Tomatoes"/> On stage, Douglas performed the role of Jenny Diver in ''The Threepenny Opera'' starring Sting and Dr. Bearing in ''Wit'', where she was the first African American to perform the role.<ref name="NYT obit"/><ref name=Perez>{{cite news|title=Suzzanne Douglas, 'The Parent 'Hood' Actress, Dies at 64|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/suzzanne-douglas-parent-hood-actress-dies-1234978481/|first=Lexy|last=Perez|date=July 7, 2021|access-date=July 7, 2021|magazine=The Hollywood Reporter}}</ref> Douglas was a two-time NAACP Image Award winner; she also won a Reel Award,<ref name=Rutgers>{{cite news|title=IJS Concert Series – Suzzanne Douglas|url=https://www.newark.rutgers.edu/events/ijs-concert-seriessuzzanne-douglas|year=2018|access-date=July 7, 2021|publisher=Rutgers University}}</ref> and the Mary Martin Award.<ref>{{cite news|title=Suzzanne Douglas Scholarship|url=https://scholarshipfinder.illinoisstate.edu/scholarships/suzzanne-douglas-scholarship/|access-date=July 7, 2021|publisher=Illinois State University}}</ref> In 2011, Douglas appeared in the Rel Dowdell film ''Changing the Game''.<ref name="Rotten Tomatoes"/>

==Other work== Douglas was an honorary member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority where she served on its national executive board as the Honorary Co-chair of the Arts and Letters Commission for thirteen years. In the community, she was a lifetime member of Girl Scouts of the USA, The National Council of Negro Women, Sigma Alpha Lambda (a national leadership and honors organization), and Jack and Jill of America.<ref name=Rutgers/>

==Personal life and death== In February 1989, Douglas wed neuro-radiologist Roy Jonathan Cobb, to whom she was still married at the time of her death. Together, the couple had one daughter.<ref name="NYT obit"/><ref>{{cite web |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I-KxzqNt4uEC&q=suzzanne+douglas&pg=PA58 |title= How He (She) Proposed |last= Randolph |first=Laura B. |date= October 1995 |website= |publisher= Ebony Magazine |access-date=September 17, 2017 |quote=}}</ref>

Douglas died on July 6, 2021, at age 64, at her home in Martha's Vineyard after a two-year battle with pancreatic cancer.<ref name="NYT obit" /><ref>{{cite news|last=Victorian|first=Brande|date=July 7, 2021|title=Actress Suzzanne Douglas Dead At 64|work=Essence|url=https://www.essence.com/entertainment/suzzanne-douglas/|access-date=July 7, 2021}}</ref>

==Filmography== ===Film=== {| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |- | 1981 | ''Purlie''<ref name="NYT obit"/> | | Television film |- | 1989 | ''Tap''<ref name="Rotten Tomatoes">{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/suzzanne_douglas|title=Suzzanne Douglas|website=Rotten Tomatoes|access-date=July 7, 2021}}</ref><ref name=AFI>{{cite web|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Person/259650-Suzzanne-Douglas|title=Suzzanne Douglas|publisher=American Film Institute|access-date=July 7, 2021}}</ref> | Amy Simms | |- | 1990 | ''The Knife and Gun Club''<ref name=TCM>{{cite web|url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/52507%7C0/Suzzanne-Douglas#filmography|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210518060725/https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/52507%7C0/Suzzanne-Douglas#filmography|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 18, 2021|title=Suzzanne Douglas – Filmography|publisher=Turner Classic Movies|access-date=July 7, 2021}}</ref> | Ginny Ducette | Television film |- | 1992 | ''Chain of Desire''<ref name="Rotten Tomatoes"/><ref name=BFI>{{cite web|url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2ba88d8ceb|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180528120708/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2ba88d8ceb|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 28, 2018|title=Suzanne Douglas|publisher=British Film Institute|access-date=July 7, 2021}}</ref> | Angie | |- | 1992 | ''Condition: Critical''<ref name="TVG Filmography">{{cite web|title=Suzzanne Douglas List of Movies and TV Shows|url=https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/suzzanne-douglas/credits/3030406994/|website=TV Guide|access-date=July 7, 2021}}</ref> | Dr. Bailey Wallace | Television film |- | 1994 | ''I'll Do Anything''<ref name="TVG Filmography"/> | Rainbow House Star | |- | 1994 | ''The Inkwell''<ref name="Rotten Tomatoes"/><ref name=AFI/> | Brenda Tate | |- | 1994 | ''Search for Grace''<ref name=BFI/><ref name="TVG Filmography"/> | Margaret / Melody | Television film |- | 1994 | ''Jason's Lyric''<ref name="Rotten Tomatoes"/><ref name=BFI/> | Gloria Alexander | |- | 1998 | ''The Last Weekend''<ref name=Rutgers/><ref name=Evans>{{cite news|title=Suzzanne Douglas Dies: 'The Parent 'Hood', 'When They See Us' Actress Was 64|url=https://deadline.com/2021/07/suzzanne-douglas-dead-obituary-parent-hood-when-they-see-us-actress-was-64-1234787419/|first=Greg|last=Evans|date=July 7, 2021|access-date=July 7, 2021|magazine=Deadline Hollywood}}</ref> | Mrs. Fisher | Short film |- | 1998 | ''How Stella Got Her Groove Back''<ref name="Rotten Tomatoes"/><ref name=AFI/> | Angela | <!-- |- | 1998 | ''Alyson's Closet'' | Old Lady | Short film |- | 1999 | ''Student Affairs'' | Gretchin | Television film --> |- | 2003 | ''Sounder''<ref name="Rotten Tomatoes"/><ref name=TCM/> | The Mother | Television film |- | 2003 | ''School of Rock''<ref name=BFI/><ref name="TVG Filmography"/> | Tomika's Mother | |- | 2004 | ''Sunday on the Rocks''<ref name="Rotten Tomatoes"/><ref name=BFI/> | Jessica | |- | 2012 | ''Changing the Game''<ref name="Rotten Tomatoes"/><ref name="TVG Filmography"/> | Mrs. Davis | |- | 2015 | ''Whitney''<ref name="Rotten Tomatoes"/><ref name="TVG Filmography"/> | Cissy Houston | Television film |- | 2016 | ''Happy Yummy Chicken''<ref name="Rotten Tomatoes"/><ref name="TVG Filmography"/> | Sarah Del Casserole | |- | 2020 | ''Really Love''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://fest.afi.com/2020/special-presentations-2020/really-love|title=Really Love|publisher=American Film Institute|access-date=July 7, 2021}}</ref> | Ann Richmond | |}

===Television=== {| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |- | 1989 | ''A Man Called Hawk''<ref name=Evans/> | Lorna Wells | Episode: "Vendetta" |- | 1990 | ''The Cosby Show''<ref name="TVG Filmography"/> | Rebecca Shorter | Episode: "Live and Learn" |- | 1990–1991 | ''Against the Law''<ref name=Evans/> | Yvette Carruthers | 17 episodes |- | 1991 | ''Great Performances'' | Lady In Plaid / The Girl | Episode: "The Colored Museum"<ref name=TCM/> |- | 1991 | ''ABC Afterschool Specials'' | Sammy | Episode: "In the Shadows of Love: A Teen AIDS Story"<ref name=BFI/> |- | 1992 | ''I'll Fly Away''<ref name="TVG Filmography"/> | Ruth | 3 episodes |- | 1993 | ''American Playhouse'' | Eunice Perry | Episode: "Hallelujah"<ref name=TCM/> |- | 1995–1999 | ''The Parent 'Hood''<ref name="Rotten Tomatoes"/><ref name=BFI/> | Geraldine "Jerri" Peterson | 90 episodes |- | 1996–1999 | ''Touched by an Angel''<ref name="Rotten Tomatoes"/><ref name=BFI/> | Dr. Rebecca Dixon / Brianna | 2 episodes |- | 1996 | ''NYPD Blue''<ref name="Rotten Tomatoes"/><ref name="TVG Filmography"/> | Mrs. Torrence | Episode: "Where's 'Swaldo" |- | 1997–1998 | ''Promised Land''<ref name="Rotten Tomatoes"/><ref name="TVG Filmography"/> | Dr. Rebecca Dixon | 4 episodes |- | 1999–2000 | ''The Parkers''<ref name="Rotten Tomatoes"/> | Constance West-McFarland | 2 episodes |- | 2001 | ''Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' | Principal | Episode: "Secrets" |- | 2004 | ''Law & Order: Criminal Intent''<ref name="TVG Filmography"/> | Karen Watkins | Episode: "Mad Hops" |- | 2010 | ''The Good Wife''<ref name="Rotten Tomatoes"/><ref name="TVG Filmography"/> | Judge Keely Farmer | Episode: "Infamy" |- | 2011 | ''Are We There Yet?'' | Melissa | Episode: "The Parent Teacher Trap Episode" |- | 2016 | ''Bones''<ref name="Rotten Tomatoes"/><ref name="TVG Filmography"/> | Elizabeth Burkhart | Episode: "The Monster in the Closet" |- | 2016 | ''Bull''<ref name="Rotten Tomatoes"/> | Betty Everton | Episode: "Just Tell the Truth" |- |2019 | ''When They See Us''<ref name="NYT obit"/> | Grace Cuffe | Miniseries |}

===Theatre=== <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://playbill.com/person/suzzanne-douglas-vault-0000098886|title=Suzzanne Douglas (Performer)|work=Playbill}}</ref> {| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |- |1983 |''The Tap Dance Kid'' |Little Rio Dancer/New Yorker Ginnie (Understudy) |Broadway |- |1987-89 |''Into the Woods'' |Witch, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty (Understudy) |Broadway |- |1989 |''Threepenny Opera'' |Jenny Diver |Broadway |- |}

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== *{{IMDb name|id=0235336|name=Suzzanne Douglas}}

{{Navboxes |title = Awards for Suzzanne Douglas |list = {{Black Reel Award for Outstanding Actress, TV Movie or Limited Series}} {{NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture}} }}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Douglas, Suzzanne}} Category:1957 births Category:2021 deaths Category:20th-century African-American actresses Category:20th-century American actresses Category:20th-century American singers Category:20th-century American women singers Category:21st-century African-American actresses Category:21st-century American actresses Category:21st-century American singers Category:21st-century American women singers Category:Actresses from Chicago Category:American film actresses Category:American musical theatre actresses Category:American television actresses Category:Deaths from pancreatic cancer in Massachusetts Category:Delta Sigma Theta members Category:Illinois State University alumni Category:People from Martha's Vineyard Category:20th-century African-American women singers Category:21st-century African-American women singers