Alice, Mary (1941–)

ALICE, MARY (1941–). Actress. The Mississippi-born Alice began her career with the Negro Ensemble Company and played many roles off-Broadway. Later, she won a Tony Award for her performance in the August Wilson play Fences , and played Broadway in Having Our Say: The Delaney Sisters’ First 100 Years , with veteran actress Gloria Foster. Her television credits include guest spots on Sanford and Son, Good Times, The Cosby Show , and A Different World . Her television movies include The Women of Brewster Place and the HBO miniseries Laurel Avenue . Alice won an Emmy for her performance in an episode of I’ll Fly Away . She has played many powerful mother roles in films like Sparkle , 1976; To Sleep With Anger , 1990; and Down in the Delta , 1998. She recently took over the role as The Oracle in the final installment of the Matrix Trilogy, replacing her friend and former co-star, the late Gloria Foster.

Filmography: Sparkle , 1976; He Who Walks Alone , 1978; Killing Floor , 1985; Charlotte Forten’s Mission: Experiment in Freedom , 1985; The Women of Brewster Place , 1989; To Sleep with Anger , 1990; Laurel Avenue , 1993; Down in the Delta , 1998; Catfish in Black Bean Sauce , 2000; Sunshine State , 2002; The Matrix Revolutions , 2003.