Who was Roxie Roker? Everything You Need to Know

Quick Facts

Also Known As: Roxie Albertha Roker

Died At Age: 66

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Sy Kravitz (m. 1962–1985)

father: Albert Roker

mother: Bessie (née Mitchell)

children: Lenny Kravitz

Actresses American Women

Died on: December 2, 1995

place of death: Los Angeles, California, United States

Cause of Death: Breast Cancer

Ancestry: Bahamian American

U.S. State: Florida

City: Miami, Florida

More Facts

education: Howard University

Recommended For You

1

What role did Roxie Roker play on the popular TV series The Jeffersons?

Roxie Roker portrayed the character of Helen Willis, who was the neighbor and close friend of the Jefferson family.
2

In which decade did Roxie Roker first gain recognition for her acting career?

Roxie Roker began gaining recognition for her acting career in the 1960s.
3

What was one significant social issue that Roxie Roker often addressed in her work?

Roxie Roker was known for addressing and advocating for racial equality and social justice in her work as an actress and activist.
4

Which well-known Hollywood figure was Roxie Roker related to?

Roxie Roker was the mother of Lenny Kravitz, the famous musician and actor.

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Childhood & Early Life

Roxie Albertha Roker was born on August 28, 1929 in Miami, Florida. She was, however, brought up in Brooklyn, New York. She spent the rest of her childhood in New York before moving to Wahington DC for higher studies.

Her mother, Bessie (Mitchell), hailed from Georgia, and her father, Albert Hubert Roker, was from the Bahamas. She came from a poor family, where her mother worked as a domestic worker and her father was a porter.

Her mother was an African-American and her father was an Afro-Bahamian immigrant.

She went to the Howard University in Washington DC to earn a degree in Fine Arts. She received her degree in 1952.

During her college days, she became a part of a lot of productions, and was an active member in the Howard Players. She was also a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc.

She also studied at the Shakespeare Institute in Stratford- upon-Avon in England.

After graduating from college, she moved to New York to pursue a career in acting while also finding means to support herself.

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American Female Film & Theater Personalities

Career

After she moved to New York, she got a job in NBC’s New York office, but she never stopped performing at various Broadway plays.

She started her professional acting career with the Negro Ensemble Company where she successfully became a stage performer.

She did Off-Broadway shows and acted in Jean Genet’s Play, ‘The Blacks’. She continued acting in various plays until she got her first Broadway play.

She started acting in plays like ‘Ododo’ and ‘Rosalee Pritchard’, and received good reviews from the audience for her roles. Her other Off Broadway plays include ‘Behold! Cometh the Vanderkellans’ (1971) and ‘Jamimma’(1972).

In 1972, she did a play called ‘The Niger River’. Her performance as ‘Matie Willams’ in the play was greatly appreciated by the audience and even got her a few awards and achievements for her mind-blowing performance.

She worked as a reporter for WNEW-TV in New York. She hosted a show called, ‘Inside Bedford-Stuyvesant’ where she used to deal with the events taking place in Brooklyn and the surrounding areas.

Her most memorable role came in American sitcom, ‘The Jeffersons’ for ABC, where Roxie appeared in the role of ‘Helen Willis’. The show lasted for 10 years (1975-85).

‘The Jeffersons’ is the second-longest running show with African-American cast. This show was also the first ever to feature an interracial couple on prime-time television.

In 1974, she had a small role in an American movie, ‘Claudiene’, where she played ‘Mrs. Winston’.

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She also had a role in the 1977 miniseries ‘Roots’, which was based on Alex Haley’s novel with the same name.

Between 1970 and 1990, she appeared in numerous TV shows like ‘Stone in the River’ for NBC, ‘Punky Brewster’, ‘Hanging with Mr. Cooper’, ‘ A Different World’, ‘Murder She Wrote’, ‘The Love Boat’, ‘227’, ‘Beat the Clock’, etc. With such TV shows, she managed to make a good name in the entertainment industry.

In 1987, she appeared in a movie, ‘Amazon Women on the Moon’, a spoof of 1950s science fiction movies.

She was also a board member of the ‘Inter Agency Council on child Abuse and Neglect’, and an advocate for child protection and safety. She had also earned two citations from the Los Angeles City Council.

Awards & Achievements

She received Broadway’s Tony Award nomination in 1974 for her portrayal of ‘Matie Williams’ in ‘The River Niger’. She was nominated as the ‘Best Supporting Actress.

She won an Obie Award for her role in ‘The River Niger’ in 1974. This honor marked her potential as a performer.

Life & Legacy

Roxie got married to television producer Sy Kravitz in 1962. She gave birth to a son on May 26th, 1964, who is now a famous singer-songwriter and rockstar, Lenny Kravitz. Lenny is also a Grammy-winner. Her marriage with Sy Kravitz came to an end in 1985.

Roxie is also the paternal grandmother of Zoe Kravitz, the actress, and cousin of NBC’s Today Show, Al Roker.

She died of breast cancer on December 2, 1995 at the age of 66.

Her son, Lenny Kravitz, even dedicated a song for her. It’s called ‘Thinking of You’.

She died two minutes after midnight of December 2, 1995. Her son’s daughter, Zoe Kravitz was born on December 1st, 1995. And the family was concerned that Zoe’s grandmother might die on the same day she was born, which would have been truly heartbreaking.

Roxie was a good friend of sassy comedian, Marla Gibbs.

Facts About Roxie Roker

Roxie Roker was a talented actress, best known for her role as Helen Willis on the TV show "The Jeffersons."

She was the mother of musician Lenny Kravitz, and her daughter, Lisa Bonet, also became a successful actress.

Roxie Roker was a trailblazer in Hollywood, breaking barriers for African American actors in the 1970s.

In addition to her acting career, she was also an active advocate for social justice and civil rights.

Roxie Roker was known for her warm and engaging personality both on and off the screen, leaving a lasting impact on those who knew her.

Roxie Roker Biography

You wanted to know

What role did Roxie Roker play on the popular TV series The Jeffersons?

In which decade did Roxie Roker first gain recognition for her acting career?

What was one significant social issue that Roxie Roker often addressed in her work?

Which well-known Hollywood figure was Roxie Roker related to?