Roxie Albertha Roker (August 28, 1929 – December 2, 1995) was an American actress. She was best known for her portrayal of Helen Willis on the CBS sitcom The Jeffersons. In 1973, she performed as Mattie Williams in the Broadway play The River Niger, and was nominated for Best Featured Actress in a Play at the 28th Tony Awards. Roker is the mother of rock musician Lenny Kravitz and grandmother of actress Zoë Kravitz.
Early life and education
Roker was born in Miami, Florida. She grew up in Brooklyn, New York.
Roker studied drama at Howard University, where she was a pupil of celebrated drama teachers Anne Cooke Reid and Owen Dodson. Some of her fellow drama students at Howard included novelist Toni Morrison, actress Zaida Coles, stage director and playwright Shauneille Perry, and actor Graham Brown, all of whom were members of the university's theater troupe, the Howard Players. Roker toured with the Howard Players for performances in Norway in 1949, a trip sponsored by the United States Department of State and supported by Eleanor Roosevelt.
Career
Roker began her professional career with the Negro Ensemble Company and became a successful stage actress. She won an Obie Award in 1974 and was nominated for a Tony Award for her portrayal of Mattie Williams in The River Niger.
Death
Roker died in Los Angeles, California, on December 2, 1995, of breast cancer. She was 66.
Filmography
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
|1974|| Change at 125th Street || Eloise Morse || TV movie
|-
|1974|| Claudine || Mrs. Winston ||
|-
|1975–1985|| The Jeffersons || Helen Willis ||
|-
|1977|| Roots || Malizy || Episode: "Part V"
|-
|1977|| Billy: Portrait of a Street Kid || Mrs. Peoples || TV movie
|-
|1979|| $weepstake$ || Margaret || Episode: "Roscoe, Elizabeth, and the M.C."
|-
|1979|| The Bermuda Triangle || Bohamiar Radio Operator || Documentary
|-
|1982|| Fantasy Island || Emily Carlisle || Episode: "The Kleptomaniac/Thank God, I'm a Country Girl"
|-
|1983|| Making of a Male Model || Madge Davis || TV movie
|-
|1983–1987|| ABC Afterschool Specials || Phyllis Brooks / Aunt Helen || 2 episodes
|-
|1987|| Amazon Women on the Moon || Female Republican || (segment "Blacks Without Soul")
|-
|1988|| 227 (TV series) || Dr. Thelma Butler ||
|-
|1988|| Punky Brewster ||Judge J.F. Taylor||1 episode
|-
|1990|| Penny Ante: The Motion Picture || ||
|-
|1991|| Murder She Wrote || Jennifer Bryce ||(Television Series) Season 8 - Episode 2: "Night Fears"
|-
|1991|| A Different World || Dean Barksdale || Episode: "Home Is Where The Fire Is"
|}