Tonea Stewart (born February 3, 1947),
She had a recurring role as Aunt Etta Kibby in the American television series In the Heat of the Night,
Her original intention was to become a doctor, and she studied biology at Jackson State University. However, after acting in a school production, Stewart changed her major to theater. She appeared as Mrs. Walker in film Mississippi Burning (1988). On the series, she had previously portrayed a different character, and returned under this new role as producers were impressed with her performance. Stewart acted in the feature films Body Snatchers, Livin' Large, Mississippi Damned and Girls Trip. ER and Touched by an Angel. She played Gwen Hailey, the wife of Samuel L. Jackson's character, in A Time to Kill (1996). Stewart received an NAACP Image Award nomination for her work in this film.
The majority of Stewart's work has been in television films. and The Rosa Parks Story, where she appeared as Johnnie Carr. In 1994, Stewart appeared in the TV movies One Christmas as Evangeline and A Passion for Justice: The Hazel Brannon Smith Story as Henrietta. She portrayed Memaw, the grandmother of Halle Downing, in the Oprah Winfrey Network movie First Christmas.
Teaching career
Stewart began teaching in 1971, educating high school students. By 1983, Stewart was assistant professor for the dramatics and speech departments at Jackson.
Starting in 1990, she was a professor at the College of Visual and Performing Arts for Alabama State University, also chairing the theater department.
In 2020, Stewart was appointed by Alabama state governor Kay Ivey to represent the fifth district of the Alabama State Board of Education.
Personal life
She is married to Allen Stewart, with whom she has three children.