Beah Richards

Beah Richards left Vicksburg, Mississippi, for New York City in 1950. She did not obtain a major stage role until 1955, when she performed in the off‑Broadway production *Take a Giant Step*, playing an 84‑year‑old grandmother without theatrical makeup. In 1962 she appeared in James Baldwin’s *The Amen Corner*, directed by actor‑director‑activist Frank Silvera, who advised her “Don’t act, just be.” Richards credited Silvera with helping her develop the subtlety and quiet dignity that marked her performances. A prolific actress, poet and playwright, her first authored play was *All’s Well That Ends*, which addressed racial segregation. She identified herself as “Black” at a time when “Negro” was the common label for Black Americans. Richards brought this self‑definition and her acting talent to the role of the peacemaking mother in *Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner* (1967), for which she received an Oscar nomination. Her other stage credits include *Purlie Victorious* by Ossie Davis and *The Little Foxes* by Lillian Hellman. In 1988 she won an Emmy Award for her performance in *Frank’s Place* (1987). Despite suffering from emphysema, she delivered a notable performance on the ABC legal drama *The Practice* (1997) in 2000; three days before her death in Vicksburg she received a second Emmy Award for that work.