She returned to a reformed J.J. for the series final year. Esther Rolle, a sharecropper's daughter who grew up to become a respected actress and role model for other blacks, has died. She is best known for her role as Florida Evans, on the CBS television sitcom Maude, for two seasons (1972-1974), and its spin-off series Good Times, for five seasons (1974-77, 1978-79), for which Rolle was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Television Series Musical or Comedy in 1976. Five You Should Know: Black Actresses Who Refused to Be Typecast . Her first important work came with the Negro Ensemble Company and over the years would earn a solid careworn reputation in such theater plays as "The Blacks," "Blues for Mister Charlie," "The Amen Corner," "A Raisin in the Sun" and "A Member of the Wedding. " Join the Inherit community! She is best known for her role as Florida Evans, on. But the Scriptures are pretty clear about what happened. Florida Evans (Esther Rolle): Matriarch, occasional Mama BearJames Evans (): Patriarch, Chew Toy | Source: Wikimedia Commons Images. sex slaves without wife status). [3], Evans died on July 20, 1985, in New York City, New York, and was buried in Westview Community Cemetery in Pompano Beach, Florida. Thursday, October 28, 2021, PAGE 9. In 1979 she won an Emmy for her role in Summer of My German Soldier, a made-for-television movie. 168 pages. Although they had been granted freedom to return to their homeland, many of the Jewish people stayed in exile rather than go back to a war-torn Jerusalem. While Janet's role of Penny did solidify her career as a child actor, Jimmie also revealed the low-down on that.