Theresa Merritt Hines was an American stage, film and television actress and singer.

Career

Born in Emporia, Virginia

Emporia, Virginia

Emporia is an independent city located within the confines of Greensville County, Virginia, United States. The population was estimated to be 5,927 in 2010. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Emporia with surrounding Greensville county for statistical purposes...

, Merritt appeared in many theatrical productions but gained fame later in life when she starred in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom is a 1982 play - one of the ten-play Pittsburgh Cycle by August Wilson, a Pulitzer Prize-winning American playwright - that chronicles the twentieth century African American experience...

(Tony Award

Tony Award

The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...

 nomination) and The Wiz

The Wiz

The Wiz: The Super Soul Musical "Wonderful Wizard of Oz" is a musical with music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls and book by William F. Brown. It is a retelling of L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in the context of African American culture. It opened on October 21, 1974 at the Morris A...

(she replaced Mabel King

Mabel King

Mabel King was an American film, stage and television actress.-Early life and career:King was born Donnie Mabel Elizabeth Washington in Charleston, South Carolina, the daughter of Rosalie Washington. She was raised in Harlem where she eventually became a gospel and nightclub singer...

 as Evelline, and although the demanding role was a highly visible one for her she left it, citing its deleterious effect on her voice) and the television series That's My Mama

That's My Mama

That's My Mama is an American television sitcom that was originally broadcast on the ABC network from September 1974 until December 1975. There are 39 episodes of this series.-Synopsis:...

.

Her most notable film roles were Aunt Em in the 1978 film version of The Wiz

The Wiz (film)

The Wiz is a 1978 musical film produced by Motown Productions and Universal Pictures, and released by Universal on October 24, 1978. An urbanized retelling of L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz featuring an entirely African-American cast, The Wiz was adapted from the 1975 Broadway musical...

, Mrs. Crosby in the 1977 film adaptation of Neil Simon's The Goodbye Girl

The Goodbye Girl

The Goodbye Girl is a 1977 American romantic comedy-drama film. Directed by Herbert Ross, the film stars Richard Dreyfuss, Marsha Mason, Quinn Cummings, and Paul Benedict...

and Juanita in the Adam Sandler

Adam Sandler

Adam Richard Sandler is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, musician, and film producer.After becoming a Saturday Night Live cast member, Sandler went on to star in several Hollywood feature films that grossed over $100 million at the box office...

 comedy Billy Madison

Billy Madison

Billy Madison is a 1995 American comedy film directed by Tamra Davis and starring Adam Sandler, in the title role, Bradley Whitford, Bridgette Wilson, Norm Macdonald and Darren McGavin. The film was written by Sandler and Tim Herlihy, and produced by Universal Studios. It made over $25.5 million...

. She also appeared alongside Burt Reynolds

Burt Reynolds

Burton Leon "Burt" Reynolds, Jr. is an American actor. Some of his memorable roles include Bo 'Bandit' Darville in Smokey and the Bandit, Lewis Medlock in Deliverance, Bobby "Gator" McCluskey in White Lightning and sequel Gator, Paul Crewe and Coach Nate Scarborough in The Longest Yard and its...

 and Dolly Parton

Dolly Parton

Dolly Rebecca Parton is an American singer-songwriter, author, multi-instrumentalist, actress and philanthropist, best known for her work in country music. Dolly Parton has appeared in movies like 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Steel Magnolias and Straight Talk...

 in the film adaptation of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas

The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas

The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas is a musical with a book by Texas author Larry L. King and Peter Masterson and music and lyrics by Carol Hall...

.

Personal life and death

Merritt was married to Benjamin Hines; they had four children. Merritt died of skin cancer

Skin cancer

Skin neoplasms are skin growths with differing causes and varying degrees of malignancy. The three most common malignant skin cancers are basal cell cancer, squamous cell cancer, and melanoma, each of which is named after the type of skin cell from which it arises...

 on June 12, 1998 in The Bronx

The Bronx

The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...

.

Filmography

Film
Year	Film	Role	Notes
1971	They Might Be Giants They Might Be Giants (film) They Might Be Giants is a 1971 film based on the play of the same name starring George C. Scott and Joanne Woodward. Occasionally cited mistakenly as a Broadway play, it never in fact opened in the USA...	Peggy
1977	Proof of the Man	Peggy
	The Goodbye Girl The Goodbye Girl The Goodbye Girl is a 1977 American romantic comedy-drama film. Directed by Herbert Ross, the film stars Richard Dreyfuss, Marsha Mason, Quinn Cummings, and Paul Benedict...	Mrs. Crosby
1978	The Wiz The Wiz (film) The Wiz is a 1978 musical film produced by Motown Productions and Universal Pictures, and released by Universal on October 24, 1978. An urbanized retelling of L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz featuring an entirely African-American cast, The Wiz was adapted from the 1975 Broadway musical...	Aunt Emma
1979	The Great Santini The Great Santini The Great Santini is a 1979 film which tells the story of a Marine officer whose success as a military aviator contrasts with his shortcomings as a husband and father. The film explores the high price of heroism and self-sacrifice...	Arrabella Smalls	Alternative titles: The Ace The Gift of Fury
	All That Jazz All That Jazz All That Jazz is a 1979 American musical film directed by Bob Fosse. The screenplay by Robert Alan Aurthur and Fosse is a semi-autobiographical fantasy based on aspects of Fosse's life and career as dancer, choreographer and director. The film was inspired by Bob Fosse's manic effort to edit his...	Cast of NY/LA
1982	The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (film) The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas is a 1982 film adaptation of the musical of the same name released by Universal Pictures, which was co-written and directed by Colin Higgins...	Jewel
1988	Astonished	Ida
	The Serpent and the Rainbow	Simone
1989	Zwei Frauen Zwei Frauen Zwei Frauen is a 1989 German dramatic film. The film stars Jami Gertz, George Peppard, Bruce Payne and Rip Torn....	Nurse Wilson	Alternative title: Silence Like Glass
1991	Voodoo Dawn Voodoo Dawn Voodoo Dawn is a 1990 American horror film that was directed by Steven Fierberg, written by Jeffrey Delman, Evan Dunsky, Thomas Rendon, and John A. Russo, and produced by Steven D. Mackler. It received an R rating...	Madame Daslay	Alternative title: Strange Turf
1995	Billy Madison Billy Madison Billy Madison is a 1995 American comedy film directed by Tamra Davis and starring Adam Sandler, in the title role, Bradley Whitford, Bridgette Wilson, Norm Macdonald and Darren McGavin. The film was written by Sandler and Tim Herlihy, and produced by Universal Studios. It made over $25.5 million...	Juanita
1998	Dangerous Proposition	Grace
	Home Fries Home Fries Home Fries is a 1998 film directed by Dean Parisot, starring Drew Barrymore, Luke Wilson and Jake Busey. The script was originally penned by writer Vince Gilligan for a film class at New York University...	Mrs. Vaughan
Television
Year	Title	Role	Notes
1969	J.T.	Mama Meley	Television movie
1973	The Furst Family of Washington	Eloise "Mama" Furst	Television movie
1974–1975	That's My Mama That's My Mama That's My Mama is an American television sitcom that was originally broadcast on the ABC network from September 1974 until December 1975. There are 39 episodes of this series.-Synopsis:...	Eloise "Mama" Curtis	39 episodes
1975	Police Story	Mrs. Johnson	1 episode
1980	NBC Special Treat After school special The American Broadcasting Company coined the term after school special in 1972 with a series of made for television movies, usually dealing with controversial or socially relevant issues, that were generally broadcast in the late afternoon and meant to be viewed by school age children, particularly...		1 episode
1983	The Love Boat The Love Boat The Love Boat is an American television series set on a cruise ship, which aired on the ABC Television Network from September 24,1977, until May 24,1986.The show starred Gavin MacLeod as the ship's captain...	Faye Pillips	1 episode
1984	Concealed Enemies Concealed Enemies Concealed Enemies is an American television docudrama of the events leading to the arrest, conviction, and imprisonment of former U.S. State Department official Alger Hiss....	Clytie Catlett	Television movie
1988	Miracle at Beekman's Place	Sarag Coleman	Television movie
1997	Law & Order Law & Order Law & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series, created by Dick Wolf and part of the Law & Order franchise. It aired on NBC, and in syndication on various cable networks. Law & Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and completed its 20th and final season on May 24,...	Ruth Titus	1 episode
1998	NYPD Blue NYPD Blue NYPD Blue is an American television police drama set in New York City, exploring the internal and external struggles of the fictional 15th precinct of Manhattan...	Bernice	1 episode
	Cosby Cosby Cosby is a situation comedy television series broadcast on CBS from September 16, 1996 to April 28, 2000, loosely based on the British sitcom One Foot in the Grave. The program starred Bill Cosby, Phylicia Rashād...	Edna Stone	1 episode

External links