Zara Cully
| Zara Cully | |
|---|---|
Cully (right) as Mother Jefferson on the CBS sitcom The Jeffersons, 1975.
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| Born |
Zara Frances Cully January 26, 1892 Worcester, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | February 28, 1978 (aged 86) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Lung Cancer |
| Resting place | Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood, California) |
| Other names | Zara Cully-Brown |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1919–1978 |
| Spouse(s) | James M. Brown, Sr. (1914–1968; his death) |
| Children | 4 |
Zara Frances Cully (January 26, 1892 – February 28, 1978) was an American actress, known for her role as Olivia "Mother Jefferson" Jefferson on the CBS sitcom The Jeffersons (1975-78).
Born in Worcester, Massachusetts, on January 26, 1892, Cully was one of ten siblings. She graduated from the Worcester School of Speech and Music, and was one of the oldest performers active in television at the time of her death. In 1940, after an appearance in New York City she became known as "one of the world's greatest elocutionists". After moving to Jacksonville, Florida, she began producing, writing, directing, and acting in numerous plays. For 15 years she was a drama teacher at her own studio as well as at Edward Waters College, and had become known as Florida's "Dean of Drama" before her inability or unwillingness to adapt to the then-prevailing social customs in the South directed her decision to leave for Hollywood, where she became a regular performer at the Ebony Showcase Theatre.
By the time she acquired the role of 'Mother' Jefferson, she had accumulated a long list of acting credentials spanning a half-century, including such movies as The Liberation of L.B. Jones (1970), a starring role in Brother John (1971), and the Blaxploitation films Sugar Hill (1974) and Darktown Strutters (1975). Her TV career went back to what critics call 'the golden age of television' including appearances on the highly acclaimed Playhouse 90 series. Aside from The Jeffersons, her television credits included The People Next Door (CBS Playhouse), Run for Your Life (NBC Matinee Theater), Cowboy in Africa, The Name of the Game, Mod Squad, Night Gallery, and All in the Family (in a 1974 appearance in which she originated the "Mother Jefferson" role, which she then carried over to The Jeffersons, when that show spun off).
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