'A Different World' And 'Sparkle' Actress Mary Alice Dies At 84

Monique Jones
·2 min read
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Actress Mary Alice, who starred in A Different World as Letitia “Lettie” Bostic and Effie Williams in 1976 film Sparkle, has died at the age of 84.

Love B. Scott reported the news, which was also confirmed by Huff Post’s Phil Lewis. A cause of death has yet to be determined.

S. Epatha Merkerson also posted about Alice's deaath

Mary Alice, whose full name was Mary Alice Smith, was not only a television/film actress, but also performed on stage,

She won a Tony Award for her part in the 1987 production of Fences by August Wilson. In 2000, she was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame due to her body of stage work, which included, but not limited to, roles in several productions hosted at La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club in New York City.

Mary Alice's television work includes roles on 'Sanford and Son,' 'Police Woman' and 'All My Children.'

On the latter, she played Ellie Grant Hubbard. The 1993 miniseries I’ll Fly Away earned her an Emmy Award for her supporting role.

Her role on A Different World took place between the first and second seasons. Her character Lettie was the dorm director for Gilbert Hall, where Denise Huxtable (Lisa Bonet) resided while attending Hillman College.

She also starred in several films.

Her film work includes her 1974 film debut in The Education of Sonny Carson, Malcolm X, The Inkwell, Down in the Delta and The Matrix Revolutions. Her work in the Matrix franchise was pivotal for the series, as she replaced actress Gloria Foster, who died in 2001 from diabetes, as the Oracle. Mary Alice also portrayed the Oracle in the video game Enter the Matrix.

Mary Alice retired from acting in 2005.

Our thoughts are with her family and loved ones.