Mary Alice, ‘A Different World,’ ‘I’ll Fly Away’ actress, dies in NYC

NEW YORK — Mary Alice, an Emmy Award-winning actress known for her television roles on “A Different World” and “I’ll Fly Away,” died in New York City on Wednesday, according to the New York Police Department.

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Alice’s age was unclear, as her birth year has been reported as 1936 and 1941 by various sources. No cause of death was given.

A prolific character actor, Alice played Leticia “Lettie” Bostic for two seasons in “A Different World,” Variety reported. She won an Emmy in 1993 for outstanding supporting actress in a drama series in her role as Marguerite Peck in “I’ll Fly Away.”

Born Mary Alice Smith in Indianola, Mississippi, the actress began acting at an early age in her hometown, Variety reported. She moved to New York during the late 1960s and worked in stage productions in Manhattan into the early 1970s.

Alice made her film debut in 1974′s “The Education of Sonny Carson,” Deadline reported. The following year she landed roles on television series such as “Sanford & Son,” “Good Times” and “Police Woman.”

Alice played the role of Effie Williams, the mother of three daughters who form a Supremes-like singing group, in the 1976 musical drama “Sparkle.” She won a Tony Award for her performance in 1987′s Broadway show, “Fences,” Deadline reported.

In “The Matrix Revolutions,” she played the Oracle and also reprised her role in the video game “Enter the Matrix,” according to Variety.

Alice She appeared in “A Different World” for two seasons, and also played Ellie Grant Hubbard on the daytime soap “All My Children” in 1980, according to IMDb.com.

In films, Alice appeared in “Malcolm X,” “The Inkwell,” “Down in the Delta,” “Beat Street,” “To Sleep With Anger,” “Awakenings,” “The Bonfire of the Vanities” and “Sunshine State,” Variety reported.

“A shoulder we all stood on,” actor Colman Domingo tweeted on Thursday.

Alice was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame in 2000, according to Deadline.

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