American actress
Donna Biscoe (born September 30, 1955) is an American actress.
Early years
Biscoe was born in Fort Benning , Georgia , the daughter of Mildred Skillern, a retired Carver High School English teacher. Biscoe attended Carver, then graduated from Kendrick High School in Columbus in 1973 and later graduated from Clark Atlanta University with a bachelor's degree in elementary education.[ 1] Biscoe later went to Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in New York for six months.
In the 1980s, a casting agent discovered Biscoe while she worked as a flight attendant for Eastern Airlines.[ 2]
Career
After returning to Atlanta, Biscoe began acting in plays, including playing Martin Luther King Jr. ’s mother in A Boy King at the Atlanta Children’s Theater.[ 1] In late 1980s, Biscoe also began appearing in an supporting roles in film and television, including four appearances in In the Heat of the Night , CBS miniseries Mama Flora's Family (1998), and well as films Love Crimes (1992) and Blue Sky (1994).
Biscoe worked mostly in theatre in 1980s and 1990s. Her stage credits including Doubt , To Kill A Mockingbird , Waiting To Be Invited , Holiday Heart , Homebody Kabul , Our Town and Fences .[ 3] In 2000s, she began appearing in films playing mostly roles of mothers of grandmothers. Her film credits including Motives 2 and Three Can Play That Game (2007) starring Vivica A. Fox , Mississippi Damned (2009), The Sacrament (2013), The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 (2014), and Girls Trip (2017). She played Taraji P. Henson 's character mother in the 2016 biographical drama film Hidden Figures , and Kevin Hart 's mother in the 2018 comedy Night School .[ 4]
On television, Biscoe guest-starred in Drop Dead Diva , Nashville and Being Mary Jane . She had a recurring roles in the two Oprah Winfrey Network series: drama Greenleaf as Clara Jackson, and prime time soap opera Ambitions as Robin Givens ' character mother. In 2017, she began starring in the Bounce TV prime time soap opera Saints & Sinners playing villainous Lady Leona Byrd.[ 5] The series ended in 2022 after six seasons. She later had the recurring roles in theAll the Queen's Men , All Rise and Reasonable Doubt . In 2024 she starred alongside Garcelle Beauvais , Lela Rochon and Loretta Devine in the Lifetime television movie Terry McMillan Presents: Tempted By Love .[ 6] She also appeared in the comedy-drama film The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat and played WAC Corporal Lena Derriecott in the war drama film, The Six Triple Eight .[ 7]
Other activities
In 2008, Biscoe ran a Pilates studio in downtown Atlanta.[ 2]
Filmography
Film
Television
Year
Film
Role
Notes
1990-1993
In the Heat of the Night
Laura Ulmer / Mrs. Johnson / Cora Tyler
4 episodes
2008
Army Wives
Allison Lyall
Episode: "Payback"
2010
One Tree Hill
Judge
Episode: "Weeks Go by Like Days"
2012
Drop Dead Diva
Dr. Colette Willis
Episode: "Winning Ugly"
2013
Necessary Roughness
Felicia Purnell
Episode: "The Fall Guy"
2013
Nashville
Elizabeth
Episode: "A Picture from Life's Other Side"
2014
Star-Crossed
Gloria's Mother
Episodes: "Dreamers Often Lie" and "Our Toil Shall Strive to Mend"
2014
Rectify
Mrs. Whitman
Episode: "Donald the Normal"
2016-2020
Greenleaf
Clara Jackson
Recurring role, 10 episodes
2017
Being Mary Jane
Episode: "Getting Served"
2017
Shots Fired
Mabel
Episode: "Hour Four: Truth"
2017–2022
Saints & Sinners
Lady Leona Byrd
Recurring (season 2), Series regular (season 3-6), 33 episodes
2019
Jack Ryan
Yvonne Bishop
Episode: "Tertia Optio"
2019
Ambitions
Irene Carlisle
Recurring role, 9 episodes
2020
Outer Banks
Beck
Episode: "Dead Calm"
2021-2022
All the Queen's Men
Patrice Ellis
Recurring role, 7 episodes
2022
Ozark
Lori
Episodes: "City on the Make" and "Sanctified"
2022
Sweet Magnolias
Winell Martin
Episodes: "The Rules of the Game" and "Fragile Things"
2022
Woke
Annie Malone
Episode: "Black Trauma V"
2022
All Rise
Mildred Brewer
Episodes: "It Ain't Over Till It's Over" and "Trouble Man"
2024
Reasonable Doubt
Mavis Tucker-Jones
Episodes: "Can I Live?" and "This Can't Be Life"
References
^ a b James-Johnson, Alva (January 31, 2017). " 'Hidden Figures' actress with Columbus roots wonders what other black stories are missing" . Ledger-Enquirer . Archived from the original on March 25, 2020. Retrieved March 25, 2020 .
^ a b "Move takes her from flight attendant to stage diva" . The Atlanta Constitution . Georgia, Atlanta. July 6, 2008. p. K 1. Retrieved March 25, 2020 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Film Biography" . donna-biscoe .
^ Penrice, Ronda Racha (September 26, 2018). "AAFCA REVIEW: 'Night School' Starring Kevin Hart and Tiffany Haddish" . EBONY .
^ "Saints & Sinners Season Four Finale Airs August 25th" . August 25, 2019.
^ Cordero, Rosy (June 20, 2024). "Lifetime's 'Terry McMillan Presents: Tempted By Love' Rounds Out Cast & Sets Premiere Date" .
^ Dunn, Jack (August 28, 2024). " 'Six Triple Eight' Trailer: Kerry Washington Leads All-Black, All-Female Army Corps in Netflix Drama" .
External links