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Sheila Frazier

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Sheila Frazier
Born
Sheila Elaine Frazier

(1948-11-13) November 13, 1948 (age 75)
Occupations
  • Actress
  • Producer
  • Model
Years active1972–present
Spouses
  • Sam McKeith[citation needed]
John Atchison
(m. 2008)
[1]
ChildrenDerek McKeith

Sheila Elaine Frazier (born November 13, 1948) is an American actress, producer, and model. Frazier is known for her role as Georgia in the 1972 crime drama film Super Fly. Frazier later reprised her role in the 1973 sequel, Super Fly T.N.T.

Early life

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Sheila Elaine Frazier was born in New York City to parents Dorothy Dennis and Eugene Cole Frazier. She spent her early years living in the Lower East Side of Manhattan and attended PS 97 until the age of ten, when she relocated with her mother to Englewood, New Jersey.[citation needed] There, she enrolled in the Liberty School. During her childhood, Frazier experienced a stutter, which contributed to her shyness. In sixth grade, a teacher attempted to help her overcome it by addressing the class before her presentation and stating, "I don't want any laughter. Sheila has a stutter." Frazier has mentioned that this introduction heightened her anxiety about public speaking.[2]

In Englewood, her neighbors included, Clyde McPhatter, Van McCoy, The Isley Brothers, and Dolly and Jackie McLean. She went on to Dwight Morrow High School, where her classmates included Margaret Travolta, actress and sister of John Travolta. Despite Frazier's struggle with stuttering, she was inspired by Susan Hayward's performance in the film I'll Cry Tomorrow to pursue a career as an actress. After graduating from high school in 1966,[3] aged 17, she moved to New York City, where she stayed with her godmother and found work as a secretary.[4]

Career

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One day on the subway, a man approached Frazier and asked if she'd ever considered modelling. That chance encounter led her to do photo sessions with his boss, Bert Andrews. She began to do runway modeling and print work, but was not comfortable with that sort of attention. At some point, she met actor Richard Roundtree, who suggested she audition for the Negro Ensemble Company. Following his advice about focusing on the part she was playing, Frazier found she had overcome her stuttering.[citation needed] Five months later, she auditioned for the film Super Fly, winning the role of Georgia, the lead actress. She went on to work in many film and television productions, including Three the Hard Way. In 1980, she hosted a community affairs show on KNXT-TV in Los Angeles. She also worked as a story editor at Richard Pryor's Indigo Productions.

Film and television

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Year Title Role Notes
1972 Super Fly Georgia
1973 Super Fly T.N.T. Georgia
1973 Firehouse Michelle Forsythe TV movie
1974 The Super Cops Sara
1974 Three The Hard Way Wendy Kane
1977 Starsky and Hutch Dr. Sammie Mason Episode "Manchild on the Streets"
1978 California Suite Bettina Panama
1978 King June TV mini-series
1978 The Lazarus Syndrome Gloria St. Clair TV movie
1979 The Hitter Lola
1979 The Lazarus Syndrome Gloria St. Clair Episode "A Brutal Assault"
1981 Lou Grant Beth MacDougall Episode "Execution"
1982 The Phoenix Mira Episode "One of Them"
1982 Dallas Miss Carpenter Episode "Changing of the Guard"
1982 The Love Boat Joyce Murdock Episode "The Tomorrow Lady/Father, Dear Father/Still Life"
1983 Two of a Kind Reporter
1984 Hardcastle and McCormick Newswoman Episode "D-Day"
1985 Gimme a Break! Yvonne Anderson Episode "Friendship"
1985 Magnum, P.I. Sheila Pennington Episode "Round and Around"
1986 Cagney & Lacey Reporter Episode "Capitalism"
1988 227 Ida Dalton Episode "The Roommate"
1990 1st & Ten: The Championship Mabel Episode "The Squeeze"
1999 The West Wing Newscaster #2 Episode "Five Votes Down"
2000 The District Mayor's Wife Episode "The Jackal"
2001 All About You Mrs. Tate
2004 NCIS Debra Green 5 episodes, 2004-2008
2006 The Last Stand Dede's Mom
2014 Being Mary Jane Catherine Stafford 2 episodes

Personal life

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Frazier has been married twice and has one child.[1] Frazier married evangelist minister John Atchison in early–2008 at Crenshaw Christian Center East in Manhattan, New York.[1] Frazier's son, Derek McKeith is from her previous marriage to Sam McKeith.[citation needed] Frazier currently resides in Los Angeles.

References

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  1. ^ a b c JET Magazine - Celebrities - Prayer, Patience And Celibacy Are Ingredients That Unite Couple After 30-Year Friendship - March 24, 2008
  2. ^ Sipher, Devan (17 February 2008). "Fashion: Weddings". The New York Times. Retrieved 2012-10-22.
  3. ^ Dwight Morrow High School (Englewood, New Jersey) '1966 yearbook
  4. ^ "Sheila Frazier's Biography". thehistorymakers.com. Archived from the original on 2012-06-16.
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