Born 1936 (age 85) · Indianola, Mississippi, USA
Appears in 54 titles

Mary Alice was born on December 3, 1936 in Indianola, Mississippi, USA to parents Ozelar Jurnakin (Smith) and Sam Smith. She was an actress, known for The Matrix Revolutions (2003), Awakenings (1990) and Malcolm X (1992). She taught in Elementary School before her acting career took off. When she was still a struggling actress doing stage plays, she made a living doing her castmate's laundry for a salary of $200 a week. She was a lifelong liberal Democrat, feminist, and civil rights activist. Was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 2000. She retired from acting in 2005. She died of natural causes on July 27, 2022 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA. Upon her death, she was buried with her siblings at Oak Wood Cemetery in Chicago, Illinois, in regard for her last wishes.

Filmography

The Matrix Revolutions
6.8
The Matrix Revolutions
2003
as The Oracle
Awakenings
7.8
Awakenings
1990
as Nurse Margaret
Malcolm X
7.6
Malcolm X
1992
as School Teacher
A Perfect World
7.5
A Perfect World
1993
as Lottie
The Bonfire of the Vanities
5.6
The Bonfire of the Vanities
1990
as Annie Lamb
Life with Mikey
5.7
Life with Mikey
1993
as Mrs. Gordon
Bed of Roses
5.9
Bed of Roses
1996
as Alice
Beat Street
6.8
Beat Street
1984
as Cora
Teachers
5.7
Teachers
1984
as Linda Ganz
To Sleep with Anger
6.8
To Sleep with Anger
1990
as Suzie
The Matrix Recalibrated
6.8
The Matrix Recalibrated
2004
as Self
Sunshine State
6.4
Sunshine State
2002
as Eunice Stokes
Down in the Delta
6.3
Down in the Delta
1998
as Rosa Lynn Sinclair
Sparkle
7.5
Sparkle
1976
as Effie
The Women of Brewster Place
6.7
The Women of Brewster Place
1989
as Fannie Michael
The Inkwell
5.5
The Inkwell
1994
as Evelyn
Catfish in Black Bean Sauce
5.4
Catfish in Black Bean Sauce
1999
as Dolores Williams
The Burly Man Chronicles
The Education of Sonny Carson
The Last Brickmaker in America
8.0
The Last Brickmaker in America
2001
as Dorothy Cobb